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Muhammad II of Khwarazm
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==Reign== After his father [[Ala ad-Din Tekish|Tekish]] died, Muhammad succeeded him. Right after his accession, however, his domains were invaded by the two [[Ghurid]] brothers [[Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad|Ghiyath al-Din Ghori]] and [[Mu'izz al-Din]]. Within weeks, the two brothers had moved their armies westwards into [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]]. Once they had captured [[Nishapur]], Mu'izz al-Din was sent on an expedition towards [[Ray, Iran|Ray]], but he let his troops get out of control and got little further than [[Gurgan]], earning criticism from Ghiyath which led to the only reported quarrel between the brothers.<ref>Ahmad Hasan Dani et al. [https://books.google.com/books?id=lodSckjlNuMC&pg=PA182 History of civilizations of Central Asia, vol. IV], Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass Pub. (1999) {{ISBN|81-208-1409-6}}, p182</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9JQ3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA662 Enc. Islam, article: Muhammad, Mu'izz al-Din]</ref> Ghiyath died at [[Herat]] in 1203 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 [[Khwarazm]], 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 [[Ghor]], he was defeated in [[Battle of Andkhud]] in 1204.<ref>''A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle'', Vol. I, ed. Spencer C. Tucker, (ABC-CLIO, 2010), 269.</ref><ref>Farooqui Salma Ahmed, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt., 2011), 53β54.</ref> 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. However, Ghiyath's [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] general [[Taj al-Din Yildiz]] seized [[Ghazni]] from the Ghurid rulers of [[Bamiyan]], but shortly recognized the authority of Ghiyath. Ghiyath, not glad about Tajuddin controlling Ghazni, and not daring to leave Ghur unprotected, requested help from the Muhammad II. Muhammad, however, instead invaded the domains of Ghiyath, capturing [[Balkh]] and [[Tirmidh]].<ref name="Biran">Michel Biran, ''The Empire of the Qara Khitai in Eurasian History'', (Cambridge University Press, 2005), 70.</ref> However, during his invasion he was captured by the [[Kara-Khitan Khanate]]. Thirteen months later, Muhammad was freed from captivity, and once again invaded the domains of Ghiyath, and captured [[Herat]]. Muhammad then invaded the Ghurid heartland of [[Ghur]], and captured Ghiyath. Ghiyath then agreed to recognize Muhammad's authority. [[File:Khwarizm Shahs. 'Ala al-Din Muhammad II. AH 596-617 AD 1200-1220 Citing Abbasid caliph a1-Nasir. Ghazna (Ghazni) mint.jpg|thumb|left|A coin of 'Ala al-Din Muhammad II citing Abbasid caliph [[al-Nasir]] and minted in the newly conquered [[Ghurid Empire|Ghurid]] capital of [[Ghazni]].]] Muhammad II then captured [[Samarkand]] in 1207 from the [[Kara Khitay]], [[Tabaristan]] in 1210 from [[Bavandids]] and [[Transoxiana]] from Western Karakhanids. He pursued expansionist policy and conquered [[Tashkent]] and [[Fergana]] from Western Karakhanids and regions of [[Makran]] and [[Balochistan]] from Ghurids and [[Atabegs of Azerbaijan]] become his vassals in 1211. He finally destroyed Western Karakhanids in 1212 and Ghurids in 1215 annexing with their remainder territories. During 1212 the city of Samarkand revolted killing 8,000β10,000 Khwarazmians living there. Muhammad, in retaliation, sacked the city and executed 10,000 citizens of Samarkand.<ref name="Rafis Abazov">Rafis Abazov, ''Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Central Asia'', (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), 43.</ref> By 1217, he had conquered all the lands from the [[Syr Darya|river Jaxartes]] to the [[Persian Gulf]]. He declared himself [[shah]] and demanded formal recognition from the [[caliph]] in [[Baghdad]]. When the caliph [[an-Nasir]] rejected his claim, Ala ad-Din Muhammad gathered an army and marched towards [[Baghdad]] to depose an-Nasir. However, when crossing the [[Zagros Mountains]], the shah's army was caught in a blizzard.<ref name="Rafis Abazov" /> Thousands of warriors died. With the army decimated, the generals had no choice but to return home.
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