Faris ad-Din Aktai
Encyclopedia
Faris ad-Din Aktai al-Jemdar ( Arabic: فارس الدين أقطاى الجمدار ) (d.1254, Cairo)
Not to be confused with his namesake and contemporary the commander in chief Faris ad-Din Aktai al-Mostareb ( Arabic : فارس الدين أقطاى المستعرب )
(prince) and the leader of the Mamluk
s of the Bahri dynasty
. When the Ayyobid
Sultan as-Salih Ayyub
died he was sent to Hasankeyf
to recall Turanshah
, the son and heir of the dead sultan, to Egypt. During the Battle of al-Mansurah he was one of the Mamluk commanders who defeated the Frank forces led by the French king Louis IX
.
He was one of the Mamluks who collaborated in the murdering of Turanshah after the battle of al-Mansurah.
During the era of Sultan Aybak
, he led the Egyptian forces that defeated the army of the Ayyubid ruler of Syria an-Nasir Yusuf
in Gaza and, as a general, he played a crucial role in the final defeat of an-Nasir Yusuf in the battle of Kora.
In 1252, together with Faris ad-Din Aktai al-Mostareb, he suppressed a major rebellion led by al-Sharif Hesn ad-Din Thalab (Arabic: الشريف حصن الدين ثعلب) in middle and upper Egypt.
In 1251 he conquered parts of Syria and in 1252 the port city of Alexandria
in northern Egypt became his own domain.
Feeling that Aktai and his Mamluks were defying his authority and almost installed a state within his state, Aybak decided to kill him.
In a conspiracy involving Aybak, Qutuz
and some Mamluks, Aktai was murdered in the sultan's fort and his Mamnluks, including his friend Baibars al-bunduqari
, fled to Syria
and al-Karak.
Not to be confused with his namesake and contemporary the commander in chief Faris ad-Din Aktai al-Mostareb ( Arabic : فارس الدين أقطاى المستعرب )
Biography
Was an EmirEmir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
(prince) and the leader of the Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
s of the Bahri dynasty
Bahri dynasty
The Bahri dynasty or Bahriyya Mamluks was a Mamluk dynasty of mostly Kipchak Turkic origin that ruled Egypt from 1250 to 1382 when they were succeeded by the Burji dynasty, another group of Mamluks...
. When the Ayyobid
Ayyubid dynasty
The Ayyubid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origin, founded by Saladin and centered in Egypt. The dynasty ruled much of the Middle East during the 12th and 13th centuries CE. The Ayyubid family, under the brothers Ayyub and Shirkuh, originally served as soldiers for the Zengids until they...
Sultan as-Salih Ayyub
As-Salih Ayyub
Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub , also known as al-Malik al-Salih was the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt from 1240 to 1249.-Biography:...
died he was sent to Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981...
to recall Turanshah
Al-Muazzam Turanshah
Turanshah, also Turan Shah was a son of Sultan As-Salih Ayyub. A member of Ayyubid Dynasty, he became Sultan of Egypt for a brief period in 1249-1250.-References:...
, the son and heir of the dead sultan, to Egypt. During the Battle of al-Mansurah he was one of the Mamluk commanders who defeated the Frank forces led by the French king Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
.
He was one of the Mamluks who collaborated in the murdering of Turanshah after the battle of al-Mansurah.
During the era of Sultan Aybak
Aybak
Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. - Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. -(Al-Maqrizi, Note...
, he led the Egyptian forces that defeated the army of the Ayyubid ruler of Syria an-Nasir Yusuf
An-Nasir Yusuf
An-Nasir Yusuf An-Nasir Yusuf (Arabic: الناصر يوسف ) An-Nasir Yusuf (Arabic: الناصر يوسف ) (Royal Name: al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf (Arabic: الملك الناصر صلاح الدين يوسف )(1228–1260 ) was the Ayyubid ruler of most of Syria, including Aleppo (1236–1260) and Damascus (1250–1260)...
in Gaza and, as a general, he played a crucial role in the final defeat of an-Nasir Yusuf in the battle of Kora.
In 1252, together with Faris ad-Din Aktai al-Mostareb, he suppressed a major rebellion led by al-Sharif Hesn ad-Din Thalab (Arabic: الشريف حصن الدين ثعلب) in middle and upper Egypt.
In 1251 he conquered parts of Syria and in 1252 the port city of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in northern Egypt became his own domain.
Feeling that Aktai and his Mamluks were defying his authority and almost installed a state within his state, Aybak decided to kill him.
In a conspiracy involving Aybak, Qutuz
Qutuz
Saif ad-Din Qutuz, also spelled Kutuz, was the third of the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt in the Turkic line from 1259 until his death in 1260. It was under his leadership that the Mamluks achieved success against the Mongols in the key Battle of Ain Jalut...
and some Mamluks, Aktai was murdered in the sultan's fort and his Mamnluks, including his friend Baibars al-bunduqari
Baibars
Baibars or Baybars , nicknamed Abu l-Futuh , was a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France and he led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked...
, fled to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and al-Karak.
See also
- Bahri dynastyBahri dynastyThe Bahri dynasty or Bahriyya Mamluks was a Mamluk dynasty of mostly Kipchak Turkic origin that ruled Egypt from 1250 to 1382 when they were succeeded by the Burji dynasty, another group of Mamluks...
- MamlukMamlukA Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
- AybakAybakIzz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. - Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. -(Al-Maqrizi, Note...