Kaykaus I

Kaykaus I or Kayka'us I or Keykavus I (Arabic/PerB|عز الدين كيكاوس بن كيخسرو, 'Izz al-Dīn Kaykā'ũs bin Kaykhusraw; _tr. I. Izzeddin Keykavus) was the Seljuq Sultan of Rum from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest son of Kaykhusraw I.

uccession

Upon the death of the sultan in 1211, Kaykaus’ two younger brothers, Kayferidun Ibrahim and the future Kayqubad I, challenged his succession. Kayqubad, from his fortress at Tokat mustered the support of Leo of Armenia, the Danishmendid emir, and the independent master of Erzurum, Mughith al-Din; while Kayferidun imperiled the recently acquired port of Antalya by seeking aid from the Cypriot Franks. From Malatya, Kaykaus seized Kayseri and then Konya, inducing Leo and the Danishmend to change sides. He overcame both of his brothers and had them confined to fortresses.

During this time of considerable danger, Kaykaus negotiated a peace settlement with Theodore Laskaris, the Byzantine Emperor of Nicaea. This treaty marked the end of hostilities between the Seljuq state and the Empire of Nicaea, though Turkmen nomads continued occasionally to trouble the border.

The Eastern Frontier and Fifth Crusade

With Antalya secure and the western marches at peace, Kaykaus turned his attentions to the east. During the Fifth Crusade, the crusaders allied with Kaykaus and forced the Ayyubids to undertake a two-front conflict.

Conquest of Sinop

Kaykaus’ most significant contribution to the Seljuq state was the acquisition the Black Sea port of Sinop. In 1214 Turkmen tribesmen captured Alexios, Grand Komnenos of the Empire of Trebizond, on a hunting trip outside of the city. The hostage was turned over to the sultan and negotiated his freedom in exchange for Sinop and the vassalage of Trapezuntine territory to the east. The Seljuqs gained an outlet on the Black Sea to match their Mediterranean port at Antalya, and a wedge was driven between the Empire of Trebizond and the Byzantine Empire of Nicaea. The transfer was affected on Sunday 1 November with both the sultan and the Grand Komnenos present. Alexios was entertained for several days and then politely asked to return to Trebizond. [Anthony Bryer and Richard Winfield, "The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos", vol. 1, (Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1985) 71-72.]

After the transfer, European and Byzantine trade continued in the city. Kaykaus named an Armenian, Rais Hetoum, to govern the mixed Greek and Turkish population. [Claude Cahen, "Pre-Ottoman Turkey: a general survey of the material and spiritual culture and history", trans. J. Jones-Williams, (New York: Taplinger, 1968) 123.] Between April and September 1215 the walls were reconstructed under the supervision of the Greek architect, Sebastos. Fifteen Seljuq emirs contributed to the cost. The work is commemorated by a bilingual Greek and Arabic inscription on a tower near the western gate. [Bryer and Winfield, "Pontos", 71-72.]

Monuments

In 1217 Kaykaus built the so-called Şifaiye Medresesi in Sivas. The building was designed as a hospital and medical school. The sultan’s mausoleum is in the south eyvan of the building under a conical dome. The façade includes a poem by the sultan in blue faience tiles. [Scott Redford, “The Alaeddin Mosque Reconsidered” "Artibus Asiae", vol. 51, no. 1/2. (1991): p. 71.]

References