| Bozkurt Beg | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Beg of Dulkadir | |
| Reign | Late 1480 – 13 June 1515 |
| Predecessor | Shah Budak |
| Successor | Ali |
| Ottoman Sanjak-bey of Chirmen | |
| Reign | 1479 |
| Ottoman Sanjak-bey of Kırşehir | |
| Reign | 1480 |
| Born | 1428 |
| Died | 13 June 1515 (aged 86–87) Ördekli, Beylik of Dulkadir |
| Burial | |
| Consort | Shamsa Khatun (d. 1509) |
| Issue Among others | |
| Royal house | Dulkadir |
| Father | Suleiman |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Ala al-Dawla Bozkurt Beg (Turkish: Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey; 1428 – 13 June 1515)[a] was the ruler of Dulkadir from late 1480 until his death. Championed by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1444–46, 1451–81), Bozkurt ousted his brother Shah Budak (r. 1465–66, 1472–80) and claimed the throne. Early into his reign, Bozkurt assisted Mehmed's successor Bayezid II (r. 1481–1512) in pursuing his claimant brother Cem Sultan, who was harbored by the Mamluk Sultanate. In response, Bozkurt besieged Malatya, which prompted the Mamluks to initiate an offensive against him and the Ottomans. During the conflict, Bozkurt steered away from sending his support to the Ottomans, which contributed to their defeat by the Mamluks.
After escaping the Mamluk prison, Bozkurt's brother Shah Budak found safety under the Ottoman sultan. To punish Bozkurt for his disloyalty, the Ottomans backed Shah Budak to dethrone Bozkurt. However, Bozkurt was able to mislead much of the Ottoman supporting forces, and a portion of the commanders who favored him deserted Shah Budak, who was quelled and fled to Egypt. After Shah Budak's defeat, Bozkurt followed a neutral policy within the Ottoman–Mamluk relations but secretly acted against the Ottomans when he saw fit.
Bozkurt antagonized the Safavid ruler Ismail I (r. 1501–24), who conquered vast portions of modern-day Iran. Bozkurt declined Ismail's wish to marry his daughter and instead laid his support to the Aq Qoyunlu and made an effort to expand to the east, temporarily seizing various towns such as Urfa and Diyarbekir. The Dulkadirid rule in the region did not last long as Bozkurt faced multiple major defeats at the hands of Mohammad Khan Ustajlu. Despite earlier animosity, Bozkurt eventually maintained peaceful relations with Ismail. This facilitated the new Ottoman sultan Selim I (r. 1512–20) to make plans to replace him with his nephew Ali as Bozkurt laid support to Ismail, Selim's enemy. After overpowering Ismail at the Battle of Chaldiran, Selim changed his focus to the Dulkadirid realm. Bozkurt was killed at the Battle of Turnadağ. He was succeeded by Ali.
- ^ Carrafa 1572, p. 16; Dryselius 1694, p. 101; Krusínski 1728, p. 17.
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