Battle of Damghan (1063)

Battle of Damghan was a battle fought during the Seljuk Civil War in 1063.

Background
The Seljuks were an Oghuz Turk dynasty that founded the Seljuk Empire in Iran during the 11th century. The founder of the empire, Tughril, died childless and willed the throne to Suleyman, younger son of his brother Chaghri Beg. (According to an old Turkic tradition Tughril had married to Chaghri's widow. So his nephews were also his step sons.) After Tughril’s death however, the Seljuk prince Qutalmish hoped to become the new sultan, because Tughril was childless and he was the eldest living member of the dynasty.

Qutalmish's claim to the sultanate was through his father, Arslan Yabgu who was the eldest son of Seljuk. Arslan, however, was captured by Mahmud of Ghazni and died whilst imprisoned. Consequently, Tughril, Qutalmish's cousin, became sultan.

Early moves
Tughril died on 4 September 1063. Upon the news of Tughril’s death, both Qutalmısh and Alp Arslan (Suleyman’s elder brother) began marching to capital Rey to seize the throne. Qutalmısh held the advantage because his fort Girdkuh was closer to the capital than Alp Arslan’s possessions in the east. But Tughril’s vizier Al-Kunduri who initially supported Süleyman, feared Qutalmısh, and began supporting Alp Arslan. Nevertheless, Qutalmısh and his brother Resul easily defeated Al Kunduri’s forces and they laid siege to Rey on 15 November 1063. Qutalmısh was forced to lift the siege to face the approaching army of Alp Arslan. He moved east and defeated the vanguard forces of Hacib Erdem, a commander of Alp Arslan in Dihinemek, a place close to Damghan.

The clash
Alp Arslan’s main army was about 15 km east of Qutalmısh. Qutalmısh tried to change the course of a creek to block Alp Arslan’s way. However Alp Arslan was able to pass his army through the newly created marsh land. Once the two Seljuk armies met, Qutalmısh's forces fled from the battle. Resul as well as Qutalmısh's son Suleyman (later founder of the Sultanate of Rum) were taken prisoner. Qutalmısh escaped, but while gathering his forces for an orderly retreat to his fort Girdkuh, he fell from his horse in a hilly terrain and died on 7 December 1063.

Aftermath
Although Qutalmısh’s son Suleyman was taken prisoner, Alp Arslan pardoned him and sent him into exile. But later this proved to be an opportunity for him; for he founded the Sultanate of Rum, which outlasted the Great Seljuk Empire.