Karahan Ustajli
Kara Khan Mirza Bey oglu Ustacli (?–1517) was a Qizilbash commander, brother of the Diyarbakir Beylerbey, Muhammad Khan Ustacli.
“Khan Muhammad's brother, Qara Khan, became the emir al-umara of Diyarbakir after him and was killed in Battle of Koçhisar (1516).[1]
Life
[edit]Qara Khan Ustajli was one of the famous emirs of the Ustajli clan. He was the son of Mirza Bey Ustajli and the younger brother of Khan Muhammad Ustajli. Qara Khan participated in the Shirvan campaign with his brother Muhammad Khan Ustajli, who was at the side of Shah Ismail from the very beginning. Qara Khan also led one of the flanks of Shah Ismail's army with his brother in the Battle of Almagulagi.[2]
In conflict with the Ottomans
[edit]In 1507–08, the annexation of several territories in Eastern Anatolia to the Safavid state and the fact that the Diyarbakir beylerbey, ruled by Muhammad Khan Ustaclu, brother of Shah Ismail's nephew Qara Khan, bordered the Ottoman province of Trabzon, began to worry Selim. Sultan Selim had asked his father for permission to attack Diyarbakir several times, but was refused.
Between 1508 and 1512, Selim entered into border conflicts with the Qizilbashs several times. The Erzincan region, which was an important position on the border of the two countries, became the main center of these military operations, accompanied by the plundering of civilians by both sides. Thus, after the defeat of Alauddin's sons, Selim wrote a letter to Osman Pasha, the Ottoman ruler of Erzincan, ordering him to invade the territories under the Safavids. However, Osman Pasha's 12,000-strong army, which had crossed the border, was defeated by a sudden attack by the Safavid commander Ahmed Sultan Qajar.
After this incident, Selim himself personally raided the Safavid territories in Erzincan with an army of 30,000 and returned after committing much plunder. In response to Selim's actions, Muhammad Khan gave his brother Qara Khan Ustacli an army of 10-12,000 and ordered him to "raid the region of Erzincan belonging to Sultan Selim and cause such devastation that it would be impossible to rebuild it." He was also instructed to avoid direct confrontation with Selim and to carry out the operation quickly and return.[3] Upon learning that Qara Khan's army had crossed the border, the population of that border retreated to the fortresses in the mountains. Since the Ottoman Pasha of Erzincan took refuge in a fortress with a strong defense and moats filled with water, the Qizilbashs were unable to capture it, and Qara Khan Ahmed Sultan Gajar gave him 6,000 warriors and sent him to plunder the villages of Tokat . As a result of this operation, which lasted only 15 days, the Qizilbash returned with a lot of loot.[4]
Battle of Chaldiran
[edit]During the battle, Qara Khan, together with his brother Muhammad Khan Ustajli, led the left flank of the Safavid troops. In the Battle of Chaldiran, Qara Khan's brother Muhammad Khan Ustajli was killed. Qara Khan, however, managed to break his troops out of the siege.[5][6][7]
Death
[edit]While fighting in the Battle of Koçhisar (1516), he was shot with a rifle by an Ottoman soldier and his head was hung on a stake by that Ottoman soldier.[8][9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Yavuz'un çok önem verdiği Koçhisar zaferi 4 Mayıs 1516". www.yeniakit.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ Musalı, 2011. pp. 145
- ^ Musalı, 2011. pp. 251
- ^ Musalı, 2011. pp. 252
- ^ Süleymanov, 2018.pp. 488
- ^ "ÇALDIRAN SAVAŞI". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ Tarix-i aləmara-yi Abbasi. İsgəndər bəy Münşi.
- ^ "SELİM I". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ Ilhan, Mehmet Mehdi. "Bıyıklı Mehmed Paşa'nın Doğu Anadolu'daki Askeri Faaliyetleri".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Göyünç, Nejat (1969). Bıyıklı Mehmed Paşa ve Karahan arasındaki nihâî muharebe. İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Basımevi. p. 29. ISBN 9751604028.