2020-07-14 Tue

Kaykhusraw I, the eleventh and youngest son of Kilij Arslan II, was Seljuk Sultan of Rum. He succeeded his father in 1192 but had to fight his brothers for control of the Sultanate, losing to his brother Suleiman II in 1196. He ruled it 1192-1196 and 1205-1211.

In 1192/93, Kaykhusraw returned the Byzantine nobleman, Theodore Mangaphas, to Emperor Isaac II after receiving assurances of Mangaphas treatment. With his brother, Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah, quickly advancing towards Konya, Kaykhusraw fled to Constantinople in 1196. He lived in Constantinople from 1197-1203, possibly even being baptised.

After Suleiman's death and Kilij Arslan's ascension to the sultanate, Kaykhusraw forced his way into Konya, removed Kilij from power, and was enthroned for a second time. Kaykhusraw seized Antalya in 1207 from its Niceaen garrison which furnished the Seljuq sultanate with a port on the Mediterranean. It was during this year, Kaykhusraw founded a mosque in Antalya.

Depicted here is a silver Dirham issued under his second reign from Konya. The obverse face of the coin depicted the Persian legend which read as “Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw bin Qilij Arslan”.

Image Source: https://www.vcoins.com