1. Berkyaruq's reign was marked by internal strife, mainly against other Seljuk princes.
16 Facts About Berkyaruq
1. 2.
Berkyaruq convinced the Abbasid caliph al-Mustazhir to have the khutba read in Mahmud's name, and sent an army under the amir Qiwam al-Dawla Kirbuqa to take Isfahan and capture Berkyaruq.
3.
Berkyaruq had to deal with his uncle Tutush, who invaded the Jazira and western Iran, seizing the city of Ray.
4.
Berkyaruq thus managed to consolidate his authority in western Iran and Iraq, and was acknowledged as the sultan by al-Mustazhir.
5.
Berkyaruq first sent an army under his uncle Bori-Bars ibn Alp-Arslan in 1095 to conquer Khurasan, but the latter was captured and killed.
6.
Berkyaruq sent a second army under his half-brother Ahmad Sanjar in 1097, but before anything occurred Arghun Arslan was killed by one of his own ghulams, due to his brutal treatment of his subjects.
7.
Berkyaruq appointed Sanjar as the vassal ruler of Khurasan, giving him his own atabeg and vizier.
8.
Berkyaruq then led an expedition as far east as Tirmidh, where he confirmed the Qarakhanids Sulayman-tegin and Mahmud-tegin as the vassal rulers of Transoxiana.
9.
Berkyaruq appointed Qutb al-Din Muhammad as the new governor of the Central Asian region of Khwarazm, thus marking the start of the Khwarazmian dynasty.
10.
Berkyaruq spent seven months in the city of Balkh, and then returned to the west.
11.
The name of Berkyaruq started to get excluded from the coins struck at Nishapur, which testifies to the slow disintegration of his rule in Khurasan.
12.
Furthermore, Berkyaruq had little reason to help the Seljuks of Syria, who fought amongst themselves, dividing the country.
13.
The most difficult challenge that Berkyaruq faced was the rebellion of his half-brother Muhammad in 1098 or 1099.
14.
The rebellion had been encouraged by Nizam al-Mulk's son Mu'ayyid al-Mulk, who had formerly served Berkyaruq and played a key-role in the defeat of Tutush.
15.
The Nizamiyya and the prominent families of Isfahan joined Muhammad, stopping Berkyaruq from entering the city.
16.
Berkyaruq's authority continued to weaken, and by 1104, with his treasury exhausted, he was forced to sue for peace.