Masʿūd II

Seljuq sultan of Rūm

Also known as: Ghiyās ad-Dīn Masʿūd II

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June 30, 2026

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Ghiyāṣ al-Dīn Masʿūd II was a Seljuq sultan of Rûm who reigned from 1285–98 and again from 1303–08. His rule marked a period of significant decline for the Seljuq sultanate, with real power increasingly held by administrators and Mongol generals.1

The Seljuq realm had been divided among the sons of Kay-Khusraw II after his death in 1246, leading to a weakening of central authority. Mongol troops were permanently stationed in Anatolia after 1256, further diminishing the sultans' independence. Masʿūd II himself had to seek Mongol military assistance to regain control in 1298.1

During his reign, Turkmen frontier chieftains gained more power, and the Seljuq state became a battleground for external forces like the Mongols and Mamluks. The Seljuq dynasty eventually faded, with Masʿūd II considered the last member to have exercised sovereignty. The Seljuq sultanate of Rûm ultimately collapsed in the early 14th century, paving the way for the rise of the Ottoman Empire.12

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Anatolia
Division and decline
…was occupied by Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Masʿūd II (1285–98, 1303–08), a son of ʿIzz al-Dīn Kay-Kāʾūs, who had come from Crimea to claim his patrimony. However, he made Kayseri, not Konya, the seat of his government. His reign marks the definitive rise to power of the Turkmen frontier chieftains, especially the…
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…was occupied by Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Masʿūd II (1285–98, 1303–08), a son of ʿIzz al-Dīn Kay-Kāʾūs, who had come from Crimea to claim his patrimony. However, he made Kayseri, not Konya, the seat of his government. His reign marks the definitive rise to power of the Turkmen frontier chieftains, especially the…
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Eşref Dynasty
…(1283–98) of the Seljuq sultan Masʿūd II. Süleyman was appointed regent to the sons of the deposed Seljuq sultan, Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Kay-Khusraw, by Masʿūd’s opponents in 1285, but he submitted to Masʿūd when the sultan consolidated his power. Later Süleyman I assisted Masʿūd against the latter’s brother Siyāwush.
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…(1283–98) of the Seljuq sultan Masʿūd II. Süleyman was appointed regent to the sons of the deposed Seljuq sultan, Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Kay-Khusraw, by Masʿūd’s opponents in 1285, but he submitted to Masʿūd when the sultan consolidated his power. Later Süleyman I assisted Masʿūd against the latter’s brother Siyāwush.
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