TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

did not attempt to oppose. 756 A year later, they were moved to Shiraz and imprisoned in
the castle of Istahr, where they would stay for four and a half years. 757
A fierce civil war among Akkoyunlu princes followed the death of Sultan Yakub
in 1490-1. 758 After a short while Rüstem Beg, the son of Hasan Beg’s son Maqsud Beg
and the nephew of Halime Begum, who was also among the supporters of Masih Mirza,
rose up with the assistance of powerful āmir Ayba Sultan. Rüstem Beg managed to
capture Tabriz without serious opposition assuming the rule of Azerbaijan. 759 On the
other hand, Baysungur Mirza went to Shirvan 760 with his prominent begs. Shirvanshah,
the father-in-law of Baysungur Mirza, gave his allegiance to his son-in-law in his
struggle against Rüstem Beg providing troops for his army and encouraging him to
liberate his hereditary kingdom. 761
When Rüstem Beg heard this, he decided to gain the allegiance of the Safavid
family and to use sufi-fighters against Baysungur Mirza and Shirvanshah, who had
killed Sultan Haydar a couple of years ago. Therefore, when the news of Baysungur
Mirza’s move was received, Rüstem Beg ordered the release of the Safavid princes and
756 HS, p. 565.
757 HS, p. 565; HT, p. 162; AA, p. 35. AA specifies that Yakub ‘s aim in incarnating the Safavid princes
was to cut off the access of their followers, thus of their support, to the princes.
758 Following the death of Sultan Yakub and that of his brother Yusuf Mirza in the winter of 896 (1490-
91), strife broke out between Yakub’s son Mirza Baysungur, who was supported by Sufi-Khalil and
Musullu and Purnak amirs, and Hasan (Uzun) Beg’s son Masih Mirza, who was favored by Bayindir
chieftains. (HS, p. 565; AA, p. 36. For the civil war between Akkoyunlu princes see Woods, The
Aqquyunlu, pp. 163.) The battle in Qarabag ended with the victory of Sultan Baysungur, whose forces
managed to kill Masih Mirza and most of the Bayindir amirs. Sultan Baysungur arrived in Tabriz in great
splendor and ascended the throne, with Sufi-Halil, one of the most powerful generals, assuming all
administrative and fiscal matters. (HS, p. 565; AA, p. 36.) But the civil war between Akkoyunlu princes
did not end. First Mahmud Beg, the son of Amir Hasan Beg’s son Ughurlu Muhammad, who had chosen
to give his allegiance to Masih Mirza and escaped from the fray on the day his uncle Masih Mirza was
killed, proclaimed himself king in Iraq and brought most of the two Iraqs under his control. Soon after,
however, he was defeated and killed by Sultan Baysungur. (HS, p. 565.)
759 HT, p. 164.
760 The ruler of Shirvan was the father-in-law of Baysungur Mirza. See HS, p. 566.
761 HS, p. 566; HT, p. 164; AA, p. 37.
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