List: Saffarid (III/43) - extending the terminal date

Author: Brendan Moyle

Proposal:

Extend the terminal date for the Saffarid army list to 1073 AD.

Include a Seljuq ally with the following:

From 1036

Seljuq ally

Under Discussion

Justification:

The official end-date for the Saffarids is 1003 AD. This was selected on the basis of the Ghaznavid annexation in 1002. However, Ghaznavid authority was tenuous. Their rule was hindered by the activity of 'ayyars and other rebels. In practice the Ghaznavid Sultan Mas'ud chose to rule Sistan through the Saffarid Amir Abu'l-Fadl Nasr.

In 1036 Turkmens are operating in Sistan and quickly co-operate with Sagzi rebels. Sagzis enjoyed a reputation for being excellent foot in this era.

After Dandanqan, Abu'l-Fadl threw his lot in with the Seljuqs. He was invaded by the Ghaznavid Sultan Maudud (1041-50) and the Ghulam general Toghril- under the orders of the Ghazanvid Sultan 'Abd al-Rashid. While Sistan was under the authority of the Seljuqs in this period, in practice Abu'l-Fadl enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, bearing the brunt of two major Ghaznavid assaults.

The terminal date 1073 marks the death of Abu'l-Fadl and the reign of the Seljuq Sultan Malik-Shah (1072-1092). Malik-Shah's defeat of Qavurt (1073) meant that now, the Seljuq sultanate absorbed Kirman and completely dominated Sistan.

I'm presuming that from this point, Sistan is better treated as a component of the Eastern Seljuqs, rather than an autonomous regional army. The rationale for perpetuating the Saffarid list to 1073 is the prescence of the 'ayyars and Sagzi foot in the wars against the Ghaznavids. These are specific Saffarid troop-types that are not included in the contemperous Seljuq list.

References:

Apparently the history of Sistan (Ta'rikh-i Sistan) written in this era contains much details on the 11th C wars against the Ghznavids. At the moment I'm dependent on the Cambridge History of Iran Vol. 5. (1968) for a synopsis of these events.