Nizam al-Din Shami, also known as Nizam-i Shami or Nizam al-Din Shambi (died before 1409 or before 1411-1412), was a Persian man of letters and a chronicler who flourished in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. [1] He wrote the Zafarnama , the earliest extant Timurid chronicle and the oldest surviving biography on Timur (r. 1370–1405). Shami's Zafarnama was continued by Hafiz-i Abru (died 1430), and would also form the basis of the better-known Zafarnama of Sharaf al-Din Ali Yazdi (died 1454).
Although neither the date of birth nor the place of Shami is recorded, his nisba (Shami < Shanbi) implies a birthplace in Shanb-i Ghazani, a suburb (or quarter) of Tabriz in the northwestern Iranian region of Azerbaijan in which the Ilkhan Ghazan (r. 1295–1304) had set up a charitable foundation. [1] [2] [3] Shami's father and brother were named Muhammad, but little else is known about his family or his own early life. [4] He held the titles of mawlana ("our master") and va'iz ("preacher"), which suggests that he received a traditional Islamic religious education. The fact that he authored a work in praise of the Twelve Imams also suggests, at the bare minimum, was sympathetic to the line of Ali (died 661). [4] The modern historian İlker Evrim Binbaş refers to Shami within this context as being a preacher "with the tinge of 'Alīd-loyalism". [3]
Shami entered the service of the Jalayirid ruler Shaykh Uways Jalayir (r. 1356–1374). The Jalayirids were successors of the Ilkhans in Iraq and Azerbaijan. In 1366-1367, he translated from Arabic to Persian for Shaykh Uways Jalayir the mirror for princes by the Sicilian scholar Ibn Zafar al-Siqilli (died 1169-1170). [4] This text is noted for formulating a form of Machiavellian absolutism before Machiavelli himself, [3] and therefore Shami is referred to as apparently having been a proponent of a form of proto-Macchiavelianism. [5]
According to Shami's own writings, when Timur arrived in front of Baghdad on 29 August 1393, Shami was the first of Baghdad's inhabitants to come and submit to him. [1] [4] When Shami was on pilgrimage en route to the Hejaz, shortly prior to Timur's attack on Aleppo in 1400, Shami found himself incarcerated by Aleppo's authorities, who believed he was spying on them on Timur's behalf. Due to this, Shami became an eyewitness to Timur's siege of the town and the town's eventual surrender. After Timur's capture of Aleppo, he was brought before Timur for the second time, and appears to have remained in his entourage. Shortly after, in 1401-1402, he was ordered by Timur to write a comprehensive history on his conquests with the stipulation that it be in a clear, unadorned style, in order to make to readable to every reader and not just a select few. Shami presented the chronicle to Timur around April 1404. The modern historian Peter Jackson explains that the title Zafarnama is not attested in the original recension utilised later in the compilations of Hafiz-i Abru, but only in a second version dedicated by Shami to Umar Bahadur, Timur's grandson (who had also just been appointed governor of Azerbaijan). [1] [6] Shami did not travel to Transoxania with Timur in 1404, but remained in his home province of Azerbaijan. [6] Shami most likely entered Umar Bahadur's service following Timur's death in 1405. According to Hafiz-i Abru, Shami was dead by 1411-1412, although he is also said to have died before 1409. [1] [6] [3] He enjoyed prestige amongst his contemporaries for his erudition. Sharaf al-Din Ali Yazdi referred to Shami as one of the best writers of his age in his own Zafarnama. [1]
Shami's Zafarnama, the earliest extant Timurid chronicle and the oldest surviving biography on Timur, [7] was continued by Hafiz-i Abru as the Zayl-i Zafarnama, which dealt with Timur's life from 1404 tot 1405. [8] Shami's Zafarnama would also form the basis of the better-known Zafarnama of Sharaf al-Din Yazdi. [9]
Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi or Sharif al-Din Ali’ Yazdi, also known by his pen name Sharaf, was a 15th-century Persian scholar who authored several works in the arts and sciences, including mathematics, astronomy, enigma, literature such as poetry, and history. The Zafarnama, a life of Timur, is his most famous work.
Shah Rukh or Shahrukh Mirza was the ruler of the Timurid Empire between 1405 and 1447.
Mirza Jalal-ud-din Miran Shah Beg, commonly known as Miran Shah, was a son of the Central Asian conqueror Timur, founder of the Timurid Empire.
Shaikh Hasan, also known as "Hasan Buzurg", Hassan the Jalair or Hassan-e Uljatâï was the first of several de facto independent Jalayirid rulers of Iraq and central Iran.
Shaykh Uways Jalayir was the Jalayirid ruler of Iraq (1356–1374) and Azerbaijan (1360–1374). He was the son of Hasan Buzurg and the Chobanid princess Dilshad Khatun.
The Jalayirid Sultanate was a Mongol Jalayir dynasty which ruled over modern-day Iraq and western Iran after the breakup of the Mongol khanate of Persia in the 1330s. It lasted about fifty years, until disrupted by Timur's conquests and the revolts of the Qara Qoyunlu Turkoman. After Timur's death in 1405, there was a brief attempt to re-establish the sultanate in southern Iraq and Khuzistan. The Jalayirids were finally eliminated by the Qara Qoyunlu in 1432.
Sultan Ahmad was the ruler of the Jalayirid Sultanate, he was son to the most accomplished ruler of the sultanate, Shaykh Uways Jalayir. Early in his reign, he was involved in conflicts with his brothers. He would later suffer from several defeats with Timur and eventually imprisoned by the Mamluks. After being set free, he attacked his old enemy, the Qara Qoyunlu but was later captured and executed 1410.
Zafarnama is the title of a number of Persian and Turkish literary works
The Garrett Zafarnama is an early manuscript of the Zafarnama by Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi now in the Johns Hopkins University Library in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
The Battle of Algami Canal was fought between Kara Koyunlu under their Bey, Qara Yusuf and the Timurid Empire under the leadership of Timur's grandson Abu Bakr bin Miran Shah for control of Baghdad and therefore Iraq in late 1402.
The Battle of Nakhchivan was fought between Kara Koyunlu under their Bey, Qara Yusuf and the Timurid Empire under the leadership of Timur's grandson Abu Bakr ibn Miran Shah, for control of Azerbaijan on October 14, 1406. Qara Yusuf decisively defeated the Timurids in this battle and took over Tabriz, the capital of the region.
The Zafarnama is a biography of Timur written by the historian Nizam al-Din Shami. It served as the basis for a later and better-known Zafarnama by Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi.
Qara MahammadTöremish was a bey of Qara Qoyunlu and father of Qara Yusuf.
Mu'iz-ud-din Umar Shaikh Mirza was a member of the Timurid dynasty and a son of its founder, the Central Asian conqueror Timur. Known for being a skilled soldier, Umar Shaikh was one of Timur's military commanders and also served as a regional governor. He died in 1394, predeceasing his father by over a decade.
The Zafarnama is a panegyric book written by Sharaf al-Din Ali Yazdi approximately two decades after the death of its main subject, Timur, the Turco-Mongol conqueror. It was commissioned by Ibrahim Sultan, Timur's grandson between 1424–28, and remains one of the best-known sources of Timur's life. The text was written using the notes taken by royal scribes and secretaries of Timur, suggesting that the history of the book was based on a careful and desired selection of facts.
Qarachar Noyan, also spelt Karachar, was a Mongol military commander under Genghis Khan as well as a paternal ancestor of Timur, founder of the Timurid Empire.
Khvaja Mahmud-i Haydar was an Iranian statesman and military commander (sardar) who initially served the Timurid Empire, but shifted his allegiance to the Qara Qoyunlu after its ruler Jahan Shah captured his native city of Isfahan in 1452. Mahmud Haydar soon died afterwards.
Gayur Khan or Kyr Bek was the king of Simsir in the 14th century. He was involved in the Timurid invasion of the Caucasus and was recorded in the two Persian chronicles: Zafarnama by Nizam al-Din Shami and the Zafarnama by Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi.
Sequ Sechen Barlas or, Suqu Sechen mean was a Borjigin Prince and Advisor, military commander of the Khamag Mongol Confederacy, he was serving Ambaghai Khan, Hotula Khan, and the father of Genghis Khan Yesükhei Bagatur at the Suqu was the father of Qarachar Barlas who was the Foundation of Barlas Clan which is sub-branch of borjigin and the paternal ancestor of Timur, and the father of Qubilai Barlas the one of four hounds of Genghis Khan, as well as the father of Tuqachar Kuregan who was the ''son-in-law'' and military commander of Genghis Khan. he was the son of Erumduli Barlas who was the Grandson of Tumbinai Khan who was the Khan of Borjigin Mongol.
Anka Tore, also Enge Tore, was an Emir of a large Ulus in Moghulistan. He is mentioned in the works of Zafarnama Yazdi, Zafarnama Shami and Mojmal al-Tawarikh. He fought against Timur for dominance in the region.