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ALP ARSLAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 723 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ALP ARSLAN , or AxAN, MAHOMMED See also:BEN DA'UD (1029-1072), the second See also:sultan of the See also:dynasty of Seljuk, in See also:Persia, and See also:great-See also:grandson of Seljuk, the founder of the dynasty, was See also:born in the See also:year A.D. 1029 (421 of the Hegira). He assumed the name of Mahommed when he embraced the Mussulman faith; and on See also:account of his military prowess he obtained the surname Alp Arslan, which signifies " a valiant See also:lion." He succeeded his See also:father Da'ud as ruler of See also:Khorasan in 1059, and his See also:uncle Togrul See also:Bey as sultan of See also:Oran in 1063, and thus became See also:sole monarch of Persia from the See also:river See also:Oxus to the See also:Tigris. In consolidating his See also:empire and subduing contending factions he was ably assisted by See also:Nizam ul-Mulk, his See also:vizier, one of the most eminent statesmen in See also:early See also:Mahommedan See also:history. See also:Peace and See also:security being established in his dominions, he convoked an See also:assembly of the states and declared his son Malik Shah his See also:heir and successor. With the See also:hope of acquiring immense See also:booty in the See also:rich See also:church of St See also:Basil in Caesarea, the See also:capital of See also:Cappadocia, he placed himself at the See also:head of the See also:Turkish See also:cavalry, crossed the See also:Euphrates and entered and plundered that See also:city. He then marched into See also:Armenia and See also:Georgia, which, in 1064, he finally subdued. In 1o68 Alp Arslan invaded the See also:Roman empire. The See also:emperor See also:Romanus See also:Diogenes, assuming the command in See also:person, met the invaders in See also:Cilicia. In three arduous See also:campaigns, the two first of which were conducted by the emperor himself while the third was directed by See also:Manuel See also:Comnenus, the See also:Turks were defeated in detail and finally (1070) driven across the Euphrates. In 1071 Romanus again took the See also:field and advanced with 1oo,000 men, including a contingent of the Turkish tribe of the See also:Uzes and of the See also:French and See also:Normans, under Ursel of See also:Baliol, into Armenia. At Manzikert, on the See also:Murad Tchai, See also:north of See also:Lake See also:Van, he was met by Alp Arslan; and the sultan having proposed terms of peace, which were scornfully rejected by the emperor, a See also:battle took See also:place in which the Greeks, after a terrible slaughter, were totally routed, a result due mainly to the rapid See also:tactics of the Turkish cavalry.

Romanus was taken prisoner and conducted into the presence of Alp Arslan, who treated him with generosity, and terms of peace having been agreed to, dismissed him, loaded with presents and respectfully attended by a military guard. The dominion of Alp Arslan now extended over the fairest See also:

part of See also:Asia; 1200 princes or sons of princes surrounded his See also:throne and 200,000 warriors were at his command. He now prepared to See also:march to the See also:conquest of See also:Turkestan, the See also:original seat of his ancestors. With a powerful See also:army he advanced to the See also:banks of the Oxus. Before he could pass the river with safety it was necessary to subdue certain fortresses, one of which was for several days vigorously defended by the See also:governor, Yussuf Kothual, a Kharizmian. He was, however, obliged to surrender and was carried a prisoner before the sultan, who condemned him to a cruel See also:death. Yussuf, in desperation, See also:drew his See also:dagger and rushed upon the sultan. Alp Arslan, the most skilful See also:archer of his See also:day, motioned to his See also:guards not to interfere and drew his See also:bow, but his See also:foot slipped, the arrow glanced aside and he received the See also:assassin's dagger in his See also:breast. The See also:wound proved mortal, and Alp Arslan expired a few See also:hours after he received it, on the 15th of See also:December 1072. See See also:Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, edited by J. B. See also:Bury (1898), vi. pp.

235 et seq., and authorities there cited. ALPENA, a city and the See also:

county seat of Alpena county, See also:Michigan, U.S.A., on See also:Thunder See also:Bay, a small See also:arm of Lake See also:Huron, at the mouth of Thunder Bay river, in the N.E. part of the See also:lower See also:peninsula. Pop. (189o) 11,283; (1900) 11,802, of whom 4193 were See also:foreign-born; (1910 See also:census) 12,706. It is served by the See also:Detroit & Mackinac railway and by steamboat lines to Detroit and other ports. The city is built on sandy ground on both sides of the river and has a See also:good See also:harbour, which has been considerably improved by the Federal See also:government; in 1907 the maximum draft that could be carried over the shallowest part of the channel was 14 ft. There is good farming See also:land in the vicinity and Alpena has See also:lumber and See also:shingle See also:mills, pulp See also:works, See also:Portland See also:cement manufactories and tanneries; in 1905 the city's factory products were valued at $2,905,263. In 1906 the See also:commerce of the See also:port, chiefly in lumber, cement, See also:coal, See also:cedar posts and ties, See also:fodder and See also:general merchandise, was valued at $3,018,894. Alpena occupies the site of an See also:Indian burying-ground. A trading-See also:post was established here in 1835, but the permanent See also:settlement See also:dates from 1858; in 1871 Alpena was chartered as a city.

End of Article: ALP ARSLAN

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