The Role of Religious Components and Beliefs in the Victory of the Seljuk Army in the Battle of Manzikert مقاله

چکیده:

Throughout the history of the Islamic world, one of the very important events and incidents that is generally remembered with pride and honor among Muslims, and especially among Turks and Iranians, is the 'Battle of Manzikert.' That incident took place in 463 AH / 1071 AD between Alp Arslan, the Seljuk Sultan, and Romanos Diogenes, the Byzantine Emperor, and ultimately, the victory belonged to Alp Arslan. The importance and position of that incident, as well as its short or long-term political, social, economic, cultural, and religious effects and consequences between two different worlds—namely Christian Europe and the Islamic world—have caused serious attention and motivation for historians of the past and researchers of today toward that incident. Various opinions have been expressed regarding which factor or factors played an essential role in the defeat of Romanos and the victory of Alp Arslan, and various factors have been discussed. In truth, none of the factors mentioned in primary sources or subsequent research can be ignored or considered incorrect; however, the main question is: among the many factors mentioned, what position did the religious factor and religious beliefs hold? Based on the hypothesis of the present article, religious beliefs and the element of spirituality were not only effective factors in the victory of the Seljuk army like other factors but were also the most important and fundamental factor of that victory. The neglect of this subject in the view and writings of historians and non-Islamic primary texts (Byzantine, Greek, Christian, Armenian, etc.) on one hand, and its failure to be raised independently and seriously by contemporary Islamic and non-Islamic researchers on the other hand, prompted the author to present an independent research relying on primary sources and using some important research through a descriptive-analytical method.