Background
He was the son of Hasan Buzurg and the Chobanid Delsad Katun. Shortly after Shaikh Awais Jalayir succeeded his father, the old enemy of the Jalayirids, the Chobanids, were overrun by the forces of the Golden Horde under Jani Beg in 1357.
He was the son of Hasan Buzurg and the Chobanid Delsad Katun. Shortly after Shaikh Awais Jalayir succeeded his father, the old enemy of the Jalayirids, the Chobanids, were overrun by the forces of the Golden Horde under Jani Beg in 1357.
Malek Asraf was executed, and Azerbaijan was conquered. Shaikh Awais Jalayir, who at first had recognized the sovereignty of the Blue Horde, decided to take the former Chobanid lands for himself, even as a former amir of Malek Asraf’s named Akhichuq attempted to keep the region in Mongol hands. Despite a campaign that ended prematurely, as well as the brief conquest of Azerbaijan by the Muzaffarids, Uvais conquered the area in 1360.
In addition to Baghdad, he could now boast Tabriz as a large city under his control.
During his reign, Shaikh Awais Jalayir sought to increase his holdings in Persia. Shah Mahmud married one of Shaikh Awais Jalayir’s daughters, and received support around 1363 in his conquest of Shiraz.
In 1364 Shaikh Awais Jalayir campaigned against the Shirvan Shah Kai-Ka’us, but a revolt begun by the governor of Baghdad, Khwaja Mirjan, forced him to return to reassert his authority. In 1366 Shaikh Awais Jalayir marched against the Black Sheep Turkmen, defeating their leader, Bairam Khwaja, at the battle of Mush.
Later, he defeated the Shirvan Shah, who had attacked Tabriz twice in the meantime.
In an effort to extend further east, he fought against Amir Vali, who ruled in Astarabad, and defeated him in Ray. The governorship of Ray was trusted in the hands of a Qutlugh Shah, who was followed two years later by ‘Adil Aqa. Due to his campaigns, Shaikh Awais Jalayir spent much time in Persia, and he died in Tabriz in 1374.
Baghdad, however, remained his capital.
During his lifetime, the Jalayirid state reached its peak in power. In addition to his military adventures, which were considerable, he was known for his attempts to revive commercial enterprise, which had suffered heavily in the past years, in the region, as well as his patronage to the arts
His chronicler, Abu Bakr al-Qutbi al Ahri, wrote of Shaikh Awais Jalayir’ deeds in the Tarikh-i Shaikh Uvais.