User:Kansas Bear/Toghrul of Ghazna

Toghrul of Ghazna, Toghrul Beg, was a Turkish slave general in the service of the Ghaznavid dynasty. Following his usurpation of the Ghaznavid throne from Abdul-Rashid and massacre of eleven Ghaznavid royal princes, he was known as the accursed, the inauspicious, the arrogant and the contemptible.

Life
Toghrul started his service as a ghulam of Sultan Mahmud and by the reign of Abdul-Rashid had risen to commander in chief of the army. Toghrul led an army against Alp Arslan and won a victory at Hupyan in the Hindu Kush in the winter of 1051-52. After defeating Alp Arslan, Toghrul marched to Sistan. He surrounded Taq and held it under siege for a month, defeating a Seljuq relief army as well.

Unable to take Taq, Toghrul marched his army to Ghazna, sending letters to Abdul-Rashid asserting the disloyalty of the army. Rashid, filled with terror of a rebellion, locked himself up in the citadel. Upon his arrival, Toghrul gained the support of the garrison, captured Abdul-Rashid and had Abdul-Rashid and eleven other Ghaznavid princes executed.

With Ghazna under his control, Toghrul sent letters to general Kirghiz, commander of the Ghaznavid forces in India, seeking his support. Kirghiz responded by condemning Toghrul and his massacre of the Ghaznavid princes. Meanwhile, Toghrul married Mas'ud's daughter to legitimise his reign and starting minting coins in his image. Despite this, Kirghiz sent letters to the garrison and army commanders and a ghulam named Nushtigin murdered Toghrul. By the time Kirshiz arrived, Toghrul's head was being paraded around Ghazna.