Analysis of Ghaznavids' Deterrence and Peacemaking Tools in Bayhaqi History (based on the model of agency and structure)

Peace disappears during the turbulent decade of Sultan Masʿud of the Ghaznavid Empire. Drawing on The History of Bayhaqi and employing the Agency–Structure framework, this study examines the mechanisms of peace formation and erosion in Ghaznavid rule through the antagonistic dynamics of the Padriyān and Pasriyān factions (“the Fathers” and “the Sons”). The central question is how the policies of Sultan Mahmud and Sultan Masʿud in managing war and peace, despite their apparent similarities, produced different outcomes. The research method is descriptive–analytical and based on close reading of the text. Data are categorized according to narrative evidence in The History of Bayhaqi at two levels: “internal peace” and “external peace.” The findings indicate that under Mahmud, experienced administrators and ties with the Abbasid Caliphate created a relatively stable balance. In contrast, under Masʿud, the dominance of individual agency, a legitimacy crisis, the elimination of competent elites, and reliance on low-ranking officials transformed the same instruments into short-term deterrence and repression. Ultimately, the article demonstrates that Masʿud’s defeat at Dandanaqan was not merely a military event but the result of the gradual collapse of peace-building mechanisms and the dominance of individualistic thinking over structural constraints.