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0TEMURI QUEENS IN THE APPOINTMENT OF STATE OFFICIALS AND THE GRANTING OF ADMINISTRATIVE
TITLES
Shamsiddinova Sh.G.
National University of Uzbekistan, Intern teacher of the Department of History of Uzbekistan
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13863156
Abstract. The article analyzes information about the activities of court queens in the administration of the state and society during the Timurid era, their role in the appointment of state officials and the granting of management titles. The topic has been studied based on historical sources and scientific literature.
Keywords: suyurgol, begums, Saray Mulk, Shodmulk Beg, Gavharshodbeg, "Khabib us-siyar" work, sayyids.
If we look at the history of the Middle Ages, we can see that our country far surpassed others in any field. Especially Amir Temur and the period of the Timurids are the proof of our words. Although the state created by Amir Temur did not live long after his death, he left a worthy place in history. The state of Amir Temur was far superior to other states in a number of aspects, such as the formation and development of an independent state, the expansion of state territories, and the military potential of the army. The emergence, formation and political processes of Amir Temur's state have been partially studied by researchers. After the death of Amir Temur, although the state was disintegrated, the Timurid princes ruled Movarounnahr and Khorasan until the beginning of the 16th century. Historians who witnessed these processes, later Uzbek, Western and Eastern scholars created works on the history of Amir Temur and the Timurids. But in many cases, the activities of the queens, who were an integral part of the administration of the Timurid state, and their place in the administration of the state, were not paid special attention. In this respect, it is appropriate to study their activities and the next generation heritage to leave is important.
In history, the influence of queens in the granting of positions and titles can be found in every era. This situation is especially evident through the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Often, queens tried to expand their sphere of influence at the court and actively interfere in state affairs by appointing representatives or supporters of their clans to the best positions in the court. Also, Timur was very careful about choosing suitable bride candidates for his children and grandchildren, keeping in mind the future of the country and preserving the originality of his lineage. Because the future of the country was in the hands of the princes. Princes could do business with their mothers' or wives' clans. It is not surprising that such a situation was also observed in the house of Timurids. During the reign of some rulers, the queens intervened in the granting of positions and titles in the palace. This situation is especially evident in the activity of the queens in the intervention in the state administration after Temur's death. It should be noted that during the period of Temur, Saray Mulk was also active in this matter. In particular, Saray Mulk was one of the persons who could truly change Amir Temur's decision. For example, Mironshah, who ruled the north-western part of Iran, Iraq and the Caucasus since 1393, made some arbitrary decisions towards the end of the century. In the fall of 1396, he fell off his horse while
hunting near the tomb of Pir Umar, surrounded the Marnand desert, and lost consciousness. After that, due to the fault of the doctors, Mironshah lost his health. Later, it is noticeable that he made various mistakes in public administration. Miroshah Mirza put aside the affairs of the country and spent his time in organizing parties and playing all kinds of games. At the same time, Princess comes to Samarkand from Tabriz. At this time, Amir Timur was returning from the Indian campaign and was living in Maple garden. The princess warns the ruler about the happenings and asks him to stop the events in Azerbaijan. Princess Khanzoda Begum informs Timur about this and asks him to take measures. Although Mironshah was the son of Timur, he was angry at the arbitrariness and at first sentences the prince to death. However, the prince was removed from his position after being asked by Syed Baraka and other influential people to repent of his sins. In 1404, Abu Bakr, who was in charge of Baghdad, came to Amir Timur, who stopped near Qazvin, and asked the owner to give him permission to take his father, Miron Shah, with him to Baghdad. Saray Mulk and Sheikh Nuriddin Amir turned to Timur and succeeded in persuading him in this matter.
Even Shahrukh Mirza, the fourth son of Amir Timur, recognized the wisdom of his wife Gavharshad Beg, and felt the need for her wise and practical advice in managing the kingdom. Therefore, many matters related to the kingdom were referred to the queen. Appointing governors to regions, appointing army commanders, and even the issues of giving what gifts and what punishments to whom were at the queen's discretion. The main reason for this might be that Shahrukh Mirza considered it preferable to spend more time in obedience than in the affairs of the kingdom.
In many cases, Shahrukh Mirza worked in consultation with his wife in the affairs of the kingdom. At such times, the active participation of the princess in the administration of the kingdom was noticeable. In this regard, there is historical information about her active participation in political life in the 40s of the 15th century.
As mentioned above, when Shahrukh Mirza was seriously ill in 1444, he tried to put his grandson Aloud Davla Mirza on the throne. The main reason why the princess acted in this way is that the issue of appointing a suitable crown prince rather than the accession of one of her children to the throne was a decisive role in the life of the country in the future. In particular, one of the most worthy candidates, Mirzo Ulugbek, preferred to contribute to the development of science and enlightenment rather than managing the kingdom. In addition, Gavharshad Beg Muhammad Joki Mirza was one of the most worthy candidates for the crown. When Shahrukh went on several trips, he entrusted the affairs of the kingdom to Muhammad Joki Mirza. However, Gavharshad Begum only conveys the mistakes of Mohammad Joki Mirza to Shahrukh Mirza. In this way, the ruler Mohammad Joki Mirza considered him unfit to manage the affairs of the kingdom.
In 1446, Shahrukh Mirza started a campaign against his grandson Sultan Muhammad Mirza. The purpose of this campaign was that Sultan Mohammad Mirza rebelled against his grandfather, captured Hamadan and Isfahan, and besieged Shiraz. Princess Gavharshad Begum and Abdulatif Mirza were with Shahrukh Mirza in the army. Shahrukh Mirza faces no opposition in Western Iran. When the prince found out about this, he abandoned the siege of Shiraz and fled. The perpetrators of the rebellion would be punished mercilessly. For example, at the insistence of Princess Gavharshad Beg, such a pious Shahrukh Mirza ordered the execution of several Sayyids. Naturally, neither Amir Temur nor Ulugbek Mirza could dare to issue such a sentence on Sayyids.
According to the historian Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi, Shodmulk Khotun was born in a craftsman family belonging to the lower class of the city of Samarkand. Amir Temur's beloved grandson Khalil Sultan Mirza (son of Mironshah Mirza, 1366 - 1408) one day while riding a horse through a garden street on the outskirts of the city, saw Shodmulk and fell in love with her. Khalil Sultan Mirza (1384 - 1411) was a brave, military capable and talented young man. When he came of age, he was married off to a daughter of a noble family. He also had a son. But when he fell in love with Shodmulk, he married this girl against the customs of his time. Of course, the whole generation of Chief Temur was opposed to such an " unequal " marriage. However, Khalil Sultan Mirza's determination prevailed. Although Amir Temur was very angry at first, he later forgave his grandson because of his high faith in him. But Temur's opinion about the princess turned out to be correct. Although the princess was not a noble, she behaved like them and interfered in state affairs and meetings. This, in turn, created conditions for chaos in the country.
After Temur's death, Shodmulk Beg took an active part in the administration of Khalil Sultan Mirza's kingdom. In particular, it causes conflicts between the ruler of the kingdom and the officials. For example, after Temur's death, officials Allahdad and Arghunshah were not shown any favors. In 1406, with the intervention of Shodmulk Beg, Khalil Sultan gave Temur's widow Tuman Agha to Amir Sheikh Nuriddin as a wife. Shodmulk Beg's activity in the affairs of the treasury and the kingdom increased even more.
In particular, the incalculable wealth of the state is spent endlessly. Historian Khondamir's work "Khabib us-siyar" describes the events of this period as follows: "Mirza Khalil Sultan's state affairs went astray. At Mahbuba's command, he indulged in excessive spending, spending so much cash and property that even an accountant could not estimate, and gave most of it to a group of people, which eventually led to the destruction of his stately palace. It's done. These jobs and random gifts were received by people who did not deserve a single dinar, but on the contrary, those who deserved to be patted on the head would get away with a dirham. Mirza Khalil Sultan tried to educate and show kindness to strangers in various fields, made each of them his interlocutor and brought them to the level of state affairs and management. Because of this, the emirs, soldiers, and chieftains got bored, and their demoralization and corruption increased. "
By the will of Shodmulk Beg, people belonging to the lower caste were promoted to high positions. Contrary to Timur's comrades, according to Shodmulk Beg's wishes, a certain Baba Turmush holds a full-fledged ministerial post. In this way, the queen's intervention in government affairs directly expands. In 1406, Amir Temur's close comrade Sheikh Nuriddin was defeated and forced to surrender Tuman. On May 9, 1411, Shahrukh Mirza marched to Movaroonnahr. The best way to improve the situation in Movarounnahr was to remove Sheikh Nuriddin or make peace. Therefore, in order to reach an agreement with him, Amir Shahmalik makes several demands from Shahrukh. One of them was to send Tuman Agha to Shah Rukh. Then Amir Shohmalik comes to greet Tuman Agha and they cry remembering the time of Amir Temur. In this case, it is known that the Timurid queens established relations with Amir Temur's close amirs. After the death of the head of the state, Amir Sheikh Nuriddin was brought from Sabron , and according to the order of Shahrukh Mirza, the district of Qusuya (a village east of Nishapur) was assigned to the princess.
In the reign of Jahangir Shah, Nurjahan's father, Etimod-ud Davla, was promoted to the position of prime minister from the influential representatives of the Babur family. His son, that is, Nurjahan Beg's brother, Osaf Khan, was the manager of the palace.
Sultan Husayn Boykara, one of the famous representatives of the Timurid family, in the granting of state positions was also noticeable. Sultan Husayn Boykara's father was Sultan Ghiyasiddin Mansur Mirza, who was the third son of Boykara Mirza. Boykara Mirza was the younger son of Temur's second son Umar Sheikh Mirza. Sultan Husayn Boykara was the ruler who was able to partially reunify the territory of the Sultanate after Shahrukh Mirza. But we can also observe the intervention of Princess Khadija Beg in his doubts about appointing the crown prince for a long time. Khadija Begum was the fifth wife of Husayn Boykara, and she was the concubine of Sultan Abusayid Mirza. He also had a daughter named Akbegim from Sultan Abusayid Mirza .
After the death of Sultan Abu Sayid Mirza in 1469, Husayn Boygaro ascended the throne of Herat and fell in love with Khadija Beg, who was in Sultan Abu Sayid Mirza's harem. After the period of Idda, he takes her into his marriage. As well as being beautiful, the princess was cunning. She had two sons from Sultan Husayn Boykara. They were Shoogharib Mirza and Muzaffar Husain Mirza. The princess wanted to crown her son Muzaffar Mirza. However, according to tradition, Badiuz -Zaman Mirza, the eldest son of the Sultan, was worthy of the crown. Badiuz-Zaman's mother was Beka Sultan Begum, she was the first wife of Sultan Husayn Boykara.
Although Sultan Husayn Boykara did not like Badiuz-Zaman Mirza very much, he was always thinking of ways to please him. At the same time, the majority of Alisher Navoi's courtiers believed that the 11-year-old son of Badiuz-zaman Mirza, Momin Mirzo, was worthy of the crown, and they openly expressed their opinions about this to the ruler. Sultan Husayn Boykara did not want to change the words of his beloved wife Khadija Beg. Also, Sultan Husayn Boykara himself had sympathy for Momin Mirza. Later, Begum Khadija organized a conspiracy in the palace and ordered the execution of Momin Mirza. In this way, the princess achieves her goal and becomes a candidate for the crown.
According to Gulbadanbegim, "begims" in some cases took a big place in state affairs. For example, Gulbadan participated in state-level diplomatic relations during the reign of King Humayun.
In general, the position of women close to the palace was high compared to the following centuries. On the days of joy, they wore masculine clothes and participated in games such as horse riding.
In Babur dynasty, Nurjahan's father, Etimoduddavla, rose to the position of prime minister during the reign of Jahangirshah. His son, Nurjahan Begim's brother Asaf Khan, worked as a palace manager. Also, a 12-gram gold coin called "Nurijahonin" was minted in honor of Nurjahonbeg. Her respect among the courtiers was increasing day by day.
If you look at the history, there is also the participation of women in the administration of the kingdom, although not openly.
Women's honor and dignity were also strongly protected in the Timurid dynasty. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that women in the Sahibqiran state are honored to the extent described in the blessed hadith.
On the other hand, precisely because of this respect, in many cases the active participation of the queens of the Timurid dynasty in political life was not mentioned in historical sources. However, when there is little information in the sources, it is important to study another aspect of the history of our country by researching the activities of the queens through them.
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