Alp Arslan succeeds Tughril Beg

1061

The nephew of the Seljuk founder inherited the sultanate on Tughril's death. A fearsome warrior, Alp Arslan would push Seljuk power into Georgia, crush Byzantine frontier provinces, and within a decade crown his career by capturing the Byzantine emperor on the battlefield of Manzikert in eastern Anatolia. His magnanimous treatment of Romanus IV after capture became legendary in both Islamic and Christian sources.