Malik-Shah I

Malik-Shah I
Amir al-Mu'minin[1]
Investiture scene of Malik-Shah I, from the 14th-century book Jami' al-tawarikh
Sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire
Reign	15 December 1072 – 19 November 1092
Predecessor	Alp Arslan
Successor	Mahmud I
Born	16 August 1055 (1055-08-16) Isfahan, Seljuk Empire
Died	19 November 1092 (1092-11-20) (aged 37) Baghdad, Seljuk Empire
Burial	Isfahan
Spouse	Terken Khatun Zubayda Khatun Taj Safariyya Khatun[2] (concubine)
Issue	Barkiyaruq Muhammad I Tapar Ahmad Sanjar Mahmud I Ahmed Dawud Tughril Amir Khumarin Abdul Qasim Other two sons Mah-i Mulk Khatun Sitara Khatun Terken Khatun Salkim Khatun Safiya Khatun Gawhar Khatun Ismah Khatun Other three daughters
House	Seljuk
Father	Alp Arslan
Religion	Sunni Islam

Malik-Shah I (Persian: ملک شاه) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence.^[3]

During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, along with the latter's vizier Nizam al-Mulk. During one such campaign in 1072, Alp Arslan was fatally wounded and died only a few days later. After that, Malik-Shah was crowned as the new sultan of the empire, but the succession was contested by his uncle Qavurt. Although Malik-Shah was the nominal head of the Seljuk state, Nizam al-Mulk held near absolute power during his reign.^[4] Malik-Shah spent the rest of his reign waging war against the Karakhanids to the east and establishing order in the Caucasus.

The cause of Malik-Shah's death remains under dispute to this day; according to some scholars, he was poisoned by Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadi, while others say that he was poisoned by the supporters of Nizam al-Mulk.