Banu Shumleh; the Issue of Legitimacy and Their Local Politics

Several Atabeg dynasties emerged in different parts of Iran in the second half of the 6/12th century as a result of the weakness of the Seljuqs. One of which was formed by the elders of the Afshar tribe in the region of Khuzestan and Lorestan. One of their chiefs, Shumleh, entered the Seljuqid court and went to Khuzestan in the political turmoil after the death of the Seljuqid Sultan Masud in 547 A.H. With the support of some of the Seljuqid princes, he founded the new Atabeg dynasty in this area, which may be named the Banu Shumleh dynasty after its founder. In this descriptive-analytical research, the establishment, legitimization, stabilization and finally the decline of this lesser known dynasty will be investigated. The findings show that the weakness of the Seljuqid and the favorable political activity of the Atabeg institution were conducive to the presence of Afshars in power struggles. The rulers of this dynasty sought to gain the necessary legitimacy to consolidate and maintain their power by the establishment of social security in the territory and setting up friendly or contentious relations with the existing powers, such as the Seljuqid court, the Abbasid caliphate and the Atabegs of Azerbaijan and Atabegs of Fars. However, the dynasty was overthrown following pointless conflicts with neighboring governments, the weakness of the Shumleh’s successors and various economic, political, and social problems.