”Al-i Qara Qoyunlu” and “Qara Yusifiyyān”Jean Aubin, “Qara-Yusuf, fondateur de la dynastie des Qara-Qoyunlu” — Studia Iranica, 1973H. R. Roemer, “The Turkmen Dynasties” — The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 6.(Azerbaijani: Al-i Qara Qoyunlu or Qara Yusifiyyan آلِ قَرَا قَوْیونلو قَرَا یوسِفِیّان) The ruling family of the Qara Qoyunlu descended from the Yıwa tribe of the Oghuz Turks, specifically, the Baharlu tribe. that ruled over the territory comprising present-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, northwestern Iran, eastern Turkey, and northeastern Iraq from about 1374 to 1468. At the same time, they strengthened the Turkic identity of the region by giving Azerbaijan and the Fars region a Turkic identity linguistically and ethnically.Bosworth, Clifford E. (1996). The New Islamic Dynasties. Columbia University Press. P.274
Titles The Qara Qoyunlu dynasty usually introduced itself in official and written sources as "Baharlu tribe", "Qara Qoyunlu people" or "Turcoman". They were from the Baharlu tribe, which belonged to the Yiva tribe of the Oghuz, and they emphasized this affiliation.Woods, John E. The Aqquyunlu: Clan, Confederation, Empire. University of Utah Press, 1999. Ep 23-27 and 52-54 .
The Qara Qoyunlu rulers often referred to themselves with titles such as "sahibqıran", "sultan", "emir" or "hökmdar-ı Türkmen" (King of Turcoman) and especially tried to emphasize their Turcoman identity. For example, the ruler Qara Yusif and his son Sultan Jahan shah openly expressed their attachment to Turkism in their poems and documents.Minorsky, Vladimir. "The Qara Qoyunlu and the Qutluq-Khanids." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1955, pp. 73–89.Bertels, E.E. Studies on Azerbaijani Literature in the Safavid Period. (Trans. Mehmet Kanar). Istanbul: Ministry of Culture Publications, 1996
Additionally, in 15th-century sources they were also referred to as "Turcoman beys", "rulers of the Turcoman people". These expressions reflect both their ethnic affiliation and the state structure based on tribal confederation.
Qara Qoyunlu rulers Titular Name Personal Name Reign Bey Bayram Khwaja 1374 – 1378 C.E.Bey Qara Muhammad Turemish (Nephew of Bairam Khwaja) 1378 – 1388 C.E.Bey Abu Nasr Qara Yusuf Nuyan ibn Qara Muhammad 1388 – 1394 C.E. Amir Timur invades Kara Koyunlu (1394 – 1405 C.E.)Bey Abu Nasr Qara Yusuf Nuyan ibn Qara Muhammad 1405 – 1420 C.E.Bey Qara Iskander ibn Yusuf 1420 – 1436 C.E.Bey Abu Said Busat 1430 – 1430 C.E.Bey Ispend bin Yusuf 1420 – 1445 C.E. Bey Muzaffar-al-Din Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf 1436- 1447 C.E. Shahrukh's death and beginning of the Timurid war of succession (1447- 1459 C.E.) Bey Muzaffar-al-Din Jahan Shah ibn Yusuf 1447- 1467 C.E.Bey Hasan Ali ibn Jahan Shah 1467 – 1468 C.E.Bey Mirza Yusuf 1468 – 1469 C.E. Conquest by the Aq Qoyunlu.
Yellow Shaded row signifies Progenitor of Qara Qoyunlu dynasty. Pink Shaded row signifies Qara Qoyunlu rulers under Timurid vassalage.
Genealogy of Qara Qoyunlu
Qara Qoyunlu Golconda Sultanate
References