Yaʿḳūb II
Bey of Germiyan
First reign1387–1390
PredecessorSuleiman Shah
SuccessorOccupation by Bayezid I of the Ottoman Sultanate
Second reign1402–1411
PredecessorSari Timurtash Pasha (Ottoman beylerbey of Anatolia)
SuccessorOccupation by Mehmed II of Karaman
Third reign1414–1429
PredecessorOccupation by Mehmed II of Karaman
SuccessorBequest to Murad II
Died1429
Kütahya
SpousePasha Kerime Hatun[1]
DynastyGermiyan
FatherSuleiman Shah
MotherA daughter of Umur of Aydın
ReligionIslam

Yaʿḳūb II (died 1429), also known as Yaʿḳūb Chelebī, was Bey of Germiyan in western Anatolia from 1387 and 1429. Yaʿḳūb was the son of Suleiman Shah and a daughter of Umur. Yaʿḳūb initially supported the Ottoman Sultan Murad I at the Battle of Kosovo, during which Murad was killed, but turned against Murad's successor Bayezid I. Yaʿḳūb attempted to reclaim considerable territory formerly part of Germiyan, including the capital Kütahya, which Suleiman Shah had granted the Ottomans as part of the dowry for his daughter, Devlet Hatun, and Bayezid's marriage. Yaʿḳūb was subsequently jailed by Bayezid in the castle of Ipsala in 1390, when Germiyan wholly came under Ottoman control. 9 years later, Yaʿḳūb managed to escape from prison and sought the protection of Timur, who after crushing Bayezid with the help of Yaʿḳūb at the Battle of Ankara in 1402, restored Germiyan's former boundaries. During the Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413), Yaʿḳūb allied himself with Mehmed Chelebī against his brothers, as a result of which Germiyan–Karaman relations worsened and Kütahya fell to Mehmed II of Karaman in 1411, interrupting Yaʿḳūb's reign a second time. In 1414, Mehmed Chelebī reinstated Yaʿḳūb as the ruler and defeated the Karamanids. Although Yaʿḳūb initially supported Mustafa Chelebī against Mehmed's son and successor Murad II as the claimant to the Ottoman throne, Mustafa was ultimately defeated, which forced Yaʿḳūb to have amicable relations with Murad II. Yaʿḳūb had no male heir and left the rule to Murad II in his will shortly before he died in 1429.

Background

Germiyān first appeared around Malatya in 1239 under Kaykhusraw II's rule of the Sultanate of Rum tasked to subdue Baba Ishāq, and in 1277, they were involved in the fight against Jimrī and Meḥmed of Karaman in western Anatolia. Yaʿḳūb I was the first Bey to rule the state of Germiyān. Although he initially accepted vassalage under Kayḳobād III, the Sultanate of Rum disintegrated shortly after. He was the suzerain of many of his neighbors, and his reign was described as being economically prosperous. He was succeeded by his son Meḥmed, nicknamed Chakhshādan, details about whose rule are largely unknown. His son, Suleiman Shah eventually inherited the throne. Germiyān lost considerable land under Suleiman, as he left numerous towns and smaller settlements for the Ottomans, including the capital Kütahya, as part of the dowry payment for the marriage of his daughter Devletşah Hatun and Murad I's son and successor, Bayezid. Suleiman relocated to Kula and died there in 1387.[2]

Early life and first reign

Yaʿḳūb's parents were Suleiman Shah and a daughter of Umur.[3] He inherited the throne when his father died in 1387 and maintained peace in the realm until 1390. He supported the Ottoman Sultanate at the Battle of Kosovo along with the beyliks of Kastamonu, Saruhan, Aydın, Menteshe, and Hamid. However, when Murad I died in battle and was succeeded by his son Bayezid I, Yaʿḳūb, as well as Kadi Burhan al-Din, and the heads of Saruhan, Hamid, and Menteshe, sided with the Karamanids in reclaiming lands lost to the Ottomans. While Karaman seized Beyşehir, Yaʿḳūb started capturing some of the former possessions of Germiyan that his father had given to the Ottomans as part of the dowry for his daughter Devlet Hatun's marriage to Bayezid. Before returning to Anatolia, Bayezid first ensured stability in the Balkans by making peace with Serbia and concluding internal conflicts within the Byzantine Empire in his favor. Intimidated by Bayezid's seizure of Saruhan, Aydın, and Menteshe, Yaʿḳūb attempted to be on good terms with him through various gifts but was nevertheless imprisoned and kept in the castle of Ipsala. In 1390, the entire realm of Germiyan came under Ottoman control.[4] Sari Timurtash Pasha was appointed as the beylerbey (governor) of Anatolia Eyalet.[5]

Restoration of rule

Yaʿḳūb sought the protection of Timur in 1399, having escaped from prison and traveled to Syria in disguise through the Mediterranean Sea presumably the same year.[2] He allied with him against the Ottomans with the guarantee that his rule would be restored. Yaʿḳūb fought on the side of Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. The former troops of Germiyan, Aydın, and Menteshe were initially under the command of Bayezid and switched sides when it became clear that their leaders had sided with Timur, despite which Bayezid continued to fight. Yaʿḳūb recognized Bayezid during the skirmish and had him captured. The Ottomans were ultimately defeated, and Timur granted Yaʿḳūb the former lands under Germiyan. Timur stayed in Kütahya for some time but spared its inhabitants, subjecting them to a one-time tax and confiscating the treasury of Sari Timurtash Pasha.[6]

  Germiyān, c.1410

Second and third reigns

During the Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413), Yaʿḳūb allied himself with Mehmed Chelebī against his brothers. As a result, Germiyan–Karaman relations gradually transitioned into hostility, as the latter's rivalry against the Ottomans ensued. This escalated to a war between the two in September 1410, and Kütahya fell to Mehmed II of Karaman the next year, which practically ended Yaʿḳūb's second reign.[7] Mehmed II further laid a 31-day siege in Bursa in 1413 and set the city on fire, which prompted Mehmed Chelebī to quickly return to Anatolia after having defeated his brother Musa Chelebī in Rumelia. Mehmed Chelebī reinstated Yaʿḳūb's rule in Germiyan in 1414, and when Musa's dead body arrived in Bursa in 1416, Mehmed II retreated in a hurry and left the territories he had taken from Germiyan. Yaʿḳūb accommodated and supplied the Ottoman army during the campaigns against Karaman. His rule until 1421 was largely free of threats.[8]

When Mehmed I's son Murad II rose to the Ottoman throne, Yaʿḳūb's relations with the Ottomans took a new turn. Murad's younger brother and governor of Hamid, Mustafa Chelebī was sponsored by Yaʿḳūb, Karaman, and the Turghudlu tribe of Turkmens as a claimant to the Ottoman throne. Although he was favored by the locals, Mustafa was not allowed to enter Bursa. Instead, he besieged and gained control Iznik, and declared himself as the ruler, taking advantage of Murad's investment in the Siege of Constantinople (1422). However, Mustafa was not allowed to depart from the city by the local Ottoman guardians on the orders of the sultan.[9] Murad swiftly received control of the city and executed Mustafa. Yaʿḳūb then reverted to friendly interactions with Murad, realizing that he had no other choice for him to survive. Even though Aydın and Menteshe were already under direct Ottoman control, Murad did not attempt to enact his sovereignty in Germiyan, as it was already subordinate to the Ottomans and unofficially part of the state. Likewise, Yaʿḳūb bequeathed his domains to Murad as he had no sons and did not want to hand over the rule to his sister's children. In 1428, at an old age, he traveled to Bursa and paid respects to the graves of Osman I and Orhan. He was later welcomed by Murad with many gifts in Edirne and formally declared his will there. Sometime after returning to Germiyan, he fell sick and passed away in 1429. Murad annexed Germiyan as requested by Yaʿḳūb.[10]

Yaʿḳūb's grave in Kütahya Encaustic Tile Museum.

References

  1. Varlık 1974, p. 78.
  2. 1 2 Mélikoff 1965.
  3. Varlık 1974, p. 67.
  4. Varlık 1974, pp. 68–69.
  5. Varlık 1974, p. 72.
  6. Varlık 1974, pp. 71–72.
  7. Varlık 1974, p. 75.
  8. Varlık 1974, pp. 75–76.
  9. Varlık 1974, pp. 76–77.
  10. Varlık 1974, pp. 78–79.

Bibliography

  • Mélikoff, I. (1965). "Germiyān-Og̲h̲ullari̊̊". In Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch. & Schacht, J. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume II: C–G (2nd ed.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. OCLC 495469475.
  • Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı (1969). Anadolu Beylikleri Ve Akkoyunlu, Karakoyunlu Devletleri [Anatolian Beyliks and Aq Qoyunlu, Qara Qoyunlu States] (in Turkish). Turkish Historical Society Press. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  • Varlık, Mustafa Çetin (1974). Germiyan-oğulları tarihi (1300-1429) (in Turkish). Ankara. Retrieved 8 January 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Varlık, Mustafa Çetin (1996). "Germiyanoğulları". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 14 (Geli̇bolu – Haddesenâ) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 33–35. ISBN 978-975-389-441-8.
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