Mas'ud III of Ghazni

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Mas'ūd III of Ghazna
Ghaznavid Sultan
Ala ad-Dawlah
علاء الدولہ (Blessing of the State)
Jalāl ad-Dīn[1]
Nizam ad-Dīn wa-d-Dunyā[1]
Nāsir Khalīfat Allāh[1]
Sultan of Ghaznavid Empire
Reign25 August 1099 – March 1115
PredecessorIbrahim
SuccessorShir-Zad
Bornc. 1061
Ghazni
Ghaznavid Empire
DiedMarch 1115
(aged 53–54)
Ghaznavid Empire
SpouseFülane Khatun
Gawhar Khatun
IssueShir-Zad of Ghazna
Arslan-Shah of Ghazna
Bahram-Shah of Ghazna
Names
Mas'ūd bin Ibrahim
HouseGhaznavid Dynasty
FatherIbrahim
ReligionSunni Islam

Mas'ūd III of Ghazna (b. 1061 – d. 1115), was a sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire and son of the Ghaznavid sultan, Ibrahim of Ghazna

Life

Mas'ūd bin Ibrahim was born in 1061 in Ghazni.[2] Prior to his reign, in 1082-83, Mas'ūd III married Seljuk princess Mahd-i 'Iraq Jauhar Khatun bint Malik Shah.

Reign

Mas'ud III's reign spanned 16 years (1099-1115). He primarily ruled over the territories of Afghanistan, Northwest India, and Pakistan. He struck coins in the name of Caliph Al-Mustazhir and continued the Ghaznavid policy of acknowledging the supremacy of the Abbasid Caliphate, with its capital in Baghdad. Friendly relations were maintained with the eastern Seljuks during his reign.[3][4]

In 1112, Mas'ūd III built the Palace of Sultan Mas'ud III in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Mas'ūd III was also responsible for the construction of one of the two "Towers of Victory",[5] also known as the Minarets of Ghazni.[6][7][8]

Following Sultan Mas'ūd III's death in 1115, a four-year period of increased instability ensued due to the internal struggle for succession amongst his sons, Shīr-Zād (r. 1115-1116), Malik Arslan (r. 1116-1117), and Bahrām Shāh (r. 1117-1157)[3]. With the assistance and political backing of the eastern Seljuk sultan Sunjar Bahram, Shāh defeated his brother Arslan and ascended the throne as a Seljuk vassal following the Battle of Ghazni in 1117. [9][3]

Architecture

Minaret of Mas'ud III in Ghazni

Palace of Mas'ud III in Ghazni

See also

References

  1. Bosworth 1977, p. 83.
  2. Dupree, Nancy (1979). An Historical Guide To Afghanistan. p. 184.
  3. C. E. Bosworth. The Later Ghaznavids: Splendour and Decay. pp. 82–83.
  4. Bosworth, C.E. (2007). "GHAZNAVIDS". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  5. Dupree, Louis (2014-07-01). Afghanistan. Princeton University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt7zv45h.24. ISBN 978-1-4008-5891-0. JSTOR j.ctt7zv45h.
  6. "Qasr-i Mas'ud-i Sivvum". Archnet. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  7. "Sites and buildings". ghazni.bradypus.net. Archived from the original on 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  8. "Manar-i Mas'ud III". Archnet. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  9. Bosworth 2006.

Sources