Key Facts
- Duration
- c. 1297–1361
- Region
- Mysia, northwestern Anatolia
- Dynasty
- Karasids (Karesioğulları)
- Truce with Byzantium
- 1328, under Demir Khan
- Absorbed by
- Ottoman Sultanate under Orhan
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
The Karasids, a Turkoman dynasty, established control over the Mysia region around Balıkesir during the reign of Mesud II of the Sultanate of Rum, with the eponymous Karasi Bey and his father Kalam Shah claiming independence around 1297. Though legendary accounts trace their lineage to the earlier Danishmendid dynasty, the early Karasids consolidated power in northwestern Anatolia as the Sultanate of Rum weakened.
Phase II: Zenith
At their height, the Karasids ruled northwestern Anatolia's Mysia region and demonstrated maritime capability, with Demir Khan harassing Cyzicus and Thrace through naval raids. This naval power compelled the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III to sign a truce in 1328. The dynasty split into two separate emirates under Demir Khan and Yakhshi Khan after the death of Karasi Bey, each maintaining regional authority.
Phase III: Decline
Internal succession disputes weakened the Karasids considerably. Following the death of Ajlan Bey, his son Dursun fled to Ottoman territory and offered Sultan Orhan control of the Karasid lands in exchange for support. This led to the Ottoman capture of the region and the surrender of the remaining Karasid claimant, ending the dynasty's independent existence by around 1361.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory