Unnatural deaths of Turkish state ruler in the 13-15th centuries

This study examines the cases of unnatural death among the high-level administrators of the Turco-Islamic states that ruled in the regions of Anatolia, Iran, Central Asia, and Mesopotamia between the 13th and 15th centuries. Within various political structures such as the Seljuks of Turkiye, the Second Period Anatolian Beyliks, the Timurids, the Aq Qoyunlu, and the Qara Qoyunlu, the deaths of sultans, beys, emirs, viziers, and military commanders through unnatural means—particularly by poisoning, assassination, strangulation, execution, and stoning—are evaluated as significant indicators of the functioning of the political mechanisms of the era. Beyond being mere fatalities, unnatural deaths played a significant role in the processes of constructing political legitimacy, intra-dynastic power struggles, and the consolidation of central authority. For this reason, the study analyses the biography, political efficacy, and manner of death of each administrator. The representations of these deaths in historical sources are also examined from a comparative perspective. The research prioritises primary sources; sources penned by contemporary authors of the period have been meticulously subjected to critical analysis and interpretation, and a comparative methodology has been applied in conjunction with modern historical literature. In this context, the thesis aims to address the political mentality and power dynamics of the relevant period, as well as the functionality of administrators' methods of death in political processes, within a historical and socio-political framework.