Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan

Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan, born in 1180, was a prominent Seljuk emir of Aleppo, ruling from 1095 until his death in 1113. He was the son of the Seljuk prince Tutush, who had carved out a principality in Syria after being granted the region by his brother, Sultan Malik-Shah I. Following Malik-Shah's death, Tutush's ambitions led to his demise at the hands of his nephew Berkyaruq, prompting Ridwan to claim the emirate of Aleppo.

Ridwan's ascent to power marked the beginning of a fierce rivalry with his brother Duqaq, who established a competing emirate in Damascus. This division within the Syrian Seljuk state intensified with the arrival of the First Crusade in 1097. Ridwan attempted to repel the Crusaders through financial means and engaged in military confrontations with the Principality of Antioch, which had emerged after the Siege of Antioch in 1098. Notably, he faced invasions from Bohemond I and later Tancred, who would eventually become his ally against the emir of Mosul.

Despite his military endeavors, Ridwan's personality remained enigmatic. He was known to favor the Nizari Isma'ilis and provided them with a sanctuary in Aleppo, allowing them to establish a Mission House. This patronage enabled the Assassins to gain a foothold in Syria. However, Ridwan's reign was also marked by brutality, as he was implicated in the deaths of two of his brothers and was rumored to have orchestrated the assassinations of several rivals, including the atabeg Janah ad-Dawla al-Husain.

Ridwan's death in 1113 triggered a backlash against the Isma'ilis in Aleppo, leading to the rise of the atabeg Lu'lu' al-Yaya and the decline of the Assassins in the region. His successor, Alp Arslan al-Akhras, witnessed the end of Seljuk rule in Aleppo by 1118, following the Artuqid takeover led by Ilghazi.