Muhammad I of Khwarazm

Qutb ad-Din Muhammad (Persian: قطب الدين محمد; full name: Qutb ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abul-Fath Muhammad Arslantegin ibn Anushtegin) was the first Shah of Khwarezm from 1097 to 1127. He was the son of Anushtegin Gharchai.

Muhammad I
Reign	1097 – 1127
Predecessor	Ekinchi
Successor	Atsiz
Born	Konye-Urgench
Died	1127
Issue	Ala ad-Din Atsiz Inaltegin Yusuf
Names Laqab: Qutb ad-Din (shortly) Kunya: Abul-Fath Given name: Muhammad Turkic nickname: Arslantegin
House	House of Anushtegin
Father	Anushtegin Gharchai
Mother	?
Religion	Islam

In around 1097, Qutb al-Din Muhammad was appointed governor of Khwarazm by the Seljuk sultan Berkyaruk's military commander, Habashi ibn Altun-Taq. Habashi had just put down a revolt by two Seljuk amirs, Qodun and Yaruq-Tash, who had killed the previous governor of Khwarazm, Ekinchi, and wanted to rule the province themselves. Qutb al-Din Muhammad therefore took control of Khwarazm and stopped an attempt by Ekinchi's son, Toghril-Tegin, to take control of the region.

During his lifetime, Qutb al-Din Muhammad remained loyal to the Seljuk ruler of Khurasan, Ahmad Sanjar. In 1113 or 1114 he helped a fellow Seljuk vassal, the Karakhanid Arslan Khan, stifle turmoil caused by the discontented religious classes in his realm. He also participated in Ahmad Sanjar's military campaign against the Great Seljuk Mahmud II who ruled in western Iran and Iraq, in 1119.

Qutb al-Din Muhammad died in 1127 and was succeeded by his son Atsiz.

References

• Boyle, J. A. . The Cambridge History of Iran Volume 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1968.

Preceded by Ekinchi

Shah of Khwarezm 1097–1127

Succeeded by Atsiz