The Ghaznavid dynasty was a military state established by Turkic slaves in central Afghanistan in Central Asia. It lasted more than two hundred years. The dynasty was bounded by Masud III. In the early stage, Sultan formulated corresponding strategies for governing the country and led the army to conquer the north and south, making the country prosperous.
However, the decline of prosperity is a necessary stage for feudal dynasties, and the Ghaznavid dynasty was no exception. In the late dynasty, Sultan was trapped in the quagmire of seizing the throne, competing with Seljuk and competing with Gur. In a situation of internal and external difficulties, it is difficult to deal with internal and external crises, and the country is heading for decline.
The Ghaznavid dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Mahmoud, but behind this peak was a crisis that caused the dynasty to collapse. The founder of the dynasty, Alptekin, was originally a Turkic Gulam of the Samanid dynasty. He was deeply influenced by the Samanid dynasty in the establishment of the regime and the country's management mechanism. As the territory expands, if there is no strong central system to maintain it, once the sultan's powerful force disappears, various crises within the dynasty will inevitably emerge. This phenomenon was particularly evident in the Ghaznavid dynasty. There was no strong monarch in the late Ghaznavid dynasty and it was impossible to maintain the country's strength. In this case, the country's power was bound to decline.
The prosperity and decline of the Ghaznavid dynasty
The beginning of the dynasty
The founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty was Arp Teqin, the governor of Khorasan during the Samanid dynasty. He was originally the palace Ghulam of the Samanid dynasty. He was brave and good at fighting, and was constantly promoted, and his official position reached the rank of Dahajib. After becoming the Grand Hajib, Alpte was in charge of the power of the Samanid dynasty, but the Samanid king became a puppet, and even the appointment of vizier (prime minister) was influenced by him.
Arp took advantage of the privilege of senior Turkic generals to purchase land and bought Khorasan; thereafter he purchased real estate one after another. Such a strong economic foundation laid a solid foundation for his subsequent hegemony. As Alpteqin's strength grew, he was jealous of King Saman and was forced to leave Bukhara and fled to Ghazni to establish a political power there, calling himself the emir.
Alpteqin passed away just after he established the regime in Ghazni. His three sons succeeded to the throne but failed to consolidate the regime. Due to the strong pressure of the Samanid dynasty, they recognized their suzerainty. It was not until 977 that Alpteqin's son-in-law Sebukteqin succeeded to the throne, and the power of the Ghaznavid dynasty was consolidated.
The actual founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty was Saibuk Teqin. He was originally a branch of the Gololu people near Issyk-Kul. He was defeated and captured in a battle, and was later sold to Alpteqin as a Turkic slave. He was brave and good at fighting, and was appreciated by Alp Teqin. He was promoted quickly and had a high prestige in the army.
Because of his meritorious service in helping Nuh II of the Samanid Dynasty, he controlled the central power of the Samanid Dynasty. Therefore, the Turkic soldiers of Ghaznavids deposed Arp's son and supported Sebuk to succeed him. Nuh II did not interfere.
After Sebuk Teqin succeeded to the throne, he took a series of measures to consolidate his power, maintain the stability of the country, fight everywhere, and expand the territory. He carried out expeditions to India and almost always succeeded. He received a large amount of territory and compensation from India, and also plundered a large number of trophies such as elephants. These expeditions gave the Ghaznavids great economic power.
Just as the Ghaznavid dynasty was becoming stronger, Nuh II of the Samanid dynasty was attacked from both sides and asked Saibuk for help. Sabuk accepted Nuh II's request and in 994 he and his son Mahmud led an army of 20,000 men and 200 elephants to help Nuh II and drive Abu Ali of Karakhan out of the river area. After Nuh II returned to the capital Bukhara, in order to thank Saibuk for his rescue, he appointed him governor of Khorasan and awarded him the honor of "Protector of the Country and Religion" and his son Mahmoud "Sword of the State".
In the process of supporting Nuh II, Saibuk not only consolidated his power, but also strengthened his own strength, which consolidated and strengthened the Ghaznavid dynasty in the war. After that, Ghazni became the protector of the Samanid dynasty, and his power crossed the Amu Darya and entered the river area.
Prosperity and decline
Sebuk Teqin consolidated the Ghaznavid regime, and during the period of his son Mahmoud, the Ghaznavid dynasty reached its peak. When Sebuk died in 997, his youngest son Ismail was appointed to succeed him, which was dissatisfied by Mahmoud. After Mahmoud's request for a claim was rejected, he placed Ismail under house arrest in 998 and ascended the throne himself.
html After the demise of the Samanid dynasty in 1999, Ghaznavids got rid of the superficial vassal relationship with the Samanid dynasty and became an independent country. Mahmoud recognized the orthodox status of Islam Sunniism and was recognized by the Caliph of Baghdad. Caliph Qadir awarded Mahmoud "the right arm of the country and the trustworthy person of the order." From him on, the rulers of the Ghaznavid dynasty were called sultans. The Ghaznavid dynasty was recognized by the Islamic world as an independent country.
html In 1999, the Karakhanid dynasty destroyed the Samanid dynasty. Mahmud and Ilik of Karakhan reached an agreement: the territory of the Samanid dynasty was divided equally with the Uzi River (Amu Darya River) as the boundary, and Mahmud got the territory of the Samanid dynasty south of the Wuhu River . This agreement was reached to avoid conflict when the two sides were evenly matched. As the strength of both sides waxed and waned, this balance became difficult to maintain.
The Karakhanids took advantage of Mahmoud's expedition to India and led their troops to attack Khorasan. They were defeated by Mahmoud who came after hearing the news. The most brutal battle between the two sides was the Battle of Balkh. This battle was of great significance to the Ghaznavid dynasty.
From 1001 to 1030, Mahmud made many expeditions to India, the most famous of which was the Somnath expedition in 1026. Mahmud forced India to cede territory and pay indemnity. In addition, the Ghaznavid army looted India. On the one hand, it destroyed India's closed economy. On the other hand, the large amount of loot enhanced the economic strength of the Ghaznavid dynasty.
Mahmoud promoted Sunni Islam in North India and was supported by the Baghdad Caliphate, who officially recognized him as the ruler of Khorasan, Khorezm, India and Sistan. In this vast territory, the sultan ruled. During the period of Mahmud and Masud, many governance policies were formulated, which were still used until the demise of the Ghaznavid dynasty.
Dynasty Resurgence
The Ghaznavid Dynasty took the Battle of Dandankan as a turning point and began to turn from prosperity to decline. One is the loss of Khwarezm, and the other is the constant harassment by the Seljuks. Due to suspicion, Masud did not recognize the successor of the Shah of Khwarezm, Harun, the son of Altun Tash. Harun rebelled against Ghaznavids and finally became independent.
The independence of Khwarizm showed that the Ghaznavid dynasty began to decline. After Masud's death, Mudad succeeded to the throne. During his reign, he tried his best to restore the authority of the dynasty. After Mudad's death, the throne of Ghazni remained vacant, and Ghazni experienced the rule of several short-lived sultans.
After the death of Ibrahim , the Lord of ZTE, Masud III became the Sultan of Ghazni. Various crises occurred in the country. The sultan was unable to revitalize the country, and the Ghaznavid dynasty officially declined.
Reasons for the outbreak of political crisis
In the late Ghaznavid Dynasty, a severe political crisis broke out in the country, the most prominent manifestation of which was the crisis of succession to the throne. The chaos in the throne succession system eventually evolved into a political crisis, triggering a series of crises. After the death of Masud III, various princes fought for power, generals rebelled, and the people in the country rebelled against the sultan.
The crisis of the throne, the rebellion of military officers and the loss of popular support all interacted with each other to deepen the political crisis of the dynasty. These crises also existed in the early dynasty. Why did they become prominent in the late Ghaznavid dynasty and lead to the decline of the country?
The succession of the throne evolved into a political crisis.The most important reason was that Ghaznavids lacked a stable and effective inheritance system. In the early days of the Ghaznavid dynasty, the Sultan established the crown prince, all based on his personal will. Almost all of them ordered their favorite son to inherit the throne and abandoned the eldest son. This caused dissatisfaction among the capable eldest sons, who raised armies to seize the throne.
In the late Ghazni period, in addition to not having a stable inheritance system, it was also subject to Seljuk intervention. Masud III married the Seljuqs, and the succession to the throne of Ghazni was inevitably subject to Seljuq interference.
To consolidate his authority, Sudan must rely on the support of his generals. The most important reason for the rebellion of the Turkic generals was the decline of royal power. In order to improve their status, the generals would choose to rebel. Either to force the sultan to increase his power, to seek independence, or to take advantage of the opportunity.
Secondly, outstanding foreign generals who were squeezed out by Turkic generals would also rebel against Ghazni.
Finally, in order to seek independent status and get rid of the suzerainty of Ghazni, the leaders of various small ethnic groups would also rebel after the royal family declined.
In the late Ghaznavid period, the vast river area was lost and the empire area shrank. The people's support for the monarch plays a significant role in the development of the country. The residents of Central Asia have greater freedom in life. Unlike the feudal countries in East Asia, residents have a strong attachment to the dynasty in life. The free dependence of residents on the country determines the residents' right to choose whether to support the country.
Externally, it was deeply involved in the Seljuk and Gur wars. The proportion of dynasty tax revenue increased, which posed a great threat to the lives of the military and civilians. The people no longer supported the rule of Ghaznavids and either turned to Seljuk or Gur. In the external struggle, the local nobles and the army did not have a strong will to resist the invasion.
For example, during the Seljuk struggle in Ghash you, the nobles and residents of Khorasan had to endure the trampling and impatience of both sides, and did not have a strong will to resist the Seljuks, which eventually led to Khorasan falling into the hands of the Seljuks. In order to survive, the army and the people no longer supported Ghazni's rule.
The domestic crisis faced by the Ghaznavid Dynasty in the late period, if not handled well, will affect the development of the country. The dynasty has never been able to find a way to resolve the succession crisis, which has had a huge impact on the country.
On the one hand, the throne crisis was not properly handled. The authority of the Sudan was challenged. The Sudan could not lead the army to conquer everywhere, and the interests of the army were threatened.
On the other hand, in the face of the decline of royal power, powerful generals will take measures to improve their status. When their strength reaches a certain level, they will rebel against Sudan's rule.
In addition, the Sudan was unable to maintain the rule of the country and could not obtain spoils to support the development of the country. To maintain the development of the dynasty, taxes would inevitably be increased. The residents of Central Asia have a relatively loose attachment to the country. Once their own interests are threatened, they will oppose the rule of the monarch and choose to support a ruler who is beneficial to them.
Losing the support of the military generals and the support of the residents will in turn deepen the stability of the Sudanese rule, ultimately deepen the political crisis of the country, and finally force the country to perish.
Countermeasures to deal with the crisis
Faced with the political crisis, the late Sultan followed the early state governance strategies, but was unable to achieve the desired results. Using marriage to maintain rule, Masud's children married the rulers of Gurgan and Tabaristan, and the rulers of these two places became loyal vassals of Ghazni.
But Bahram's sister married the chief of the Gur Dynasty, and the final outcome was that the Gur people tried to rebel against Ghazni and replace him. In the face of local rebellions, the early rulers tried their best to suppress the rebellions, execute the rebels, and maintain the authority of the central government. Later rulers, or imitating earlier rulers, tried their best to suppress the rebellion, but this led to even greater rebellion.
Faced with the crisis of the throne, the early sultans expanded their strength and used powerful force to maintain their rule after gaining the throne. Later rulers could only rely on the Seljuk sangha to maintain their rule.
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