Manuchihr I of Shirvan

Manuchehr I
Shah of Shirvan
Reign	1027-1034
Predecessor	Yazid II
Successor	Ali II
Died	1034 Shamakhi
Consort	Sitta
Issue	Hurmuz
House	House of Shirvanshah
Father	Yazid II

Manuchehr I was the eleventh Shah of Shirvan. He is considered to be first fully Persianized ruler of the dynasty, rejecting Arab roots and regarding himself as a descendant of the Sasanians.

Reign

In 1027, Manuchehr succeeded his father Yazid II as the Shah of Shirvan. Two years later, he declared war against the Hashimids of Derbent. He was, however, defeated by an Hashimid army which ravaged his land. The following year, his kingdom was invaded by an Rus' army under Ingvar the Far-Travelled. Manuchehr tried to repel them from Caucasus, but was soundly defeated at Baku; many prominent men of Shirvan were killed, such as certain Ahmad ibn Khasskin. Manuchehr then had the Araxes river closed in order to stop the Rus'. However, this resulted in the death of a number of Muslims.^[1]

Nevertheless, some time later, Manuchehr managed to finally repel the Rus'.^[2] In 1032, an combined army from Sarir and Alania invaded Shirvan and seized its capital Shamakhi. Many people were massacred and many riches were seized by them. During their withdrawal from Shirvan, however, they were attacked and defeated by the people of Derbent.^[3]

Death

In 1034, Manuchehr was betrayed and stabbed by his younger brother Ali, who had with the help of Manuchehr's wife Sitta entered the latter's house.^[3] Ali thus became the new Shirvanshah.

References

1. Minorsky 1958, p. 31.
2. Madelung 1975, p. 248.
3. Minorsky 1958, p. 32.

Sources

• Madelung, W. (1975). "The Minor Dynasties of Northern Iran". In Frye, R. N. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 198–249. ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.
• Minorsky, Vladimir (1958). A History of Sharvān and Darband in the 10th-11th Centuries. University of Michigan. pp. 1–219. ISBN 978-1-84511-645-3.