Uzun Hasan (Ottoman Turkish: اوزون حسن, Persian: اوزون حسن; 1423 – 6 January 1478) was the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu, reigning between 1453 and 1478 over a geography encompassing present-day Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and part of Turkey. He is regarded as the most powerful ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu.
Years of rule
He was the grandson of Kara Yülük Osman Bey, whom Timur had appointed as governor over Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Mardin, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, and Erzincan. After Iran was split in two between the Aq Qoyunlu and the Qara Qoyunlu, Uzun Hasan, following a struggle lasting 20 years, defeated the Qara Qoyunlu ruler Jahan Shah at the Battle of Sancak. Later, the Timurid ruler Abu Sa'id Mirza, at the request for aid from Jahan Shah's son and in order to take advantage of the internal turmoil among the Qara Qoyunlu, recovered the great majority of the lands Jahan Shah had lost. Although Uzun Hasan at first declared his allegiance to Abu Sa'id Mirza, relations began to sour because of his efforts to seize Qara Qoyunlu lands. Because of the deteriorating relations, Aq Qoyunlu–Timurid clashes soon began. In early 1469, Emir Said, unable to secure the necessary support, decided to turn back. Seeing this as an opportunity, Uzun Hasan marched against Emir Said. When the beys loyal to him fled, on 30 January Emir Said abandoned his camp in Karabakh. Uzun Hasan was not content with seizing and plundering Emir Said's camp, and by sending his men he had Emir Said captured.
In 1463 the Venetians sent an envoy to Tabriz with the aim of forming an alliance against the Ottomans, but could not persuade Uzun Hasan to attack the Ottomans. In 1471 the Venetian envoy returned to Venice together with the envoy Uzun Hasan had sent. This time the Venetian Senate sent Caterino Zeno as envoy. Zeno succeeded in persuading Uzun Hasan to attack the Ottomans. Although Uzun Hasan carried out a series of attacks, no European state carried out a simultaneous attack against the Ottomans.
Sources
- Turkish Wikipedia: tr.wikipedia.org
- English Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org