Career
After the Turkish advance into Anatolia that followed the Battle of Manzikert, his dynasty controlled the north-central regions in Anatolia. The defeat of the Byzantine army at the Battle of Manzikert allowed the Turks, including forces loyal to Danishmend Gazi, to occupy nearly all of Anatolia. Danishmend Gazi and his forces took as their lands central Anatolia, conquering the cities of Neocaesarea, Tokat, Sivas, and Euchaita.
During the First Crusade, he was directly on the path of the advancing crusaders. On the losing side at the Battle of Dorylaeum in 1097, he scored a success in capturing Bohemond I of Antioch in 1100. He continued campaigning, extending southwards and capturing Malatya (Melitene) in 1103 (see Battle of Melitene).
A tomb attributed to him is found in Niksar. Danishmend Gazi is the central figure in the Danishmendn�me ("Tale of Danishmend"), a 13th-century Turkish-language epic romance. The legends that comprise Danishmendn�me were compiled from Turkish oral tradition for the first time by order of the Seljuk Sultan Kayqubad I, a century after Danishmend's death.
The final form that reached our day is a compendium that was put together under the instructions of the early 15th century Ottoman sultan Murad II. The other title, Gazi, denotes a warrior. There is also some confusion on his name and divergence among names used by scholars. Furthermore, the Danishmend dynasty is also cited as having a family tie to the Seljuk dynasty although the explanations differ.
