Before beginning our foray into Rumi's life, we first must review briefly the political and philosophical environment of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire during the twelfth century This will help us to understand the time when Rumi migrated from Balkh with his father and under what circumstances he lived his life in Konya, produced his works, and guided his followers. Great poets and distinguished artists always emerge during magnificent ages. The artists need financial and spiritual support as well as peace. The famous Turkish poet Baki, called "Sultan al-Shuara," or king of poets, emerged during the most glorious era of the Ottoman Empire, the era of Suleyman, the Magnificent. So when did Rumi, "Sultan al-Urafa" (the king of gnostics), live? Rumi lived in the thirteenth century, the most troubled and restless period of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire. Shortly after having been devastated, massacred, and looted by the crusaders, the Islamic lands faced the Mongol invasion from the east. At the same time Seljuk kings were further weakened by internal conflicts over the control of power. The soldiers of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Khawarazmshah (reigned 1220-31) who came to Anatolia to escape the Mongols also were inciting conflict in the region. Although these soldiers were also Muslims, they joined forces with the Mongols, the enemy of Muslims, and captured, burned, and devastated cities. Seljuk Sultan Ala al-Din Kay Qobad I' was forced to mobilize his forces for a major campaign in the east. He defeated Jalal al-Din Khawarzmshah's army in Yassi Çimen, near Erzincan in eastern Turkey. This, indeed, was a tragic event because Seljuk Sultan Kay Qobad had first reposed that Khawarazmshah join his forces against the Mongols. But the fight between these two Turkish sultans played o the advantage of the Mongols. Adding to the difficulties, the act that the Seljuk sultan in Konya gained power and was tem-wrarily relieved worried the Ayyubi sultan, ruler of another Muslim state. In 1232, the Ayyubi sultan began to move his forces toward the Seljuk’s. Sultan Alaal-Din's army of 100,000 stopped this occupation attempt. In the era of Kay Qobad I, the Anatolian Seljuk Empire experienced a short period of a political, economic, and military triumph, yet the empire weaked and ultimately collapsed. The poisoning of Sultan Ala al-Din in Kayseri in 1237 became a turning point for the Anatolian Seljuk’s. As the Mongols approached and under the rule of Seljuk Sultan Ghias al-Din Kay Khosrow (reined 1237-1246), the weak successor of the powerful and capable Sultan Ala al-Din, the collapse of the empire accelerated.
At the same time, the revolt of the Turkmens, who had come to Anatolia to escape the Mongols, caused major problems for the Seljuks. This uprising, which historians call the Babai Movement, was initiated by Baba Ishak, a successor of Baba Ilyas, who had migrated from Khorasan, a city in modern Iran, and settled in Amasya in modern Turkey. Baba Ishak first devoted himself to asceticism, gathering many followers and allowing his fame as a saint to grow.
The revolt of Baba Ishak was followed by another Mongol invasion. In 1241, Mongols captured Erzurum and massacred the inhabitants. The Mongol army under Bayju Noyan's command met the Seljuk army at Mount Kose, east of the province-of Sivas. On Friday, July 23, 1241, the battle that was to determine the fate of the Seljuk Empire commenced. The Seljuk army suffered a terrible defeat. Sultan Ghias al-Din did not know what to do with an army defeated in chaos. He barely saved his own life by disguising himself and escaping to the city of Tokat. After dividing the immense spoils, the Mongols moved on to Sivas. They looted Sivas for three days then marched to Kayseri. They executed the entire male population in town then left the city, taking the women and children with them. On the way, they mercilessly killed anyone who could not walk and keep pace with them. Recognizing that they did not stand a chance at defeating the Mongols, the Seljuks agreed to pay them a heavy annual tax. At this point, the Anatolian Seljuk Empire had become a Mongolian state.
After the death of Ghias al-Din II in 1246, the power struggle between his three young sons and state officials along with Mongol oppression and destruction weakened the state even further. Internal unrest spread wide throughout the whole country. The heavy tax did not suffice for the Mongols, and in 1256 the Mongol commander Bayju marched to Anatolia with his army and defeated the Seljuk army near Konya. Ghias al-Din Khosrow's imprisoned son, Rukn al-Din Kilçarslan, was enthroned, and Muin al-Din Süleyman Pervane became the new vizier. While Bayju Noyan was residing in Kizilviran, west of Konya, Sultan Rukn al-Din was held as a captive with him, subject to the Mongols' every whim. In 1277, the Mongols executed Muin al-Din Süleyman Pervane. This event coupled with familial struggles hindered any possibility for the Seljuk Empire to recover. The Anatolian Seljuk government, thoroughly weakened under the Mongol pressure, finally collapsed. Turkish Beys, or commanders, instigated local resistance movements, marking the beginning of the emergence of the Anatolian Beyliks. In 1308, the Anatolian Seljuk Empire was buried in history.
The period in which Rumi lived was a turbulent period in which people had grown weary of war and civil unrest. Rumi lived by the love of the magnificent King of Kings who was never to decline, collapse, and cease to exist. The divine poems he composed with the infinite power and inspiration he took from the beyond gave hope to the hopeless and bestowed joy, faith, and love to the troubled and saddened people. In those turbulent times, he was a source of comfort to the people, and with love and faith he freed the believers from sorrow and fear.
