Information about Ak Koyunlu

The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans (Turkmen: Akgoıunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu, Turkish: Akkoyunlu, Ottoman Turkish/Persian: آق قوینلو) were a Turkmen tribal federation that ruled present-day Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq and western Iran from 1378 to 1508.

History

This article is part of the series on: History of Armenia

Early History

Origins

Name

Hayk

Hayasa-Azzi

Nairi

Kingdom of Urartu

Kingdom of Armenia

Orontid Armenia

Kingdom of Sophene

Artaxiad Dynasty

Kingdom of Commagene

Arsacid Dynasty

Medieval History

Marzpanate Period

Byzantine Armenia

Arab conquest of Armenia

Bagratuni Armenia

Kingdom of Vaspurakan

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Zakarid Armenia

Foreign Rule

Persian Domination

Ottoman Domination

Russian Domination

Hamidian Massacres

Armenian Genocide

Contemporary Armenia

Democratic Republic of Armenia

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic

Republic of Armenia

Topical

Military history of Armenia

Timeline of Armenian history This box:  •  • [ edit]

This article is part of the series on: History of Azerbaijan

Early History

Ancient History

Caucasian Albania

First Persian Empire and Alexander's conquests

Roman-Parthian rivalry and Sassanian conquest

Medieval History

Islamic Period

Seljuk dynasty

Atabegs of Azerbaijan

Mongol and Ilkhanid rule

Qara Qoyunlu

Aq Qoyunlu

Shirvanshah

Classical History

Safavid dynasty

Independent Khanates

Qajar dynasty

Russian Rule

Early Independence

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

March Days

Soviet Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Black January

Modern Azerbaijan

Republic of Azerbaijan This box:  •  • [ edit]

History of Greater Iran
Empires of Persia Kings of Persia
Pre-modern
Before Islam  BCE Zayandeh River Civilization prehistoric–? Sialk civilization 7500–1000 Jiroft civilization (Aratta) 3000–? Proto-Elamite civilization 3200–2800 Bactria-Margiana Complex 2200–1700 Elamite dynasties 2800–550 Kingdom of Mannai 10th–7th cent. Median Empire 728–550 Achaemenid Empire 550–330 Seleucid Empire 330–150 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 250-125 Parthian Empire 248–CE 224 CE Kushan Empire 30–275 Sassanid Empire 224–651 Hephthalite Empire 425–557 Kabul-Shahi dynasty 565–670
After Islamic Conquest  Patriarchal Caliphate 637–651 Umayyad Caliphate 661–750 Abbasid Caliphate 750–1258 Tahirid dynasty 821–873 Alavid dynasty 864–928 Saffarid dynasty 861–1003 Samanid dynasty 819–999 Ziyarid dynasty 928–1043 Buyid Dynasty 934–1055 Ghaznavid Empire 975–1187 Ghori dynasty 1149–1212 Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Khwarezmid dynasty 1077–1231 Ilkhanate 1256–1353 Muzaffarid dynasty 1314–1393 Chupanid dyansty 1337–1357 Jalayerid dynasty 1339–1432 Timurid Empire 1370–1506 Qara Qoyunlu Turcomans 1407–1468 Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans 1378–1508 Safavid Empire 1501–1722* Mughal Empire 1526–1857 Hotaki dynasty 1722–1729 Afsharid dynasty 1736–1802 * or 1736
Modern SSR = Soviet Socialist Republic
Afghanistan  Durrani Empire 1748–1823 British and Russian influence 1826–1919 Independence and civil war 1919–1929 Mohammedzai rule 1929–1973 Republic of Afghanistan 1973–1978 Communist rule 1978–1992 Recent history of Afghanistan since 1992 Timeline
Azerbaijan  Independent Khanates 1722–1828 Russian Rule 1828–1917 Democratic Republic 1918–1920 Azerbaijan SSR 1920–1991 Republic of Azerbaijan since 1991
Bahrain  Portuguese rule 1521–1602 British Treaty 1820–1971 Kingdom of Bahrain since 1971
Iran  Zand dynasty 1750–1794 Qajar dynasty 1781–1925 Pahlavi dynasty 1925–1979 Iranian Revolution 1979 Provisional Government 1979 Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979
Iraq  Ottoman Empire 1632–1919 Hashimite monarchy 1920–1958 Coup and Republic 1958–2003 Republic of Iraq since 2004
Tajikistan  Emirate of Bukhara 1785–1920 Bukharan / Uzbek SSR 1920–1929 Tajik Autonomous SSR 1929 Tajik SSR 1929–1991 Republic of Tajikistan since 1991
Uzbekistan  Emirate of Bukhara 1785–1920 Uzbek SSR 1924–1991 Independence 1991 Republic of Uzbekistan since 1991
This box:  •  • [ edit]

According to Byzantine chronicles, the Ak Koyunlu were present in eastern Anatolia since at least 1340, and most Ak Koyunlu leaders, including the dynasty's founder, Kara Osman, married Byzantine princesses ^[1].

The White Sheep Turkomans first acquired land in 1402, when Tamerlane granted them all of Diyarbakır, in present-day Turkey. For a long time, the White Sheep Turkomans were unable to expand their territory, as the rival Black Sheep Turkomans kept them at bay. However, this changed with the rule of Uzun Hasan who defeated the Black Sheep Turkoman leader, Jahān Shāh, in 1467.

After the defeat of a Timurid leader, Abu Sai'd, Uzun Hasan was able to take Baghdad, along with territories around the Persian Gulf. He expanded into Iran as far east as Khorasan. However, around this time, the Ottoman Empire sought to expand eastwards, a serious threat that forced the White Sheep Turkomans into an alliance with the Qaramanids of central Anatolia.

As early as 1464, Uzun Hassan had requested military aid from one of the Ottoman Empire's strongest enemies, Venice, however, despite Venetian promises, this aid never arrived, and as a result, Uzun Hasan was defeated by the Ottomans at Tercan in 1473, though this did not destroy the White Sheep Turkomans.

Yaqub, who reigned from 1478 to 1490, sustained the dynasty for a while longer, but following his death the White Sheep Turkomans began to destroy themselves from within, and thanks to years of infighting, they ceased to be a threat to their neighbours.

The Safavids, who were Shi'ites, began to undermine the allegiance of many White Sheep Turkomans, particularly Sunnis. The Safavids and the White Sheep Turkomans met in battle at Nakhichevan in 1501, and the Safavid leader Ismail I forced the White Sheep Turkomans to withdraw.

In his retreat from the Safavids, the White Sheep Turkoman leader Alwand destroyed an autonomous White Sheep Turkoman state in Mardin. The last White Sheep Turkoman leader, Murād, brother of Alwand, was also defeated by the same Safavid leader. Though Murād briefly established himself in Baghdad in 1508, he soon withdrew back to Diyar Bakr, signalling the end of the White Sheep Turkomans.

Governance

The leaders of Ak Koyunlu were from the Begundur or Bayandur Oghuz clan^[2] and were considered descendants of the semi-mythical founding father of the Oghuz, Oghuz Khan^[3]. The Bayandurs behaved like statesmen rather than warlords and gained the support of the merchant and feudal classes of South Caucasus (present day Republic of Azerbaijan)^[3].

With the conquest of Iran, not only did the Ak Koyunlu center of power shift eastward, but Iranian influences were soon brought to bear on their method of government and their culture ^[4]. In the Iranian provinces, Uzun Hassan maintained the preexisting administrative system along with its officials, whose families had in some cases served under different dynasties for several generations^[5]. There were only four top civil posts, all held by Iranians, in Uzun Hassan's time: those of the vizier, who headed the great council (divan); the mostawfi al-mamalek, who was in charge of the financial administration; the mohrdar, who affixed the state seal, and the marakoor (stablemaster), who looked after the royal court<ref name="iranicaak" />.

In letters from the Ottomon Sultans, when addressing the the kings of Ak koyunlu, such titles as Malak al-Molook al-Iraniyyah (King of Kings of Iran), Sultan Salatin Iraniyyah(Sultan of Sultans of Iran), Shahanshah Iran Khadiv ajam (King of Kings of Iran and the Ruler of Persia), Jamshid Shawkat wa Fereydoon Raayat wa daaraa deraayat (Powerful like Jamshid, Flag of Fereydoon and Wise like Darius) have been used^[6].

Ahmad-beg Ak Koyunlu

Amidst the struggle for power between Uzun Hassan's grandsons Baysungur (son of Yaqub) and Rustam (son of Maqsud), their cousin Ahmad-beg appeared on the stage. Ahmad-beg was the son of Uzun Hassan's eldest son Oghurlu Muhammad, who, in 1475, escaped to Ottoman Turkey. Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II received Oghurlu Muhammad with kindness and gave him his daughter, of whom Ahmad-beg was born^[7].

According Hasan Rumlu's Ahsan al-tavarikh, in 1496-7 certain Hasan Ali Tarkhani went to Ottoman Turkey to tell Sultan Beyazid II that Azerbaijan and Persian Iraq were defenceless and suggested that Ahmad-beg, heir to that kingdom, should be sent there with Ottoman troops. Beyazid II agreed to this idea, and by May 1497 Ahmad-beg faced Rustam near Araxes and defeated him <ref name="turkmenica458" />.

See also

• Rulers of Ak Koyunlu

Sources

• Bosworth, Clifford. The New Islamic Dynasties, 1996.
• Morby, John. Oxford Dynasties of the World, 2002.

References

•  • [ e] History of Anatolia