Siege of Balkh (1447)

Siege of Balkh
Part of the Timurid Civil Wars
DateWinter of 1447
Location
Result Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Timurids of Khurasan Timurids of Samarkand
Commanders and leaders
Ala al-Dawla Mirza Abdal-Latif Mirza

After the Battle of Nishapur and the peace treaty which gave the Chechektu valley to Ala al-Dawla Mirza, he placed in that outpost a certain Mirza Saleh who was an enemy of Abdal-Latif Mirza. Furthermore, Ala-ud-Daulah Mirza kept hostages, certain men of importance, who were in the entourage of Abdal-Latif Mirza against the treaty. This forced Abdal-Latif Mirza's hand to take action which he did by attacking Mirza Saleh who then escaped to Herat. On this Ala al-Dawla Mirza marched from Herat with his army and besieged Balkh in the winter of 1447 C.E.[1] Abdal-Latif Mirza sent a letter to his father Ulugh Beg for reinforcements. In response Ulugh Beg sent an envoy to Ala al-Dawla Mirza to admonish him and to let him know to address his grievances to Samarkand in the future rather than go to war. Finally, realizing his mistake Ala al-Dawla Mirza agreed to move his army back to Herat.

  1. ^ Beatrice Forbes Manz (1 March 2007). Power, Politics and Religion in Timurid Iran. Cambridge University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-139-46284-6.