SUCCESSOR OF THE TIMURID EMPIRE

Аннотация

This article explores the political, military, cultural, and scientific contributions of Shahrukh Mirza, a prominent figure of the Timurid dynasty. It discusses his early life, involvement in Amir Timur’s campaigns, his accession to the throne, achievements in governance, foreign policy initiatives, and patronage of arts and sciences based on reliable historical sources. The article also provides insight into his death and the succession struggles that followed. It serves as a valuable historical and political resource for understanding the Timurid statehood. Keywords: Shahrukh Mirza, Timurid Empire, politics, construction, science, diplomacy, Khorasan, Transoxiana, international relations, succession struggle Mirza Shahrukh was born on August 20, 1377, in Samarkand, the capital of Amir Timur's empire. The fourth and youngest son of Amir Timur. He spent his youth in Samarkand, where he received both secular and religious education. During his five-year campaigns to Dashti Kipchak in 1390-1391 and to the southwestern countries in 1392, Amir Timur appointed Shahrukh as the ruler of the country[3, p. 169]. 17-year-old Shahrukh began participating in combat operations. Amir Timur appointed him to the Manglay and Juvongar units of the army, and later returned him to Samarkand and entrusted him with governing the capital. In 1396, Amir Timur granted Shahrukh the land of Khorasan and sent him, along with the corresponding army and tribes, to his domain. Shahrukh directly participated in the seven-year campaign of Amir Timur, in particular, in military operations in the Middle East, commanded the vanguard, manglay, and juvanğar units of the army, and demonstrated personal courage and skill in battles. The inhabitants of the besieged cities often appealed to Shahrukh with peace proposals, and he did not withhold his help. In some cases, Amir Timur entrusted Shahrukh with guarding the captured part of the army. According to Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi's "Zafarnama," in the later years of Amir Timur's life, he paid special attention to Shahrukh's statehood qualities. For example, during his campaign to China, he entrusted Shahrukh with the great responsibility of ensuring the security of the state, in particular, the administration of military regions, and left him in Khorasan. Sahibkiran built a 15 MODELS AND METHODS IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference new city on the site of the city of Banokat, which was completely destroyed during the Mongol invasion in 1391-92, settled the population from the surrounding lands there, and gave it to Shahrukh as a suyrog, and this city became famous under the name Shahrukhiya. After the death of Amir Timur, in March 1405, Shahrukh officially ascended to the throne of Khorasan as the ruler of the Timurid Empire[5, p. 47] and ordered a khutbah to be read in his own name and a coin to be minted. In the first years of Shahrukh's reign, strong fragmentation arose in the Timurid empire, and a struggle for monopoly began in various parts of the empire. In Mawarannahr, Khalil Sultan seized the throne of Samarkand, Kara Yusuf took control of Azerbaijan and Persian Iraq, and Sultan Ahmad took control of the Iraqi Arab territories. In Iran, the Timurid princes quarreled with each other, and uprisings broke out in Mazandaran, Balkh, Ghur, and other regions. Due to his profound talent, skill, intellect, and policies, Shahrukh succeeded in suppressing the conflicts, uprisings, and protests for autocracy within the empire one after another. During his reign, Shahrukh strived to preserve the territorial breadth, military potential, and strong economic position of the Timurid empire. In 1409, he conquered Transoxiana and began to rule Khorasan and Transoxiana. In 1429, Shahrukh launched a campaign against Amir Iskandar ibn Qara Yusuf, who had become a dangerous force in Azerbaijan, gathering troops from almost the entire territory of his empire. A fierce battle ensued between the two sides in the Salmos Desert[5, 503 b], where Shahrukh appointed his sons Mirza Baysunghur as the vanguard of the army, Ibrahim Sultan as the commander of the vanguard, and Muhammad Juki remained in his own part of the Ghul. After a fierce battle, Shahrukh's army achieved victory. Shahrukh sent troops to Sistan and Badakhshan, putting an end to the uprisings there. From 1405, Shahrukh sent a large army against the emirs of Dashti Kipchak, who conquered Khorezm for 7 years, and, having won, included Khorezm in the Timurid Empire and appointed the commander Amir Shahmalik to govern the province. Shahrukh resolved many disputes through peaceful means, widely using the services of prominent statesmen and sheikhs. In general, during Shahrukh's reign, territories from Mongolia in the east to Egypt and Rum in the west, from the central part of India in the south to the borders of Dashti Kipchak in the north were part of the Timurid empire. He governed the kingdom according to the suyurgal system and granted t