Kilij Arslan I
Source: Wikipedia: Kilij Arslan II
Military Leaders & Strategists • Historical Archive • 🇹🇷 Sultanate of Rum • 1 views

Kilij Arslan I 🇹🇷

I. Kılıç Arslan
["Sultan of Rum", "Sword Lion", "Commander of the First Crusade Resistance"]
Born Jan 01, 1079 🇹🇷 Konya, Sultanate of Rum
Passed Away Jun 01, 1107 Khabur River (near Mosul), Seljuk Empire
Lifespan 28 years old
1 views
Notice / Correction
"This soil was won with our blood; no foreign army shall cross the Anatolian mountains without finding its grave."

Archival Overview

Second Sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum who was the first Muslim commander to face the First Crusade, wiped out the Peoples' Crusade in 1096, and established Konya as the capital of Anatolia.

Biographical Record

The son of Suleiman ibn Qutulmish (founder of the Sultanate of Rum), Kilij Arslan I ('Sword Lion', 1079–1107) re-established Seljuk rule in Anatolia from his capital at Nicaea (Iznik). In October 1096, when Walter the Penniless and Peter the Hermit led the 20,000-man People's Crusade into Anatolia, Kilij Arslan wiped them out at Civetot.

Though forced to evacuate Nicaea and Dorylaeum by the main Princes' Crusade in 1097, Kilij Arslan annihilated three massive European reinforcing Crusader armies in 1101 at Mersivan, Heraclea, and Eregli, saving Anatolia for the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and shifting his capital to Konya.

Key Life Milestones

1096

Annihilation of the People's Crusade

Decisively destroyed the crusader advance at the Battle of Civetot.

1101

Crusade of 1101 Victories

Annihilated three consecutive European Crusader armies in central Anatolia, securing the survival of Rum.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

0 messages recorded

Leave a Respectful Tribute

No tributes recorded yet. Be the first to leave a message in honor of Kilij Arslan I.

Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Seljuk Royal Tomb Complex
Silvan (Diyarbakir), Turkey
GPS: 38.1417, 41.0117
View on Memory Atlas
Archival Standards PastLegacies adheres to strict neutral biographical guidelines and legal standards of remembrance. Next-of-kin may request modifications or removal at any time via our expedited process.