THE GHAZIVAD DYNASTY 977-1186

THE GHAZIVAD DYNASTY 977-1186

The dynasty was founded by Sabuktigin upon his succession to rule of the region of Ghazna after the death of his father-in-law, Alp Tigin, who was a breakaway ex-general of the Samanid Empire from Balkh, north of the Hindu Kush in Greater Khorasan. Ghaznavid dynasty began losing control over its western territories to the Seljuq dynasty after the Battle of Dandanaqan, resulting in a restriction of its holdings to modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan (Punjab and Balochistan).[22][23] In 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah lost Ghazni to the Ghurid king Ala al-Din Husayn.

Sabuktigin

Sabuktigin, son-in-law of Alp Tigin and founder of the Ghaznavid Empire, began expanding it by capturing Samanid and Kabul Shahi territories, including most of what is now Afghanistan and part of Pakistan.

Mahmud ,son of Sabuktigin
 Mahmud of Ghazni

In 997, Mahmud, another son of Sebuktigin, succeeded the throne,[26] and Ghazni and the Ghaznavid dynasty have become perpetually associated with him. He completed the conquest of the Samanid and Shahi territories, including the Ismaili Kingdom of Multan, Sindh, as well as some Buwayhid territory. By all accounts, the rule of Mahmud was the golden age and height of the Ghaznavid Empire. Mahmud carried out seventeen expeditions through northern India to establish his control and set up tributary states, and his raids also resulted in the looting of a great deal of plunder.

Decline
Twin sons of Mahmud
Mahmud left the empire to his son Mohammed, who was mild, affectionate and soft. His brother, Mas'ud, asked for three provinces that he had won by his sword, but his brother did not consent. Mas'ud had to fight his brother, and he became king, blinding and imprisoning Mohammed as punishment

Mas'ud was unable to preserve the empire and following a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Dandanaqan in 1040, he lost all the Ghaznavid lands in Iran and Central Asia to the Seljuks

Masud

Masud III became king for sixteen years, with no major event in his lifetime. Signs of weakness in the state became apparent when he died in 1115,



Sultan Bahram Shah

Coinage of Mas'ud I of Ghazni, derived from Shahi designs, with the name of Mas'ud in Arabic.
Sultan Bahram Shah was the last Ghaznavid King, ruling Ghazni, the first and main Ghaznavid capital, for thirty five years. In 1148 he was defeated in Ghazni by Sayf al-Din Suri, but he recaptured the capital the next year. Ala al-Din Husayn, a Ghorid King, conquered the city in 1151,

List of rulers

#	Laqab	Personal Name	Reign	Succession right	Notes
1	Nasir-ud-din ?‬	Sabuktigin	977–997
2	No title	Ismail	997–998	son of Sabuktigin
3	Yamin ad-Dawlah یمین الدولہ ابو لقاسم‬ Right-hand man of the state	Mahmud	998–1030	first son of Sabuktigin
4	Jalal ad-Dawlah جلال الدولہ‬ Dignity of the state	Muhammad	1030 1st reign	second son of Mahmud
5	Shihab ad-Dawlah شھاب الدولہ‬ Star of the State	Masud I	1030–1041	first son of Mahmud	Was overthrown, imprisoned and executed, following the battle of Dandanaqan
—	Jalal ad-Dawlah جلال الدولہ‬ Dignity of the state	Muhammad	1041 2nd reign	second son of Mahmud	Raised to the throne following the removal of Masud I.
6	Shihab ad-Dawlah شھاب الدولہ‬ Star of the State	Mawdud	1041–1048	son of Masud I	Defeated Muhammad at the battle of Nangrahar and gained the throne.[59]
7	? ?‬	Masud II	1048	son of Mawdud
8	Baha ad-Dawlah بھاء الدولہ ‬ ?	Ali	1048–1049	son of Masud I
9	Izz ad-Dawlah عز الدولہ‬ ?	Abd al-Rashid	1049–1052	fifth son of Mahmud
10	Qiwam ad-Dawlah ?‬ ?	Toghrul	1052–1053	Turkish mamluk general	Usurped the Ghaznavid throne after massacring Abd al-Rashid and eleven other Ghaznavid princes.[60]
11	Jamal ad-Dawlah جمال الدولہ‬ Beauty of the state	Farrukh-Zad	1053–1059	son of Masud I
12	Zahir ad-Dawlah ظھیر الدولہ‬ ?	Ibrahim	1059–1099	son of Masud I
13	Ala ad-Dawlah علاء الدولہ‬ ?	Masud III	1099–1115	son of Ibrahim
14	Kamal ad-Dawlah کمال الدولہ‬ ?	Shirzad	1115–1116	son of Masud III	Murdered by his younger brother Arslan ibn Mas'ud.[61]
15	Sultan ad-Dawlah سلطان الدولہ‬ Sultan of the state	Arslan-Shah	1116–1117	son of Masud III	Took the throne from his older brother Shirzad, but faced a rebellion from his other brother Bahram Shah, who was supported by the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire, Ahmad Sanjar.[62]
16	Yamin ad-Dawlah یمین الدولہ ‬ Right-hand man of the state	Bahram Shah	1117–1157	son of Masud III	Under Bahram-Shah, the Ghaznavid empire became a tributary of the Great Seljuq empire. Bahram was assisted by Ahmad Sanjar, sultan of the Great Seljuq empire, in securing his throne.[63]
17	Muizz ad-Dawlah معزالدولہ ‬ ?	Khusrau-Shah	1157–1160	son of Bahram-Shah
18	Taj ad-Dawlah تاج الدولہ‬ Crown of the state	Khusrau Malik	1160–1186	son of Khusrau-Shah