Cappadocia In The Historic Periods 6

Cappadocia In The Historic Periods 6

Seljuk Period (1071-1299)

The native land of the Seljuks, established by Seljuk Bey from Oguz Turks, was Asia. The Seljuks converted Islamists, spread northward in the 10th century, attempting to extend their power by fighting tribes that had not converted. The defeat and capture of the Emperor Romanos Diogenes in 1071 by Alparslan, the great grandson of Seljuk Bey, resulted in the decline of the Byzantine Empire and the beginning of the new area in the history of Anatolia. In 1075 the Anatolian Seljuk State was founded. In 1082 Kayseri was conquered by Turks and Cappadocia came under Seljuk rule. Anatolia, which was an important region where Christianity had spread, became part of the Islamic world,  which covered the large area ranging from North Africa to Middle Asia and the Near East.
The conquest of Anatolia by Seljuk Turks did not influence the administrative authority of the Christian patriarchy. This is known because of inscriptions from the 13th century found in the church of St.George in Ihlara region. The names of the Seljuk Sultan Mesud II and the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus are treated with admiration. As a result of the decline of the Anatolian Seljuk State at the end of 13th century, small beyliks (domains of minor rulers )came into being in different parts of Anatolia . In 1308, the Ilkhanids of Mongolian origin invaded Anatolia and destroyed Kayseri, one of the important cities in the Cappadocia region. Seljuk Sultans were controlled by the Mongolians and could not act independently. From the on , Anatolia was administered by the beyliks founded by different Turkish tribes.