Part 1: The Battle of Köse Dağ
The Battle of Köse Dağ
By 1242 (640), the Mongols had become tired of the lack of cooperation on the part of Sultan Kaykhusraw II, and in the winter of that year the Mongol commander Baiju attacked the Sultanate. They very quickly overran some of the cities of the far east, most notably Erzurum, but the most important of the battles between the Sultanate and the Khanate would come early in 1243, at Köse Dağ.
With the threat that the Mongol armies posed to the whole of the region, many other major powers sent auxiliaries and mercenaries to supplement the armies of the Sultan. King Manuel I of Trebizond sent soldiers, princes and nobles of Georgia not yet subjugated to the Mongol yoke sent auxiliaries, even Catholic mercenaries from the Latin Empire came to the aid of the Sultan of Rum, and ultimately the army under the Sultan numbered some 50,000. Reports came to Baiju of the great numbers of soldiers in the opposing army, but he ignored the advice given to him. Sultan Kaykhusraw II convened his most experienced generals and commanders, and they advised him to wait for the arrival of the Mongol forces and utilize his greater numbers to their advantage. He listened to them.
When the Mongols under Baiju came upon the gorge of Köse Dağ they were surprised by the sudden attack of the forces of the Sultan, led by some of the most experienced commanders of Rum and with numbers almost twice that of Baiju's forces. Watching from above the battle, Sultan Kaykhusraw II saw the two great armies clash against one another, and almost jumped with joy as he saw many of the horse-riding warriors flee to the east. Baiju had died, and only the feeble remnants of his army could flee back to Iran.
Invigorated, strengthened, and given legitimacy by this great victory, the remainder of the reign of Sultan Kaykhusraw II would be defined by defense against Mongol raiding parties and lesser Georgian nobles, vassals of the Mongol state. While he gained much legitimacy for defeating the army of Baiju at Köse Dağ, he ultimately died of natural causes but three years later, in 1246 (643). He left his three young children and his wife Tamar, or Gürcü Hatun (Georgian Lady), naming his beloved youngest child Ala ad-Din Kayqubad bin Kaykhusraw II as the Sultan at only seven years old. With the Georgian Lady Tamar functioning as the regent for the Child Sultan Kayqubad, the Sultanate continues...
[1]: Officials of the Mongol Empire that were sent to vassals and conquered lands to collect taxes administer the provinces (similar to a Governor).
_______________________________________________________________________________
This is my first ever timeline I will have written, so criticism and critique is definitely wanted! Sorry for the length of this post in relation to how much actual history is covered in it, I just thought it would be good to have some preliminary stuff before going deeper into the TL. Also, though right now this is just a Rum timeline, it isn't just going to be an alt-Turkey, just you wait
But yeah, I hope this is at least somewhat well-received, I would love to hear feedback so I can make further updates/timelines better!
Last edited: