Early period & Origins
Seljuk empire was founded by Oghuz Turks and appeared around 1037 mainly by Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg. The house of Seljuk migrated to Persia and parts of central Asia from Aral sea. They were mostly tribal people and were Nomads who assimilated into Persian culture after reverting to Islam. Their establishment as an empire contributed to the infusion of Turkic and Persian culture and also played a key role in trade and strategic military placement in the region.
The rise
The key leaders in the rise of the Seljuks were two brothers who went by the name of Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg. They led their armies to fighting across different frontiers. Their rise began when they managed to defeat the Ghaznavid empire after raiding it repeatedly sometime in 1037 or so and managed to capture Nishapur and Merv. During the battle of Dandanakan, sometime in 1040, the Seljuks defeated Mas'ud I and pretty much repelled the Ghaznavid empire. They were also very effective in conquering much of Iraq, Georgia, Armenia and managed to defeat the byzantine empire in some battles. The main ruler in this rise that had a role to play was Malik Shah I and Alp-Arsalan. They expanded the empire east and west and the empire got so large that it bordered China in the east & Byzantine in the west. The two famous battles fought by the Seljuks were Dandanakan and Manzikert.
Battle of Dandanakan
During the battle, the army employed hit and run tactics. After a long guerilla war, the 16,000 large army fought the Ghaznavids who were also large in numbers. After the Seljuks managed to cut off water supply for the Ghaznavid army, the Ghaznavid army, realizing the strength of Seljuk warriors lost their discipline and order and were defeated. (Lampton, 1988)
Battle of Manzikert
The battle was fought under Alp Arsalan near Manzikert as the Byzantine army entered Turksih held Armenia at the time. However, the Turkic mercenaries managed to defeat the byzantine forces as they tried to escape. This battled ended the Byzantine's status as a militarily viable state. (Butning, 2017)
Peak
The Oghuz Turks were mainly a tribal dynasty, and they didn't quite have much of a civilized architectural background or design, hence after establishing themselves, they adopted much of Persian culture, art and even language. During this time, the Persian culture and art spread throughout the Muslim world the most under Malik Shah I. At it's peak, the empire included Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Anatolia, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Baluchistan. The neighboring Ghanznavid empire had to recognize the Seljuks as the dominant power. Malik Shah I moved the capital city to Esfahan (Korobeinikov 2015) and also established one of the greatest university in Baghdad Iraq. This golden age was known as the period of the "great Seljuks".
Another person who played a role was Alp-Arsalan along side Malik Shah I. Alp-Arsalan was the one who gained success in opening the frontier to further success
Downfall
Carving of the empire
The off spring of Malik Shah I who inherited the empire divided the empire after his four sons fought over it. This weakened the empire for obvious reasons, since the division of the empire lead to smaller kingdoms and therefore smaller armies and economies.
The carving out of the empire also wasn't easy. Each division was contested by the other and led to them not cooperating in unity.
The Crusades
The crusaders were one of the playing factors that weakened the Seljuks. The Seljuk states after being divided focused far too much on conquering each other's land as opposed to uniting against the crusader forces. As a result, the Seljuk states were damaged severely. Although the Seljuks did manage to defeat the crusaders a few times, the crusader army managed to capture Jerusalem and set up their own domain.
Internal rebellion
Ahmad Sanjar who ruled much of Khurassan dealt with rebellions constantly. He also tried to assist his allies however, his army was defeated and succeeded by the Kara-Khitai conquest.
Citations:
Seljuk empire was founded by Oghuz Turks and appeared around 1037 mainly by Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg. The house of Seljuk migrated to Persia and parts of central Asia from Aral sea. They were mostly tribal people and were Nomads who assimilated into Persian culture after reverting to Islam. Their establishment as an empire contributed to the infusion of Turkic and Persian culture and also played a key role in trade and strategic military placement in the region.
The rise
The key leaders in the rise of the Seljuks were two brothers who went by the name of Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg. They led their armies to fighting across different frontiers. Their rise began when they managed to defeat the Ghaznavid empire after raiding it repeatedly sometime in 1037 or so and managed to capture Nishapur and Merv. During the battle of Dandanakan, sometime in 1040, the Seljuks defeated Mas'ud I and pretty much repelled the Ghaznavid empire. They were also very effective in conquering much of Iraq, Georgia, Armenia and managed to defeat the byzantine empire in some battles. The main ruler in this rise that had a role to play was Malik Shah I and Alp-Arsalan. They expanded the empire east and west and the empire got so large that it bordered China in the east & Byzantine in the west. The two famous battles fought by the Seljuks were Dandanakan and Manzikert.
Battle of Dandanakan
During the battle, the army employed hit and run tactics. After a long guerilla war, the 16,000 large army fought the Ghaznavids who were also large in numbers. After the Seljuks managed to cut off water supply for the Ghaznavid army, the Ghaznavid army, realizing the strength of Seljuk warriors lost their discipline and order and were defeated. (Lampton, 1988)
Battle of Manzikert
The battle was fought under Alp Arsalan near Manzikert as the Byzantine army entered Turksih held Armenia at the time. However, the Turkic mercenaries managed to defeat the byzantine forces as they tried to escape. This battled ended the Byzantine's status as a militarily viable state. (Butning, 2017)
Peak
The Oghuz Turks were mainly a tribal dynasty, and they didn't quite have much of a civilized architectural background or design, hence after establishing themselves, they adopted much of Persian culture, art and even language. During this time, the Persian culture and art spread throughout the Muslim world the most under Malik Shah I. At it's peak, the empire included Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Anatolia, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Baluchistan. The neighboring Ghanznavid empire had to recognize the Seljuks as the dominant power. Malik Shah I moved the capital city to Esfahan (Korobeinikov 2015) and also established one of the greatest university in Baghdad Iraq. This golden age was known as the period of the "great Seljuks".
Another person who played a role was Alp-Arsalan along side Malik Shah I. Alp-Arsalan was the one who gained success in opening the frontier to further success
Downfall
Carving of the empire
The off spring of Malik Shah I who inherited the empire divided the empire after his four sons fought over it. This weakened the empire for obvious reasons, since the division of the empire lead to smaller kingdoms and therefore smaller armies and economies.
The carving out of the empire also wasn't easy. Each division was contested by the other and led to them not cooperating in unity.
The Crusades
The crusaders were one of the playing factors that weakened the Seljuks. The Seljuk states after being divided focused far too much on conquering each other's land as opposed to uniting against the crusader forces. As a result, the Seljuk states were damaged severely. Although the Seljuks did manage to defeat the crusaders a few times, the crusader army managed to capture Jerusalem and set up their own domain.
Internal rebellion
Ahmad Sanjar who ruled much of Khurassan dealt with rebellions constantly. He also tried to assist his allies however, his army was defeated and succeeded by the Kara-Khitai conquest.
Citations:
- Korobeinikov, Dimitri (2015). "The Kings of the East and the West: The Seljuk Dynastic Concept and Titles in the Muslim and Christian sources". In Peacock, A.C.S.; Yildiz, Sara Nur (eds.). The Seljuks of Anatolia. I.B. Tauris.
- Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, July 9). Seljuq. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Seljuq
- Ann K. S. Lambton (1988). Continuity and Change in Medieval Persia. SUNY Press. pp. 5–. ISBN978-0-88706-133-2.
- Seljuk Turks. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2021, from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Seljuk_Turks | Publication date unknown
- Bunting, T. (2017, March 24). Battle of Manzikert. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Manzikert
allowing him to settle there permenantly 
