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Kutlu Bey died in the year of nearly 1389 and he was buried in a village of Bayburt. It is
known that he had four sons (Hüseyin, Ahmed, Pîr Ali ve Kara-yülük).
In the beginning, the relations between Kadi Burhaneddin and Kara-yülük
Osman Bey was based on friendly terms; but then, they were on strained terms due to a
reason that was not known for origin. The event of the murder of Sheikh Mueyyid was the
apparent reason of this conflict.
Karayülük who left Burhaneddin was followed and chased by him. Karayülük
who had only six hundreds of cavalryman with him totally defeated the forces of
Burhaneddin that were composed of twenty thousands of people and he took Burhaneddin as
prisoner and then, killed him (July 1398). Then, he besieged Sivas and wanted the delivery
of the city. Alâeddin Ali Çelebi who became the ruler of Sivas in the place of his
father, Burhaneddin asked help from Kara Tatar bey who was the father-in-law of Kara-yülük
against him. However, Karakoyunlu forces federated them in a fight and besieged the city.
Upon this event, Bayezid I sent a crowded army under the command of his son, Suleyman
Celebi towards Sivas. Kara-yülük was defeated and Sivas and most of the regions of Kadi
Burhaneddin's country were annexed to the lands of Ottoman State.
Kara-yülük Osman Bey who gave up the hope for the capture of Sivas
collaborated with Mutahharten who had been the enemy of the Akkoyunlu State and the ally
of Karakoyunlu State in the past, but who showed him great respect for the annihilation of
Kadi Burhaneddin.
Then, Kara-yülük applied to Berkuk and
got in the service of the Mameluke State. However, upon the death of Berkuk, the struggles
and conflicts in Egypt turned into a dangerous situation and Yildirim Bayezid started to
prepare for an expedition towards Syria. Upon these developments, Kara-yülük turned away
from the Mameluke State. Then, through the mediation of Mutahharten, he went to
Tamburlaine that spent the winter in Karabağ in the year of 1399. Thus, he got into the
service of him (in 1400).
In the course of the advance of
Tamburlaine towards Anatolia, Kara-yülük had been the pioneer of the army, and he had
participated in the captures of Sivas, Elbistan and Malatya. Tamburlaine gave Malatya that
he captured from the Ottomans to Kara-yülük. In the course of the Tamburlaine's military
expedition towards Syria, Osman Bey and his sons participated in this expedition and
provided great help. In the return from this expedition, Tamburlaine besieged Mardin, and
advanced towards Iraq before long. Then, he left the blockade of the city to Karayülük
and he also gave him the city of Diyarbakir.
Karayülük who captured Mardin forced the ruler of Hasankeyf to subdue for submission and
give taxes and soldiers through his son.
Karayülük participated in the
second military expedition of Tamburlaine towards Anatolia together with his brothers in
the year of 804/1402. He played a significant role in the dissolution of the left branch
of the Ottman army in Ankara War. Tamburlaine spent the winter together with Karayülük
in Anatolia. While he left Anatolia, he gave the entire principality of the region of
Diyarbakir to Karayülük. Karayülük Osman Bey came to Diyarbakir and gathered all the
other Akkoyunlu communities under a structure of his domination. Then, he established the
Akkoyunlu State. Pursuant to the departure of Tamburlaine, Karayülük benefited from the
lack of a political union in the Eastern Anatolia, and captured Urfa, Kemah, Erzincan,
Harput, Erzurum. After the long fights, he also captured Mardin and established dominion
in the basin of Coruh River. Although he was defeated in the first war with Kara Yusuf,
the ruler of Karakoyunlu State that was his cruel enemy (1409), the parties could not
attain any superiority against each other in the second war in the year of 1417 and they
reached an agreement against the threat of the Mameluke State. Probably upon the
encouragement of Shahruh, Karayülük despoiled the environs and besieged Mardin in July
1418. However, Karayülük heard of the news about the advance of Kara Yusuf upon the
Akkoyunlu State, he retreated towards Diyarbakir. In the course of this retreat, he was
defeated by Kara Yusuf.
Upon the death of Kara Yusuf
(1420), Iskender Bey replaced him. In his period, the struggles between these two Turkmen
states became violent and continued for a long time. Kara-yülük besieged Mardin again in
March 1421 and he was defeated by Iskender Bey. Osman Bey who could not cope with the
Karakoyunlu State all alone took side with Shahruh in the course of the wars that took
place between Shahruh and the Karakoyunlu State in Eleşkirt (1421) and Selmas (1429).
Iskender Bey who could not gain any success against Shahruh advanced from Tabriz towards
Erzurum in order to take shelter in Murad II who was the Ottoman ruler. In the course of
this advance, he was waylaid by Kara-yülük upon the order of Shahruh. When his enemy did
not permit him to pass from the path, Iskender Bey had to fight with them, and he won the
war despite the insufficiency of his forces (September 1435). Karayülük and his two sons
and some of the Akkoyunlu beys were among those who had died in the course of this war.
Pursuant to the death of
Karayülük Osman Bey, his sons were involved in the struggles for the sovereignty. Ali
Bey who was the crown prince among these princes obtained the firman for the bey
principality from both Shahruh and the Mameluke sultan. On one hand, he tried to stop the
attacks of the Karakoyunlu State; on the other hand, he fought with Hamza Bey who was the
governor of Mardin. When he understood that he could not cope with both forces at the same
time, he asked help from Murad II and the Mameluke sultan. He had provided the support of
the Mameluke State for a specific period, but the help that he hoped from the Ottoman
State could not be achieved and he got disappointed. Then, he withdrew to Syria.
Therefore, the Akkoyunlu principality was under the dominion of his brother, Hamza Bey who
had overcome and been superior to Kara Yusuf's son, Ispend (1438).
Hamza Bey who subdued his brothers
and nephews was recognised by the Mameluke sultan. He tried to reestablish the Akkoyunlu
union. When Hamza Bey died (848/1444), Cihangir who was his brother, Ali Bey's son came to
power as the sovereign of the bey principality; but, some of the members of the dynasty
that opposed to him asked help from Cihan-Shah who was the ruler of the Karakoyunlu State.
Meanwhile, Elvend, one of the Karakoyunlu princes took shelter in Cihangir. This incident
increased the tension between the two states and the Karakoyunlu State besieged and
captured Erzincan in the year of 1450. However, Cihangir insisted upon not to surrender
Elvend and this insistence led to the capture of Malatya, Urfa and Mardin by the
Karakoyunlu State.
Cihangir sent his mother, Sara Hâtûn
to the Mameluke sultan and asked help and at least the mediation for the peace, but any
help could not be obtained. Upon this development, the Akkoyunlu forces recaptured Urfa
and Mardin with their own forces (1451). Cihangir's younger brother, Uzun Hasan Bey
collected forces in Ergani, and defeated the Karakoyunlu forces within the environs of
Urfa. However, the conflicts and fights between the two sides could not reach to a
conclusive state. Cihan-shah sent a large army under the command of his son, Muhammed
Mirza. Upon this event, Cihangir hid himself within the city walls of Diyarbakır. Uzun
Hasan came to provide help his brother; but the fights that lasted during the whole year
was vain. Finally, Cihan-shah heard of the news about the advance of Baysungur's son,
Sultan Bubur from Timur State towards Rey. Therefore, he sent envoys and proposed the
state of peace. Moreover, he asked for the daughter of Cihangir in marriage with his son,
M. Mirza. Thus, he tried to eradicate the hostility between the two states. Despite all
these bad conditions, Cihangir had tried to collect together all the countries under the
domination of his grandfather, Kara-yülük and he had been successful in this desire to
some extent. In the course of the struggles, the greatest assistant of Cihangir was his
brother, Uzun Hasan Bey.
to be continued
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