Muhammad II | |||||
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Shah of Khwarezm | |||||
Reign | 1200–1220 | ||||
Predecessor | Tekish | ||||
Successor | Manguberdi | ||||
Born | 1169 | ||||
Died | 1220 Abaskun, Hyrcania Region, near Caspian Sea, now Iran |
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Spouse | Ay Chichek Khatun | ||||
Issue |
Jalal ad-Din Manguberdi Rukn ad-Din Qursanjdi Qutb ad-Din Uzlaq-Shah Qiyath ad-Din Pir-Shah Yahya Hur-Shah Kumakhti-Shah Ak-Shah Princess Khan-Sultan Princess Aysi Khatun |
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House | House of Anushtegin | ||||
Father | Tekish | ||||
Mother | Terken Khatun | ||||
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Full name | |
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Laqab: Ala ad-Din (shortly), Iskandar-i Sani Kunya: Abul-Fath Given name: Muhammad Turkic nickname: Sanjar Nasab: Muhammad Tekish ibn Il-Arslan ibn Atsiz ibn Muhammad ibn Anushtegin |
Ala ad-Din Muhammad II (Persian: علاءالدین محمد خوارزمشاه; full name: Ala ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abul-Fath Muhammad Sanjar ibn Tekish) was the Shah of the Khwarezmian Empire from 1200 to 1220. His ancestor was a Turkic slave who eventually became a viceroy of a small province named Khwarizm. He is perhaps best known for inciting the Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia, which resulted in the complete and utter destruction of his empire.
After his father Tekish died, Muhammad succeeded him. Right after his accession, however, his domains were invaded by the two Ghurid brothers Ghiyas ad-Din Ghori and Mu'izz al-Din. Within weeks, the two brothers had moved their armies westwards into Khorasan. Once they had captured Nishapur, Mu'izz al-Din was sent on an expedition towards Ray, but he let his troops get out of control and got little further than Gurgan, earning criticism from Ghiyas which led to the only reported quarrel between the brothers.
Ghiyas died at Herat in 1202 after months of illness. Muhammad II used this opportunity to invade the domains of the Ghurid Empire, and besieged Herat. Mu'izz, however, managed to repel him from Herat and then pursued him to Khwarezm, besieging Gurganj, his capital. Muhammad desperately requested aid from the Kara-Khitan Khanate, who sent an army to aid Muhammad. Mu'izz, because of the pressure from the Kara-Khitans, was forced to relieve the siege and retreat. However, on his way to his domains in Ghur, he was defeated at Andkhud in 1204. Mu'izz al-Din was later assassinated in 1206, throwing the Ghurid Empire into a civil war. During the civil war, Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud managed to emerge victorious.