GAZNA, a city of Asia, once much celebrated, and the capital of a very extensive empire; but which is now either entirely ruined, or become of so little consideration, that it is not taken notice of in our
Gazna. books of geography.—This city was anciently an em-
pory and fortress of Sablestan, not far from the con-
fines of India. During the vast and rapid conquests
of the Arabs, all this country had been reduced under
their subjection. On the decline of the power of the
khalifs, however, the vast empire established by Ma-
homet and his successors was divided into a number of
independent principalities, most of which were but of
short duration. In the year of the Hegira 384, an-
swering to the 994th of the Christian era, the city of
Gazna, with some part of the adjacent country, was
governed by Mahmud Gazni; who became a great
conqueror, and reduced under his subjection a con-
siderable part of India, and most of Persia.
This empire continued in the family of Mahmud
Gazni for upwards of 200 years. None of his suc-
cessors, however, were possessed of his abilities; and
therefore the extent of the empire, instead of increas-
ing, was very considerably diminished soon after Ma-
homet's death. The Seljuks made themselves masters of
Khorasan, and could not be driven out; the greatest
part of the Persian dominions also fell off; and in the
547th year of the Hegira, the race of Gazni sultans
were entirely set aside by one Gazni, who conquered
Khosru Shah the reigning prince, and bestowed his
dominions on his own nephew Gayathoddin Moham-
med. These new sultans proved greater conquerors
than the former, and extended their dominions farther
than even Mahmud Gazni himself had done. They did
not, however, long enjoy the sovereignty of Gazna; for
in 1218, Jenghiz Khan having conquered the greatest
part of China and almost all Tartary, began to turn
his arms westward; and set out against the sultan of
Gazna at the head of 700,000 men.
To oppose this formidable army, Mohammed, the
reigning sultan, could muster only 400,000 men; and,
in the first battle, 160,000 of his troops are said to have
perished. After this victory, Jenghiz Khan advanced;
Mohammed not daring to risk a second battle, the loss
of which would have been attended with the entire
ruin of his kingdom. He therefore distributed his
army among the strongest fortified towns he had in his
dominions; all of which Jenghiz Khan took one after
another. The rapid progress of his conquests, in-
deed, almost exceeds belief. In 1219 and 1220, he
had reduced Zarnuk, Nur, Bokhara, Otrar, Sagan-
nak, Uzkant, Alkhath, Jund, Tonkat, Khojend, and
Samarcand.—Mohammed, in the mean time, fled first
to Bokhara; but on the approach of Jenghiz Khan's ar-
my, quitted that place, and fled to Samarcand. When
this last city was also in danger of being invested, the
sultan did not think proper to trust himself in it more
than in the other, though it was garrisoned by 110,000
of his bravest troops; and therefore fled through by-
ways into the province of Ghilan in Persia, where he
took refuge in a strong fortress called Esfabad. But
being also found out in this retreat, he fled to an island
in the Caspian sea called Abisum; where he ended his
days, leaving his empire, such as it was, to his son Ja-
loloddin.
The new sultan was a man of great bravery and ex-
perience in war; but nothing was able to stop the pro-
gress of the Moguls. In 1220 and 1221, they made
themselves masters of all the kingdoms of Karazim and
Khorasan, committing every where such massacres as
were never heard of before or since that time. In the
mean time Jaloloddin assembled his forces with the
utmost diligence, and defeated two detachments of the
Mogul army. This happened while Jenghiz Khan
was besieging Bamiyan; but answered little other pur-
pose, than serving to bring upon that city the terrible
destruction, of which an account is given under the ar-
ticle BAMIYAN. Immediately after the reduction of
that city, Jenghiz Khan marched towards Gazna;
which was very strongly fortified, and where he ex-
pected to have found Jaloloddin. But he had left the
place 15 days before; and, as Jenghiz Khan's army
was much reduced, he might perhaps have stood his
ground, had it not been for an accident. He had
been lately joined by three Turkish commanders, each
of whom had a body of 10,000 men under his com-
mand. After his victories over the Moguls, these
officers demanded the greatest share of the spoils;
which being refused, they separated themselves from
the sultan. He used his utmost endeavours to make
them hearken to reason; and sent several messages
and letters to them, representing the inevitable ruin
which must attend their separation, as Jenghiz Khan
was advancing against them with his whole army. At
last they were persuaded to lay aside their animos-
ities; but it was now too late; for Jenghiz Khan, be-
ing informed of what passed, detached 63,000 horse
to prevent their joining the sultan's army; who, find-
ing himself deprived of this powerful aid, retired to-
wards the river Indus. When he was arrived there,
he stopped in a place where the stream was most rapid
and the place confined, with a view both to pre-
vent his soldiers from placing any hopes of safety in
flight, and to hinder the whole Mogul army from at-
tacking him at once. Ever since his departure from
Gazna he had been tormented with a colic; yet, at
a time when he suffered most, hearing that the enemy's
vanguard was arrived at a place in the neighbourhood
called Herder, he quitted his litter, and, mounting a
horse, marched with some of his chosen soldiers in the
night; surprised the Moguls in their camp; and ha-
ving cut them almost all in pieces, without the loss of
a single man on his side, returned with a considerable
booty.
Jenghiz Khan, finding by this that he had a vigi-
lant enemy to deal with, proceeded with great circum-
spection. When he came near the Indus, he drew out
his army in battalia: to Jagatay, one of his sons, he
gave the command of the right wing; to Oktay,
another son, he gave the command of the left; and
put himself in the centre, with 6000 of his guards.
On the other side, Jaloloddin prepared for battle like
one who had no recourse but in victory. He first sent
the boats on the Indus farther off; reserving only one
to carry over his mother, wife, and children; but un-
luckily the boat split when they were going to embark,
so that they were forced to remain in the camp. The
sultan took to himself the command of the main body
of the army. His left wing, drawn up under shelter
of a mountain which hindered the whole right wing
of the Moguls from engaging at once, was command-
ed by his vizir; and his right by a lord named Anin
Malek. This lord began the fight; and forced the
enemy's left wing, notwithstanding the great disparity
of numbers, to give ground. The right wing of the
Mo-
Moguls likewise wanting room to extend itself, the sultan made use of his left as a body of reserve, detaching from thence some squadrons to the assistance of the troops who stood in need of them. He also took one part of them with him when he went at the head of his main body to charge that of Jenghiz Khan; which he did with so much resolution and vigour, that he not only put it in disorder, but penetrated into the place where Jenghiz Khan had originally taken his station: but that prince, having had a horse killed under him, was retired from thence, to give orders for all the troops to engage.
This disadvantage had like to have lost the Moguls the battle; for a report being immediately spread that the enemy had broken through the main body, the troops were so much discouraged, that they would certainly have fled, had not Jenghiz Khan encouraged them by riding from place to place in order to show himself. At last, however, Jaloloddin's men, who were in all but 30,000, having fought a whole day with ten times their number, were seized with fear, and fled. One part of them retired to the rocks which were on the shore of Indus, where the enemy's horse could not follow them; others threw themselves into the river, where many were drowned, though some had the good fortune to cross over in safety; while the rest, surrounding their prince, continued the fight through despair. The sultan, however, considering that he had scarce 7000 men left, began to think of providing for his own safety: therefore, having bidden a final adieu to his mother, wife, and children, he mounted a fresh horse, and spurred him into the river, which he crossed in safety, and even flopped in the middle of it to insult Jenghiz Khan, who was now arrived at the bank. His family fell into the hands of the Moguls; who killed all the males, and carried the women into captivity.
Jaloloddin being now securely landed in India, got up into a tree, in order to preserve himself from wild beasts. Next day, as he walked melancholy among the rocks, he perceived a troop of his soldiers, with some officers, three of whom proved to be his particular friends. These, at the beginning of the defeat, had found a boat in which they had sailed all night, with much danger from the rocks, shelves, and rapid current of the river. Soon after, he saw 300 horse coming towards him; who informed him of 4000 more that had escaped by swimming over the river; and these also soon after joined the rest. In the mean time an officer of his household, named Jamalurrazad, knowing that his master and many of his people were escaped, ventured to load a very large boat with arms, provisions, money, and stuff to clothe the soldiers; with which he crossed the river. For this important service Jaloloddin made him steward of his household, and furnished him the Chosen, or the Glory of the faith. For some time after, the sultan's affairs seemed to go on prosperously: he gained some battles in India; but the princes of that country, envying his prosperity, conspired against him, and obliged him to repass the Indus. Here he again attempted to make head against the Moguls; but was at last defeated and killed by them, and a final end put to the once mighty empire of Gazna.
The metropolis was reduced by Oktay; who no sooner entered the country in which it was situated, than he committed the most horrid cruelties. The city was well provided with all things necessary for sustaining a siege; had a strong garrison, and a brave and resolute governor. The inhabitants, expecting no mercy from Jenghiz Khan, who they knew had sworn their ruin, were resolved to make a desperate defence. They made frequent sallies on the besiegers, several times overthrew their works, and broke above 100 of their battering rams. But one night, after an obstinate fight, part of the city-walls fell down; and a great number of Moguls having filled up the ditch, entered the city sword-in-hand. The governor perceiving all was lost, at the head of his bravest soldiers rushed into the thickest of his enemies, where he and his followers were all slain. However, Gazna was not entirely destroyed, nor were the people all killed; for after the massacre had continued four or five hours, Oktay ordered it to cease, and taxed those who were left alive at a certain rate, in order to redeem themselves and the city. It does not, however, appear that after this time the city of Gazna ever made any considerable figure.—It was taken by the Moguls in the year 1222.