Baibars
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Baibars, or al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (Arabic الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري), nicknamed Abu al-Futuh [1] (Arabic: أبو الفتوح) (b.1223 – d. July 1, 1277, Damascus), was a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and Syria who soundly defeated a joint Crusader-Mongol army in the Ninth Crusade, the last major medieval Crusade to the Holy Land.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Baibars was a Kipchak Turk.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6][7] It was said that he was captured by the Mongols on the Kipchak steppe and sold as a slave, ending up in Syria.
His first master, the emir (prince) of Hama, was suspicious of Baibars because of his unusual appearance (he was dark-skinned, very tall and had a cataract in one of his bluish eyes).[8][9][10][11] Baibars was quickly sold to a Mamluk officer and sent to Egypt, where he became a bodyguard to the Ayyubid ruler As-Salih Ayyub.
[edit] Rise to power
Baibars was a commander of the Mamluks in around 1250, when he defeated the Seventh Crusade of Louis IX of France. He was still a commander under Sultan Qutuz at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 when he decisively defeated the Mongols. After the battle Sultan Qutuz was assassinated while on a hunting expedition. It was said that Baibars was involved in the assassination because he expected to be rewarded with the governorship of Aleppo for his military success; but Qutuz, fearing his ambition, refused to give such a post and disappointed him. Baibars succeeded Qutuz as Sultan of Egypt.[12]
He continued what was to become a lifelong struggle against the Crusader kingdoms in Syria, starting with the Principality of Antioch, which had allied itself with the Mongols against Baibars, at Ain Jalut.
In 1263 he attacked Acre, the capital of the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but was unable to take it. Nevertheless, he defeated the Crusaders in many other battles (Arsuf, Athlith, Haifa, Safad, Jaffa, Ashkalon, Caesarea); whenever possible he took prisoners who were members of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, who were much hated in the Muslim world at the that time as they defended Christian castles and at the same time considered to be a great military threat.
In 1266 Baibars defeated the Armenians in Cilicia, the only powerful ally of Antioch. In 1268 he besieged Antioch, capturing the city on May 18. Baibars had promised to spare the lives of the inhabitants, but had the city razed, killing or enslaving the population upon surrender.[13] Prince Bohemund was away in Tripoli at the time.
The fall of Antioch led to the brief Ninth Crusade in 1271 led by Edward I of England, who also attempted to ally with the Mongols, although they were unable to capture any territory from Baibars. Although Edward and Baibars settled on a truce, Baibars tried to have Edward killed by the Hashshashin, and Edward returned home in 1272. In 1277, Baibars invaded the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm, then dominated by the Mongols. He defeated a Mongol army at Elbistan, captured the city of Kayseri, but was unable to hold any of his Anatolian conquests and quickly withdrew to Syria.
Baibars married several women and had seven daughters and three sons. Two of his sons, al-Said Barakah and Solamish became sultans. He died in Syria in 1277.
[edit] Legacy
- Further information: Ninth Crusade
Baibars was a popular ruler in the Muslim World who had defeated the crusaders in three crusades. In order to support his military campaigns, Baibars commissioned arsenals, warships and cargo vessels. His military campaign also extended into Libya and Nubia. He was also an efficient administrator who took interest in building various infrastructure projects, such as a mounted message relay system capable of delivery from Cairo to Damascus in four days. He also built bridges, irrigation and shipping canals, improved the harbours, and built mosques.
His memoirs were recorded in Sirat al-Zahir Baibars ("Life of al-Zahir Baibars"), a popular Arabic romance recording his battles and achievements. He has a heroic status in both Egypt and Syria.
Al-Madrassa al-Zahiriyya is the school built adjacent to his Mausoleum in Damascus. The Az-Zahiriyah library, has a wealth of manuscripts in various branches of knowledge to this day.
[edit] Assessment
As the first great Sultan of the Bahri Mamluk dynasty, Baibars made the meritocratic ascent up the ranks of Mamluk society. He took final control by killing Sayf al Din Qutuz to avenge his friend Faris ad-Din Aktai, but before he became Sultan he was the commander of the Mamluk forces in the most important battle of the Middle Periods, repelling a Mongol force at the legendary battle of Ain Jalut in 1260.
His reign marked the start of an age of Mamluk dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean and solidified the durability of their military system. He took Saladin's military success as his ideal. He managed to pave the way for the end of the Crusader presence in Syria and to unite Egypt and Syria into one powerful state that was able to fend off threats from both Crusaders and Mongols.
Although in the Muslim World he has been considered a national hero for centuries, and in Egypt and Syria is still regarded as such, Sultan Baibars was reviled in the Christian world of the time for his destruction of holy sites and massacres or expulsion of Christian populations.
[edit] In fiction
- Baibars figures prominently in the story "The Sowers of the Thunder" by Robert E. Howard. While liberties are taken with history for the sake of the tale, and many characters and events are purely imaginary, his character is fairly close to the folkloric depiction and the general flow of history is respected.
- Baibars is the main character of a short story by Russian-Turkmen writer Moris Simashko (Moris Davidovich Shamas)
- Baibars is one of the main characters of Robyn Young's books, Brethren (starting shortly before he becomes Sultan) and Crusade.
- Baibars is the main character of Jefferson Cooper's (Gardner Fox) 1957 novel, The Swordsman
- According to Harold Lamb, Haroun of Baghdad in the Arabian Nights was really Baibars of Cairo.[14]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Baibars was nicknamed Abu al-Futuh and Abu al-Futuhat which means father of conquests, pointing to his victories
- ^ Al-Maqrizi, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk, p.520/vol.1
- ^ Ibn Taghri, al-Nujum al-Zahirah Fi Milook Misr wa al-Qahirah, Year 675H /vol.7
- ^ Abu al-Fida, The Concise History of Humanity , Tarikh Abu al-Fida pp.71-87/ year 676H
- ^ Ibn Iyas , Badai Alzuhur Fi Wakayi Alduhur , abridged and edited by Dr. M. Aljayar, Almisriya Lilkitab, Cairo 2007, ISBN 977-419-623-6 , p.91
- ^ Baibars in Concise Britannica Online, web page
- ^ Brief Article in Columbia Encyclopedia, web page
- ^ Al-Maqrizi, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk, Dar al-kotob, 1997. p. 98/vol.2 Idem in English: Bohn, Henry G., The Road to Knowledge of the Return of Kings, Chronicles of the Crusades, AMS Press, 1969.
- ^ Abu al-Fida, The Concise History of Humanity , Tarikh Abu al-Fida pp.71-87/ year 676H
- ^ Ibn Taghri, al-Nujum al-Zahirah Fi Milook Misr wa al-Qahirah, Dar al-Kotob, Beirut 1992. pp.106-273 / vol.7. History of Egypt, 1382-1469 A.D. by Yusef. William Popper, translator Abu L-Mahasin ibn Taghri Birdi, University of California Press 1954.
- ^ Marsot, Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid. A History of Egypt: From the Arab Conquest to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2007. page 33
- ^ MacHenry, Robert. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 1993. Baibars
- ^ Hudson Institute > American Outlook > American Outlook Article Detail
- ^ Lamb, Harold. The Crusades. Garden City Publishing, 1934. page 343
[edit] External links
- Baibars article from Encyclopedia of the Orient
- Baibars in Concise Britannica online
- Al-Madrassa al-Zahiriyya and Baybars Mausoleum
- Brief Article in Columbia Encyclopedia
- Extensive Arabic Article on Baybars
- Brief Biography
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Qutuz |
Mamluk Sultan 1260–1277 |
Succeeded by Al-Said Barakah |
