APersonIndependent states
Alp Arslan
Great Seljuk sultan (1064–1072) whose victory at Manzikert in 1071 opened Anatolia to the Turks.
Alp Arslan was the son of Chaghri Beg of the Seljuk dynasty and succeeded his uncle Tughril Beg in 1064. He campaigned in the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia and took Ani in 1064.
On 26 August 1071, near Manzikert (Malazgirt), he routed the army of the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes and captured the emperor, later releasing him on terms of peace. After this victory the Oghuz Turks began to settle Anatolia in large numbers.
In 1072, on a campaign in Central Asia, he was killed by a captured fortress commander and was buried in Merv. His vizier Nizam al-Mulk was one of the most famous statesmen of the age.
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Updated: October 2, 2026