Death of Alp Arslan

1072

The Seljuk sultan who had crushed Byzantium at Manzikert was stabbed by a captured rebel fortress commander in Transoxiana just months after his triumph. His teenage son Malik Shah inherited the empire under the continuing guidance of the vizier Nizam al-Mulk and presided over its golden age. Alp Arslan reportedly mocked the bound captive, who broke free and struck with a hidden blade.