The Dulkadir’s Emirs Killed by the Mamluks

Following the invasion of Mongols, Anatolia went through a politically unstable period for a long time. When Mongols invaded Anatolia, the Turkomans moved towards Northern Syria. On the other hand, Mamluks of Cairo increased their political and military activities in Northern Syria and the southern part of Anatolia from mid-XIIIth century on. The Mamluks’ efforts to prevent Turkomans from heading to Northern Syria caused the increase of the Turkomans’ population in that region. The Mamluks also captured the region from Aleppo to Marash at the end of the XIIIth century, then left the administration of these regions to the Turkomans in Aleppo.Abu Sait Bahadir Khan, who was the powerful ruler of the Ilkhanians, died in 1335. Thus, a new political environment emerged in Anatolia because Turkoman commanders started to move freely. The Dulkadirs who benefited from this freedom came out as one of the Anatolian Principalities, subject to the Mamluks, in the south of Anatolia. Although the Dulkadirs emerged as subject to the Mamluks, they often fought against them and they wanted to be independent. The Mamluks kept the Dulkadirs under constant pressure because they did not want them to act independently. For this reason the Mamluks never hesitated to execute disobedient the Dulkadir rulers. Thus, the first three emirs of the Dulkadirs Zeyneddin Karaca (1337-1353), Halil (1355-1386) and Sevli (1386-1398) were executed by the Mamluks. In the following period, Melik Arslan Bey (1454-1465) and Şehsuvar Bey (1466-1472) were also executed. The Mamluks sent an important army against the Dulkadirs to depose Zeyneddin Karaca and Şehsuvar. They preferred to assassinate Halil Bey, Sevli Bey and Melik Arslan Bey to depose.After killing the previous disobedient emirs, the Mamluks were careful about the next emirs that would become the head of the Dulkadir Principality. The Mamluks considered full obedience of an emir to themselves, who ascend to the throne of Dulkadirs. Especially in XVth century, the control of the Mamlûks over Dulkadir became more difficult. Because during this period the political superiority in Anatolia passed to the Ottomans. Thus, The Dulkadir Principality’s land became an arena where the struggle for superiority between the Mamluks and the Ottomans took place in XVth century. The Ottomans took under the rule both the Mamlûk and Dulkadir lands in XVIth century.