Battle of Yassıçemen

Battle of Yassi Chemen (Turkish: Yassıçemen Savaşı) was a battle fought in Anatolia, in what is now Erzincan Province, Turkey in 1230.[1]

Battle of Yassi Chemen
DateAug 10-12, 1230
Location
Yassıçemen, between Sivas and Erzincan
Result Seljuk and Ayyubid victory
Belligerents
Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm
Ayyubids		 Khwarezm Shahs
Seljuk rebels
Empire of Trebizond
Commanders and leaders
Kayqubad I
Al-Ashraf		 Jalal ad-Din
Jahan Shah
Strength
42,000 Unknown

Background

Jalal ad-Din was the last ruler of the Khwarezm Shahs. Actually the territory of the sultanate had been annexed by the Mongol Empire during the reign of Jalal ad-Din’s father, but Jalal ad-Din continued to fight with a small army.[2] In 1225 he retreated to Azerbaijan and founded a principality around Maragheh. Although initially he formed an alliance with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm against the Mongols, for reasons unknown he later changed his mind and began hostilities against the Seljuks. In 1230 he conquered Ahlat, (in what is now Bitlis Province, Turkey) an important cultural city of the era from the Ayyubids which led to an alliance between the Seljuks and Ayyubids. Jalal ad-Din on the other hand allied himself with Jahan Shah, the rebellious Seljuk governor of Erzurum.

The battle

The battle took place in Yassıçemen, a location west of Erzincan. Jalal ad-Din tried to attack before the merging of the Seljuk and Ayyubid armies, but it was too late, as the Ayyubids had already sent a reinforcement of 10,000 to the Seljuks. The commander of the Seljuk-Ayyubid army was the Seljuk sultan Ala-ad Din Kayqubad I. The battle continued for three days. An able commander, Jalal ad-Din almost defeated the Seljuk-Ayyubid alliance in the first day. But at the end of the three days Jalal ad-Din’s forces were defeated.[3]

Aftermath

This battle was Jalal ad-Din’s last battle, as he lost his army, and while escaping in disguise he was spotted and killed in 1231. His short-lived principality was conquered by the Mongols. After the death of Alaattin Keykubat, Seljuks shared the same fate in 1243 following the Battle of Kösedağ.

References
  1. Syed, Muzaffar Husain; Akhtar, Syed Saud; Usmani, B. D. (2011-09-14). Concise History of Islam. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. p. 173. ISBN 978-93-82573-47-0.
  2. An article about Celaleddin (in Turkish)
  3. Prof. Yaşar Yüce-Prof. Ali Sevim: Türkiye tarihi Cilt I, AKDTYKTTK Yayınları, İstanbul, 1991 p 118

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