Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/779

755 BKYDAK5.] EGYPT 755 Damascus, and, in consequence of this alliance, Jerusalem, with Bethlehem and the places between it and Joppa and Acre, Nazareth and the territory of Thoron and Sidon, with its dependencies, was ceded to Frederick on the 20th of Feb. 1229. Between these two monarchs existed the most friendly relations, presenting a curious spectacle in the midst of the intrigues and hatred of their subjects for each other, and endangering their popularity and even their lives. After various expeditions against h s brother and his suc cessors, El-Kumil gained possession of Damascus, and died there in the year 635 (A.I). 1238). He was distinguished by military talents and rare moderation, and was also a learned man, a patron of the arts, and a good king. His son, El-Melik El- Adil the Younger, was declared sultan of Egypt and Syria, with the consent of the nobles, and he speedily banished those ministers whose counsels he feared, and appointed creatures of his own. Oppressed by his tyranny, and impoverished by his extravagance, the people called his brother Es-Salih Negm- ed-Deen Eiyoob to the throne ; and he deposed and imprisoned El- Adil in the year 637, and to replenish his exhausted treasury, ordered all who had received presents from the late sultan to restore them to his successor. In the next year serious disturbances nroke out in Syria; Imad-ed-Deen, who had taken Damascus in the reign of El- Adil, formed an alliance with the Franks, and purposed the conquest of Egypt ; the hostile armies met at Acre, and the Muslim soldiers of lmad-ed-Deen deserting to the banner of Es-Salih Eiyoob, the Frankswere routed. Negotiations for peace were then attempted, but these failing, the Franks were again induced to take the field by the cession of Jerusalem and other places. The king of Egypt, on his part, called to his assistance the Tatars of Kharesm, who took Jerusalem and overran Syria. In the next campaign (642) they were joined by the army of Es-Salih, under the command of his favourite slave Bey bars, or Bibars, who was destined to play a conspicuous part in Egyptian history. At Gaza the allied army met the Franks, eager to avenge themselves on the Khares- mees for the horrible atrocities of which they had been guilty in the preceding campaign, and willingly joined by the Muslim princes of Damascus, llims, and Karak ; on the first day the battle raged with unabated fury from daybreak to sunset, and was continued on the morrow until the prince of Hims, having lost 2000 men, gave way and iled towards Damascus. The Christians maintained the unequal fight with great constancy, and were only vanquished after the greater number had fallen. In these encounters 30,000 men (Christians and Muslims) were either killed or taken prisoners. Various successes followed this victory, Jerusalem was taken by the Egyptians, and Es-Salih laid siege to Damascus in person. The city having capitulated on favourable conditions, his fierce allies, enraged at the loss of pillage, quarrelled with him, and soon after joined his rebellious subjects. Damascus was reduced to the direst straits, but again fortune favoured Es-Salih. Pie hastened from Egypt, whither he had returned, and totally defeated the enemy. Other advantages were gained by his commander Fakhr-ed-Deen over the Franks in 645. Although attacked by illness, the sultan was once more called to Syria to quell fresh troubles ; but at Damascus news reached him of the threatened invasion of Egypt by the Crusaders under St Louis, and he travelled back in great suffering from his malady. Damietta, which he rightly judged would be the first point of attack, was strengthened and well stored, and its defence was intrusted to Fakhr-ed-Deen. On Friday, June 4, A.D. 1249, the French anchored before the place, and the next day landed opposite the camp of the Egyptian general, who offered butsliglrt opposition, and in the course of the next night betrayed his trust and retreated southwards. His army was precipitately followed by the entire population of Damietta, and this important town with its stores fell into the hands of the invaders without a blow. Fakhr-ed-Deen nearly lost his life for this act of cowardice, and fifty-four of his principal officers were put to death. In the meantime the sultan s illness gradually increased, but nevertheless he caused himself to be removed to the town of El-Mansoorah, which he fortified, and there he expired on Nov. 21, at the age of forty-four, and after a reign of ten years. He it was who introduced the Bahree Mem- looks, a body of Turkish slaves, who composed his body-guard, and eventually usurped the supreme power. Their name Bahree (or &quot; of the river &quot;) originated in their being trained and quartered on the island of Er-Rodah, where the sultan had built a palace. The French were advancing southwards, and, notwithstanding the precautions of Sheger-ed-Durr (the widow of Es-Salih, who assumed the regency^, were apprised of the death of the sultan. Many partial actions took place on the march, and on Dec. 19, their army appeared before El-Mansoorah., the scene of the disaster of Jean de Brienne. Skirmishing continued until Shrove Tuesday, when, a traitor having shown the enemy a ford over the canal of Ashmoon, they surprised the camp and town. Very severe fighting ensued, Fakhr-ed-Deen fell early in the struggle, and the place was nearly lost, when the Bahree Memlooks led by Beybars furiously charged the assailants, and completely turned the fortune of the day. The morrow witnessed another battle, also disastrous to the Crusaders, .and a succession of misfortunes followed. Tooran-Shah, on hearing of the death of his father, travelled in all haste from Mesopotamia to Egypt, and having reached the camp assumed the command. He had recourse to the stratagem which had proved so successful under the direction of El-Kamil, and cut off the supplies of the enemy. This, coupled with disease, soon reduced St Louis to great straits, and he sent to propose a truce, but not coming to terms he resolved on retreating to Damietta. A memorable con flict took place by land and water, and St Louis with his troops surrendered themselves prisoners of war. Tooran-Shah now gave himself up to debauchery, offended his nobles by bestowing his favours only on certain creatures whom he had brought with him from Mesopotamia, and alarmed the queen by forcing her to render him an account of his father s wealth. Sheger-ed-Durr appealed to the Memlooks, a conspiracy was formed, and the sultan was attacked in his palace. He fled to a pleasure- tower built on the banks of the Nile, which was set on fire in the presence of his army, the wretched king, from the summit, in vain promising to abdicate. He perished miserably, and his corpse lay unburied for many days on the bank. On his accession he had strangled a brother, and his fate deserves no pity. Sheger-ed-Durr (vulgarly called Shegerct-ed-Durr), herself a slave, and the first of the Dynasty of the Bahree, or Turkish Memlooks, succeeded to the throne ; and Izz-ed Deen Eybek was appointed commander of the forces. After many delays, St Louis agreed to pay 400,000 livres as a ransom for himself and his army, 200,000 to be paid in Egypt, and the remainder on the fulfilment of certain stipulations at Acre : Damietta was surrendered and Egypt evacuated. Thus ended the last invasion of Egypt by the Crusaders. Sheger-ed-Durr, in order to strengthen herself on the throne, shortly after married the emcer Kybck, and caused him to be proclaimed sultan, with the title of El-Melik El-Mo izz, in the year 648. The followers of the late Es-Salih, however, obliged Eybek to associate with himself in the sovereignty a young prince of the family of Eiyoob, El-Melik El-Ashraf MudhaiFar-ed-Deen Moosa. En-Nasir, a son of El- Azeez, invaded Egypt, and after many com bats was driven back to Syria, but the country continued in a very unsettled state. The chief of the adherents of the fallen dynasty was arrested by Eybek ; and Beybars and other leading men hav ing repaired to the citadel to demand satisfaction, his bloody head was thrown to them from the ramparts, and in terror they lied to Syria. El-Ashraf was then cast into prison, and there he died. But Eybek soon roused the jealousy of his beautiful and ambitious wife ; and he was assassinated by her orders (655, A.D. 1257). In her turn she was beaten to death, not many days after, by the wooden clogs of the female slaves of another wife of Eybek, and her corpse was exposed for three days in the moat of the citadel. El-Melik El-Mansoor Noor-ed-Dcen Alee, son of Eybek, was now raised to the throne, and Beybars being apprised of .the death of his rival attempted to regain his power in Egypt ; but Kutz, the viceroy of Eybek and also of his son, attacked and routed him ; and he soon after (657) desposed El-Mansoor, .ind declared himself sultan. El-Melik El-Mudhaffar Kutz began his reign by putting to- death El-Mansoor and Sharaf-ed-Deen, the able minister of the last Eiyoobee kings and of the first of this dynasty. A reign thus cruelly commenced ended tragically. Kutz was diverted from these severe measures by the advance of Hoolagoo, grandson of Genghis-Khan, who, with a formidable army, overran El- Irak and Syria. By great efforts Kutz raised a considerable force and marched to meet him. The intelligence of the death of the Moghul emperor had, however, in the meantime recalled Hoolagoo, who left Ketboogha to encounter the Egyptian sultan. The battle declared in favour of the latter, and Syria was restored to his rule. Returning in triumph to Egypt, he was assassinated on the frontier by Beybars in the year 658, and this Memlook (who had but recently fought under his banner against the Tatars) was forthwith chosen by the emeers to be his successor. The brilliant reign of El-Melik Edh-Dhahir Beybars El-Bun- dukdaree is so perplexed and full of incident as to render a con cise account of it very difficult. It began with the reduction of a revolt in Syria. The rebels were supported by a Tatar army under Hoolagoo, but Beybars was everywhere victorious, _ and Damascus surrendered at discretion. Having subdued all opposition in this quarter, he endeavoured to improve the condition of Egypt, abolished the exorbitant imposts under which the people groaned, and welcomed to the court Ahmad, son of the caliph Edh-Dhahir, who was declared Prince of the Faithful with the title of El- Mustansir bi-lluh, and furnished with a small force, by which he hoped to establish himself in Baghdad. He was, however, repulsed by the Tatars and put to death. The succeeding line of caliphs, possessed of spiritual, but no temporal authority, remained at the court of the Memlook sultans until the Turkish conquest. From this time, Beybars continued to extend and confirm his rule. Ilia first expedition was to Syria against the Christians, and the Church of the Nativity at Nazareth was destroyed. Thence he went to the fortified town of Karak, which had more than once resisted the attacks of Saladin, but opened its gates to the Memlook conqueror.