Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

Belek Ghazi

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Nationality
  
Turk

Name
  
Belek Ghazi

Allegiance
  
Seljuk Empire


Belek Ghazi

Battles/wars
  
Conquest of Harput Battle against Menguceks Battle against countship of Edessa

Died
  
May 6, 1124, Tyre, Lebanon

Belek Ghazi (Nuruddevle Belek or Balak) was a Turkish bey in the early 12th century.

Contents

Belek Ghazi Belek Ghazi Wikipedia

Early life

His father was Behram and his grand father was Artuk, an important figure of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He was a short-term governor of Suruç (now a district center in Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey). During the First Crusade, the crusaders captured the city in 1098. He took part in the Seljuk expedition to Antakya which was recently lost to Crusaders. But the campaign ended in failure.

Beylik in Harput

In 1112 Belek captured Harput (an ancient city near to present day Elâzığ in Turkey) from Mengüceks. He founded a beylik. This beylik is now known as the Harput branch of the Artukids (the other two being the Hasankeyf branch of Sökmen and Mardin branch of Ilghazi). Next year he married to Ayşe Hatun, widow of Anatolian Seljuk sultan Kılıç Arslan I. By this prestigious marriage, he formed family ties with the Seljuk family.

In 1120, Belek together with Danishmends defeated a coalition of Mengüceks and Constantine Gabras of the Byzantine Empire. Two years later, after the death of Ilghazi, Belek became the leader of the Artukids. In 1122 he defeated the forces of Countship of Edessa and took Joscelin I as captive. Next year Baldwin II of Jerusalem too was enslaved by Belek. These two victories gained Belek fame both in Muslim countries and in Europe.

Death and aftermath

In 1124 he was invited to defend Tyre the only port the Muslims used in Syria against the attacking Crusaders. During the fighting he was killed on 6 May 1124. Shortly after his death Harput was annexed by the Artukids of Hasankeyf. Nevertheless, in 1185 another beylik was founded by Artukids in Harput

References

Belek Ghazi Wikipedia