Ala al-Dawla Bozkurt

Ala al-Dawla Bozkurt Beg (Turkish: Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey; 1428 – 13 June 1515) was the ruler of Dulkadir in southern and central Anatolia from late 1480 until his death. Championed by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1444–46, 1451–81), Bozkurt ousted his brother Shah Budak (r. 1465–66, 1472–80) and claimed the throne.

Bozkurt secured the Mamluk Sultanate's recognition of his rule in February 1481, and after Mehmed II's death, intended to follow a policy of friendly relations with both the Ottomans and the Mamluks despite growing animosity. Early into his reign, Bozkurt assisted Mehmed's successor Bayezid II (r. 1481–1512) in pursuing his rival claimant brother Cem Sultan, who was harbored by the Mamluks. Amidst Cem Sultan's pursuit, Bozkurt besieged the Mamluk-controlled city of Malatya, prompting a Mamluk offensive against him and the Ottomans. Although the Mamluks were overpowered in a series of engagements in early to mid-1484, Bozkurt's forces suffered a major defeat at Malatya in September.

In 1485, the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay (r. 1468–96) sought to isolate Bozkurt politically by proposing a truce with Bayezid II with the mediation of Caliph al-Mutawakkil II. Before the talks could come to fruition, Qaitbay dispatched his army to confront Bozkurt. Ottoman forces captured several key cities in Cilicia but were defeated by the Mamluks in March 1485 after Bozkurt failed to support the Ottomans as promised, leading to restored Mamluk control. Bozkurt's shifting allegiances caused further Ottoman-Mamluk clashes, including another Ottoman defeat in early 1486 due to Bozkurt's delayed aid. Bozkurt ultimately avoided any direct involvement in the conflict, relaying several requests for peace to Qaitbay, who dismissed all.

After escaping a Mamluk prison, Bozkurt's brother Shah Budak found safety under the Ottoman sultan. To punish Bozkurt for his disloyalty, the Ottomans gave their support Shah Budak, who had escaped Mamluk custody. However, Bozkurt misled much of the Ottoman supporting forces, and a portion of the commanders who favored Bozkurt deserted Shah Budak, leading to his defeat and escape to Mamluk Egypt.

After Shah Budak's defeat, Bozkurt followed a policy of neutrality in the context of Ottoman–Mamluk relations but covertly acted against the Ottomans when he saw fit. In 1490, the Mamluk army under Uzbek mobilized and ransacked parts of Anatolia, following Bozkurt's advice. Mediation by a Hafsid delegation at the Ottoman throne resulted in a truce, while Bozkurt secured a pardon from the Ottomans. Following Qaitbay's death in 1492, Bozkurt supported the rebel Akbirdi and sheltered him despite objections from the Mamluks. After Akbirdi's forces suffered defeats near Aintab in 1498, resulting in the deaths of two of Bozkurt's sons, Bozkurt briefly intensified his support. Reconciled with the Mamluks in 1499, Bozkurt withdrew his backing for Akbirdi, who soon died after another failed rebellion.

Bozkurt antagonized the Safavid ruler Ismail I (r. 1501–24), who conquered vast portions of modern-day Iran. Bozkurt declined Ismail's wish to marry his daughter and instead gave his support to the Aq Qoyunlu and made an effort to expand to the east, temporarily seizing various towns such as Urfa and Diyarbekir. Dulkadirid rule in the region did not last long as Bozkurt suffered multiple major defeats at the hands of Ismail's commander, Mohammad Khan Ustajlu. Despite this, Bozkurt eventually established peaceful relations with Ismail. This facilitated the new Ottoman sultan Selim I (r. 1512–20) to make plans to replace Bozkurt with his nephew Ali as Bozkurt gave support to Ismail, Selim's enemy. After overpowering Ismail at the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514, Selim changed his focus to the Dulkadirids. Bozkurt was killed at the Battle of Turnadağ and was succeeded by Ali.