Kılıçarslan I's Struggle with the Crusaders

Abstract

In the light of the events that took place after the Qutalmışoğulları set foot in Anatolia, these lands, which were becoming a Turkish homeland day by day, were climbing to a very dangerous point for the Byzantine Empire. Especially the establishment of a new state centered on Iznik by Süleymanşah was a situation that required urgent measures for the Byzantine Empire. The empire, which wanted to get out of this situation with various defenses and attacks, was helpless in the face of the expansionist policy of the Turks. Believing that the Turks could only be expelled from Anatolia with external support, the empire found the solution in asking for help from its religious brothers. The emperor of the period, Alexios I Komnenos, who asked for help from his European religious brothers, thought to meet this need with paid soldiers. Considering the economic difficulties in Europe, this movement, which was planned to be carried out under the control of the Church, could have been used as an opportunity. As a matter of fact, the Church adapted this request to its own purposes and started to channel all the useless people in Europe to the east with various promises. This request for help, organized and mobilized by the Papacy, manifested itself in 1097 and Crusader armies began to cross into Anatolia via İstanbul. Byzantium, which achieved relative success with the crusader movements, was not so lucky against the brave and successful Seljuk sultan and Turkish beys like Kılıçarslan I. Because the ignition of the Turkish national consciousness under the leadership of Kılıçarslan I had frustrated the westerners. In the end, as a result of the struggles of Kılıçarslan I and other Turkish beys against the crusader armies, it was proved that Anatolia was once again a Turkish homeland.