The Rise and Fall of Tughrul, the Denier of God’s Blessings

Abdol Rashid ibn Mahmoud, in 441 AH, succeeded in relying on the throne as one of the Ghaznavid sultans. But, due to the lack of power and ability to govern the territory of the Emperor Ghaznavi, he soon faced a major crisis, and his rule ended after two years with the rebellion of Tughrul Usurper. The present study tries to call for the dark angles the assassination of Abdolrashid Mahmoud by his commander-in-chief (=Sepahsalar) servant, namely, Tughrul, who is variously nicknamed in the sources and studies of Ghaznavid era as the Denier of God’s blessings, The Forsaken, and the Usurper. The real character of this servant remains obscured. Moreover, the reasons for his uprising against his master have not been clarified. The present study is descriptive-analytical and, relying on library resources, tries to find appropriate answers for the research questions regarding the real Ghaznavid master of Tughrul, and his ruling years. The findings of the research show that Tughrul, contrary to the imagination of some sources, was the servant of Sultan Mahmoud, and later he was present at the time of Sultan Masoud's successors in the Ghaznavid court, and his ruling, based on historical data is more than what is usually mentioned sources.