This is the Kwarazmian Empire in 1215.....it was one of the most powerful and affluent states of its time. The Khwarezmian Empire, at the crossroads of trade routes, was both strategically significant and wealthy.
Territory of the Khwarazmian Empire on the eve of the Mongol conquests, c.1215 Image Source: KtrinkoUser:Rcsprinter123, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Here is a copper coin of the ruler at that time, Ala ud-Din Muhammad II.
A scarce jital of Muhammad Khwarizmshah, CE 1200-1220, minted in Taliqan, Khwarezm. Full Kalima in the outer circular margin, Muhammad in the middle // Taliqan / al-Sultan al-'a/ zam 'ala al-du/ nya wa ud'din Muhammad / bin al-Sultan. 17mm, 2.82 grams. Taliqan mint. Tye 245; cf. Zeno 197367.
Muhammad Khwarezmshah, also known as Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, was the ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire from 1200 to 1220. His empire was vast, stretching from present-day Iran to parts of Central Asia, and it was one of the most powerful and affluent states of its time. The Khwarezmian Empire stood at the crossroads of trade routes, including parts of the Silk Road, making it both strategically significant and wealthy.
Muhammad inherited the throne from his father and quickly proved to be an ambitious and capable ruler. He expanded the empire's territory through military campaigns, establishing control over regions like Transoxiana, Persia, and parts of Afghanistan. The empire’s capital, Gurganj (modern-day Urgench), flourished as a hub of culture and commerce.
Encounter with Genghis Khan
Æ Jital (23mm, 4.27 g, 3h) Badakhshan mint, undated issue, Album B1972
Islamic, Mongols, Great Khans, probably struck circa 618 until the early 620s, thus during Chingiz (Genghis) Khan’s lifetime AH 602-624 / AD 1206-1227
In the early 13th century, Genghis Khan had unified the Mongol tribes and embarked on a series of conquests, creating an empire that would eventually become the largest contiguous empire in history. By the time he reached the borders of the Khwarezmian Empire, Genghis Khan was eager to establish trade relations with Muhammad Khwarezmshah.
In 1218, Genghis Khan sent a trade caravan to Muhammad’s territory as a gesture of goodwill, aiming to open diplomatic and commercial ties. This caravan, however, was seized by a local governor of Otrar, one of Muhammad's subordinates, who accused the traders of espionage. The merchants were executed, and the goods were confiscated. This event set in motion a series of increasingly hostile exchanges between Genghis Khan and Muhammad.
Genghis Khan, enraged but still willing to resolve the conflict diplomatically, sent a group of three ambassadors to Muhammad Khwarezmshah to negotiate and seek justice for the wrongful seizure and execution. Muhammad, however, acted rashly and disrespectfully: he ordered the execution of one of the ambassadors and sent the other two back with their beards shaved—a profound insult.
The Mongol Invasion
Image Source: ChatGPT generated image of Kwarezmians vs. Mongols.
In 1219, Genghis Khan launched a massive invasion of the Khwarezmian Empire. He meticulously planned and executed a multi-pronged military campaign. The Mongol forces, estimated to number over 100,000, swept across the empire with unprecedented speed and ferocity.
The Khwarezmian Empire's defenses were overwhelmed due to Muhammad's lack of coordinated military strategy and his underestimation of the Mongol threat. Muhammad, realizing the scale of the catastrophe, fled westward, abandoning his capital and seeking refuge on an island in the Caspian Sea. He died in 1220, likely of illness and exhaustion, leaving his empire in disarray.
Aftermath
This coin, from after the death of Muhammad II, is dated Jumada I (June-July AD 1221) Zeno 90342, and comes from the last days before the siege of Kurzuwan. The city fell during the month of Jumada so this coin was minted days before. Stephen Album describes this coin as "one of the very few identifiable siege coins of the Islamic world". The siege lasted for a few weeks, the city fell in July 1221.
Islamic, Persia (Post-Seljuk), Khwarezm Shahs from the time of Jalal al-Din Mangubarni b. Muhammad, AH 617-628 / 1220-1231 CE, Æ Jital, a siege issue from the Kurzuwan mint dated Jumada AH 618 (June-July AD 1221)
Obv: “al-malik” across field; date in outer margin
Rev: Kalima in four lines across field "kurzuwan / la ilah illa allah / muhammad rasul / allah" translated as "Kurzuwan. There is no God but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God"
Ref: Tye 324.1; Nyamaa 31; Album 1971
Khwarazmshah Jalal al-Din (AD 1231), eldest son of Muhammad, fought the Mongols for a few years before he died in 1231 leaving a force of mercenaries who continued to battle between 1231 and 1246.
This image shows The Battle of La Forbie, fought on October 17–18, 1244. The Khwarazmians are on the left, labelled "Chorosmini cum babilonicis". The city of Babilonia (Cairo, Egypt) is at the left edge of the image. Image Source: https://parker.stanford.edu/parker/catalog/qt808nj0703This 13th century manuscript from Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 016II, fol. 171v, by Matthew Paris (c. 1200-59), a Benedictine monk of St Albans Abbey, Chronica maiora, vol. 2.
The Khwarezmian army, a displaced, battle-hardened group of nomads who had been driven westward after the fall of the Khwarezmian Empire to the Mongols allied themselves with the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, al-Salih Ayyub, who sought to regain control of Jerusalem and counter the Crusader states. In 1244, the Khwarezmian forces sacked Jerusalem, massacring its Christian population and taking control of the city. This event alarmed the Crusader states and their allies, prompting them to form a coalition to counter the threat.
In 1245, the Khwarazmians helped the Egyptians conquer Damascus, after which they rebelled in 1246 and besieged Damascus. This was the end of the Khwarezmian army as they were defeated by an alliance led by Aleppo, and survivors scattered with some remaining in Egypt and other joining Mongol forces.
For a related post and more coins from this era see: Coins of the Silk Road.