State Organisation in Seljuks State     

       Of course, the understanding of sovereignty pertaining to Turks who had established various states during the history has been much more different and significant than that of the ancient states (China, Iran, and Islam). According to the ancient Turkish understandings, the state and the country was the joint property of the ruling dynasty that dominated the state. In the Great Seljuks State, the state organisation was arranged in a most regular and perfect manner even in the period of the first rulers. It is beyond doubt that the ancient understanding of sovereignty that was strongly valid among the Turkish tribes-beys and the similar traditions related with the state played the leading role in this perfect arrangement.

 

        The only representative of the state is the "sultan" in the Seljuk State. He is the only owner of the authorities for sovereignty and administration and the only possessor of the country and the people living in it. However, this sovereignty and the other administrative issues that were under the possession of the ruler could not be used in person in general. Therefore, these authorities were entitled to some specific institutions by proxy. As a matter of fact, the resolutions taken by the "High Council" for the administration of the state and government affairs were decided in the name of the sultan. Providing not the contradictory to the traditions and laws, the ruler was the absolute dominant in every issue. However, the ruler was never a sacred and irresponsible person. The sovereignty was hereditary and there was an institution for the crown princes.

        The state organisations in Turkey, Kirman and Syria Seljuks State and the Tutor principalities were the same as that of the Great Seljuks State in respect of its qualities. As for Kirman and Syria Seljuks State, the highest rank of the state administration was dominated by the "melik" (ruler) and all the powers and authorities were united under his administration. In tutor principalities, the highest rank was occupied by a "atabeg" (tutor). The principal symbols of sovereignty pertaining to the rulers were composed of some elements such as their titles and nicknames, delivery of prayers, coins, throne, crown, flags, trumpets (blown five times a day), imperial rescript and sultan'' monogram, enrapture and the tent of the sultanate.

        With the highest rank of sovereignty that was occupied by the ruler as the leader of the state, the Seljuk State was composed of the following elements:
a) Palace organisation
b) Governmental organisation
c) Military organisation
d) Hierarchy organisation of learned men.
The members of the palace organisation were directly in the service of the Sultan in person.

 

        We have observed that there were some traditions, customs and ceremonies in relation with the continuation of the present institutions as before. As a matter of fact, the ceremonies and traditions that had survived within the Seljuk palaces were composed of the enthronement, the appointment of crown princes, the accommodation of prisoners in the palace, the meetings of envoys, the notification of victory-letters and congratulation-letters, the reception and farewell ceremonies and bereavement ceremonies.

 

        The palace lives of the Seljuk sultans are divided into two as the official and the private life. The place in which the ruler lived his official and private life was the palace that was his residential place. The palace was mainly divided into two sections as "Men's Quarter" and "Harem". The Men's Quarter was the section in which the ruler carried out his official and private meetings and receptions and took the resolutions related with the administration of the state. In Harem, the ruler lived with his married wives and concubines. Sultans gave place to separate or collective receptions in the course of the both official and private lives.

       The governmental organisation: In the Seljuks State, the place in which the state affairs were negotiated and resolved was the High Council and the High Divan. Furthermore, this council was also called as "Divan-i Sultan" (Sultan's Divan).

       Within the governmental organisation, there were "atabeg" (tutors) that helped the princes and rulers to be brought up in well-educated manner in each respect. Furthermore, there were military governors called as "şahne" or "şıhne" that managed the police affairs in the centres of provinces; "amid" officials who were responsible for the management of properties, and "muhtesip" officials who organised the affairs related with the city. Moreover, there were two other offices within the governmental organisation called as niyabet-i saltanat (regency of sultanate) and pervanecilik (registrar). These offices that were not observed in the Great Seljuks State must have been adopted from the Eyyubi State by the Anatolian Seljuks State. The duty of the regent was to administer the state affairs while the ruler was not in the capital city of the country. The person who was assigned as the regent came after the Vizier in rank. Pervane office (registry) was managed by a director of the office that appointed the fiefs and feoffs in the registry-book of the lands and arranged the relevant firmans and patents.

        The army of the Great Seljuk State that constituted the greatest military power of the era was based on the following manpower elements:

1- Brigades of guards (Ruler's bodyguards)
2- The forces obtained from Turkish staff officers that owned fiefs
3- Forces of the vassal (submissive) states
4- Forces of the cities and regions
5- Voluntaries
6- Turkmen forces.

 

       The army of the brigades would take salaries for four times a year (bistegani). Turkmen people who lived in the forefront places had great services as the marksmen in the army of the Seljuk State. The chiefs of these people were called as "salar" and those who fought were called as "ghazi". The state would also pay salaries to these people. The main section of the warrior division within the Seljuk army was composed of the infantrymen and the cavalrymen. However, most of the army was composed of the cavalrymen. The warrior division had some specialised sections such as archers, lance-bearers, mace-bearers, catapult-shooters, naphtha soldiers, sappers, etc. Turks would use light weapons in the wars such as arrows, bows, swords, shields, lances, and daggers, etc. Furthermore, their heavy weapons called as blockade instruments were "arrade" (a device that throw small stones) and "catapult". They made all these weapons on their own. The positions and situations of the Seljuk armies in the course of the war were just like those observed in the other Islam-Turkish armies of the same period. In this system of war, the army would take positions of the centre (leşker-I kalp), right wing (meymene), left wing (meysene), vanguard (mukaddeme, tali'a or pîşdâr) and rearguards (sâka).

 

       The military organisation of the Anatolian Seljuks State was nearly the same as that of the Great Seljuk State and it was composed of the following elements:
1-    Turkmen
2-    Brigades of guards (sultan's bodyguards)
3-    Forces provided from the liege subjects (Fief-holder cavalrymen)
4-    Forces of the vassal states
5-    Paid soldiers

to be continued       

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