Malik Shah I - Definition and Overview

Jalal ad-Dawlah Malik Shah was the Seljuk sultan from 1072 to 1092. Although he was a Turk, his name is a combination of the Arabic and Persian words for king. He drove the Byzantine Empire out of most of Anatolia following their defeat by Alp Arslan at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.

He expanded Seljuk power into Syria at the expense of the Fatimids of Egypt, setting up client sultans in Edessa, Aleppo and Damascus. After his death in 1092 the Seljuk empire disintegrated into smaller states, mostly antagonistic towards each other. In Anatolia he was succeeded by Kilij Arslan I, in Persia by Mahmud I and in Syria by his brother Tutush I. The disunity within the Seljuk realms allowed for the unexpected success of the First Crusade shortly afterwards, beginning in 1096.