High Middle Ages · Central Asia · War
1040
Battle of Dandanaqan
May 23, 1040
On a windswept plain in Turkmenistan, twenty thousand thirsty Seljuk horsemen overwhelmed the ponderous Ghaznavid army of Sultan Mas'ud. The rout broke the Ghaznavid empire and confirmed the Seljuks as masters of Iran. Within a decade Tughril Beg would be riding into Baghdad as protector of the caliph. The defeated Mas'ud fled eastward, only to be murdered by his own troops before reaching safety.
In context
Also in 1040 (3 other events on record)
- Bi Sheng invents movable-type printing · East Asia · Technology
- Song magnetic compass used for land navigation · East Asia · Science
- Macbeth kills Duncan I of Scotland · Europe · Politics
Before and after in Central Asia
Before and after in War
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.