Amir Vali

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Amir Vali (also spelled Wali) was the ruler of

Jalayirids, and ended only upon the arrival of Timur into eastern Persia
.

Rise to Power

Amir Vali was the son of Shaykh 'Ali Hindu, who had been a supporter of the

Ilkhanid claimant Togha Temür and had served as his governor in Astarabad. In 1353 Togha Temür was murdered by the Sarbadars, who annexed Astarabad. Vali avoided the slaughter of Togha Temür's adherents and sought refuge with the neighboring Jauni Kurban
tribe.

The Sarbadar state soon descended into civil war, and Amir Vali decided to take advantage of the situation. He moved to

Sunni Sarbadars.[1]
s After overwhelming a Sarbadar garrison near Astarabad, Amir Vali successfully fought three armies sent to subdue him, including one led by the Sarbadar leader Hasan Damghani himself. In 1356, after the defeat of the first army sent against him, he conquered Astarabad itself. He then expanded, taking
Bistam and Damghan
from the Sarbadars in around 1360.

Loss and Recovery of Astarabad

Eventually the Sarbadars, who since 1361 were under the leadership of 'Ali Mu'ayyad, were able to mount a serious counteroffensive, and Amir Vali was forced out of his territories, including Astarabad, in c. 1366. This defeat proved to be only a temporary one for Vali. Soon after losing Astarabad, he established a new power base by seizing

Sunni, although this apparently didn't give him the boost in support he expected, since he reverted to the Shi'a after a few years.[2]

A prolonged war between the Sarbadars and the

Sabzavar
, the Sarbadar capital. In 1376 or 1377 'Ali Mu'ayyad himself was overthrown by several radical dervishes who had enlisted Kartid support; he fled to Vali, who saw this as a useful opportunity to expand his influence in Khurasan. Vali laid siege to Sabzavar and took it in around 1380 and restored 'Ali Mu'ayyad in the capital.

Conflict with Timur

In 1381 Amir Vali had his first encounter with the Amir Timur, who sacked Esfarayen when Vali refused to pay homage to him. Vali then proceeded to besiege Sabzavar again, after a falling out between him and 'Ali Mu'ayyad, and enlisted the support of the Jauni Kurban. 'Ali Mu'ayyad, who had already become Timur's vassal, appealed to him for aid, and Timur relieved the city in the winter 1382. He then proceeded to invade Gurgan, forcing Vali to sue for peace. In the following year (1383), Timur sent an army against Vali, then proceeded to invade his territories himself. Vali attempted to stop Timur but in the end he failed and fled to the Jalayirids in 1384, following which Timur occupied Astarabad. He then gave the city to Luqman, whose name Vali had supposedly been acting in almost three decades ago, when he was first establishing himself in the region.

After his loss of power, Amir Vali spent some time in the service of the Jalayirids. He participated in defending Tabriz during the siege of Tokhtamysh, khan of the Golden Horde. After the city was sacked he travelled to Mazandaran, where he attempted to stage a rebellion against Timur in 1386. The rebellion failed and Vali was killed, bringing an end to his long career.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Smith, pp. 85-86
  2. ^ Smith, p. 86

References

  • Jackson, Peter. The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume Six: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge University Press, 1968.
    ISBN 0-521-20094-6
  • Smith, Jr., John Masson. The History of the Sarbadar Dynasty 1336-1381 A.D. and Its Sources. The Hague: Mouton, 1970.
    ISBN 90-279-1714-0
Preceded by Ruler of
Astarabad

1356–1366, c. 1374–1384 		Succeeded by
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