Iranian History/The Empire of Khwarezm
Khwarezm, or Chorasmia, had been a province of Iran since the time of the Achaemenids. In 1077, the province came under the domination of a Turkic commander named Anushtigin Gharchai who became the first Khwarezm Shah. Under his successors, the Khwarezm Shahs conquered much of Iran and Central Asia. The rule of Khwarezm Shahs lasted until 1231, when the last Khwarezm Shah was killed and the kingdom annexed by the Mongols.