Burji dynasty
Encyclopedia
The Burji dynasty المماليك البرجية ruled Egypt
from 1382 until 1517. It proved especially turbulent, with short-lived sultans. Political power-plays often became important in designating a new sultan. During this time Mamluk
s fought Timur Lenk and conquered Cyprus
. Constant bickering may have contributed to the ability of the Ottomans to challenge them. Their name means 'of the tower', referring to them ruling from the Citadel east of Cairo
.
. In 1377 a revolt broke out in Syria which spread to Egypt, and the government was taken over by the Circassians Barakah and Barkuk; Barkuk was proclaimed sultan in 1382, ending the Bahri dynasty. He was expelled in 1389 but recaptured Cairo in 1390. Permanently in power he founded the Burji dynasty.
Barkuk became an enemy of Timur
after slaying one of Timur's envoys. Timur threatened to invade Syria, but Barkuk died in 1399; Bayezid I
then invaded Syria, but came into conflict with Timur, who took Aleppo
and other towns in 1400. Syria was regained by sultan Faraj
when Timur died in 1405, but Faraj continually faced rebellions from the emirs there and he was forced to abdicate in 1412.
In 1421 Egypt was attacked by the Kingdom of Cyprus
, and although the Egyptians were unable to capture the island they forced the Cypriotes to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Egyptian sultan Barsbay
. During Barsbay's reign Egypt's population was greatly reduced from what it had been a few centuries before, with only 1/5 the number of towns. He frequently raided Asia Minor, but died in 1438.
Al-Ashraf
came to power in 1453 and had friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire
, who captured Constantinople
later that year, causing great rejoicings in Egypt. However, under the reign of Khoshkadam, who took power in 1463, Egypt began the struggle between the Egyptian and the Ottoman sultanates which finally led to the incorporation of Egypt in the Ottoman empire. Both Koshkadam and Mehmet II supported different candidates to the principality of Karaman
; then in 1467 sultan Kait Bey offended the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II
, whose brother was poisoned while being entertained by Kait. Bayezid II seized Adana
, Tarsus and other places within Egyptian territory, but was eventually defeated by Kait. Kait also tried to help the Muslims in Spain
by threatening the Christians in Syria, but without effect. He died in 1496, leaving several hundred thousand ducats debts to the great Venetian trading families.
In 1515 there began the war with the Ottoman sultan Selim I
which led to the incorporation of Egypt and its dependencies in the Ottoman Empire
.
A result of the Mamluk cavalry
charges proving to be no match for the Ottoman artillery and the janissaries
. Egyptian sultan Kansuh was charged by Selim with giving the envoys of the Safavid Ismail passage through Syria on their way to Venice
to form a confederacy against the Turks, and with harbouring various refugees. At the Battle of Merj Dabik, on August 24, 1515, Kansuh was killed in the fighting. Syria passed into Turkish possession, who were welcomed in many places as deliverance from the Mamelukes.
In 1517 the Ottoman Turks and their sultan Selim I
defeated the Mamluks with the capture of Cairo on January 20. The centre of power
transferred from Cairo to Istanbul
. However, the Ottoman Empire
retained the Mamluks as an Egyptian ruling class and the Mamluks and the Burji family succeeded in regaining much of their influence, but remained technical vassals of the Ottomans.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from 1382 until 1517. It proved especially turbulent, with short-lived sultans. Political power-plays often became important in designating a new sultan. During this time 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 fought Timur Lenk and conquered Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. Constant bickering may have contributed to the ability of the Ottomans to challenge them. Their name means 'of the tower', referring to them ruling from the Citadel east of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
History
From 1250 Egypt had been ruled by the Turkish Mamluk Bahri dynastyBahri 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...
. In 1377 a revolt broke out in Syria which spread to Egypt, and the government was taken over by the Circassians Barakah and Barkuk; Barkuk was proclaimed sultan in 1382, ending the Bahri dynasty. He was expelled in 1389 but recaptured Cairo in 1390. Permanently in power he founded the Burji dynasty.
Barkuk became an enemy of Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
after slaying one of Timur's envoys. Timur threatened to invade Syria, but Barkuk died in 1399; Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
then invaded Syria, but came into conflict with Timur, who took Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
and other towns in 1400. Syria was regained by sultan Faraj
Faraj
Faraj is a given name for males. People named Faraj include:* Hamdi Faraj Fanoush, Libyan judge* Faraj Said Bin Ghanem, Yemeni politician* Mohamed Faraj Al-Kaabi, Qatari athlete* Faraj Laheeb, Kuwaiti footballer...
when Timur died in 1405, but Faraj continually faced rebellions from the emirs there and he was forced to abdicate in 1412.
In 1421 Egypt was attacked by the Kingdom of Cyprus
Kingdom of Cyprus
The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
, and although the Egyptians were unable to capture the island they forced the Cypriotes to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Egyptian sultan Barsbay
Barsbay
Al-Ashraf Sayf-ad-Din Barsbay was the ninth Burji Mamluk sultan of Egypt from AD 1422 to 1438. He was Circassian by birth and a former slave of the first Burji Sultan, Barquq....
. During Barsbay's reign Egypt's population was greatly reduced from what it had been a few centuries before, with only 1/5 the number of towns. He frequently raided Asia Minor, but died in 1438.
Al-Ashraf
Al-Ashraf
Al-Ashraf Musa Abu'l-Fath al-Muzaffar ad-Din, called Al-Ashraf was a ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty. The son of Sultan Al-Adil I, Al-Ashraf was installed by his father in Harran in 1201 as Governor of the Jezireh...
came to power in 1453 and had friendly relations with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, who captured Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
later that year, causing great rejoicings in Egypt. However, under the reign of Khoshkadam, who took power in 1463, Egypt began the struggle between the Egyptian and the Ottoman sultanates which finally led to the incorporation of Egypt in the Ottoman empire. Both Koshkadam and Mehmet II supported different candidates to the principality of Karaman
Karaman
Karaman is a town in south central Turkey, located north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According to 2000 census, the population of the province is 231 872 of which 132,064 live in the town of Karaman. The district covers an area...
; then in 1467 sultan Kait Bey offended the Ottoman sultan Bayezid II
Bayezid II
Bayezid II or Sultân Bayezid-î Velî was the oldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512...
, whose brother was poisoned while being entertained by Kait. Bayezid II seized Adana
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
, Tarsus and other places within Egyptian territory, but was eventually defeated by Kait. Kait also tried to help the Muslims in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
by threatening the Christians in Syria, but without effect. He died in 1496, leaving several hundred thousand ducats debts to the great Venetian trading families.
In 1515 there began the war with the Ottoman sultan Selim I
Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
which led to the incorporation of Egypt and its dependencies in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
A result of the Mamluk cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
charges proving to be no match for the Ottoman artillery and the janissaries
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
. Egyptian sultan Kansuh was charged by Selim with giving the envoys of the Safavid Ismail passage through Syria on their way to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
to form a confederacy against the Turks, and with harbouring various refugees. At the Battle of Merj Dabik, on August 24, 1515, Kansuh was killed in the fighting. Syria passed into Turkish possession, who were welcomed in many places as deliverance from the Mamelukes.
In 1517 the Ottoman Turks and their sultan Selim I
Selim I
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
defeated the Mamluks with the capture of Cairo on January 20. The centre of power
Power (sociology)
Power is a measurement of an entity's ability to control its environment, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to...
transferred from Cairo to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. However, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
retained the Mamluks as an Egyptian ruling class and the Mamluks and the Burji family succeeded in regaining much of their influence, but remained technical vassals of the Ottomans.
List of Burji Sultans
| Titular Name(s) | Personal Name | Reign | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Zahir |
Sayf-ad-Din Barquq |
1382 - 1389 first reign |
|
| Sultan As-Saleh Al-Muzaffar Al-Mansur |
Salah-ad-Din Hajji II Al-Salih Hajji Al-Salih Hajji , also Haji II, was a Mamluk ruler, and the last ruler of the Bahri dynasty in 1382. He briefly ruled again in 1389, during the advent of the Burji dynasty... |
1389 | |
| Al-Zahir |
Sayf-ad-Din Barquq |
1390 - 1399 second reign |
|
| Al-Nasir |
Nasir-ad-Din Faraj |
1399 - 1405 first reign |
|
| Al-Mansur |
Izz-ad-Din Abdal-Aziz |
1405 | |
| Al-Nasir |
Nasir-ad-Din Faraj |
1405 - 1412 second reign |
|
| Al-Adil |
Al-Musta'in Billah Al-Musta'in (Cairo) Al-Musta'in Billah was the tenth Abbasid "shadow" caliph of Cairo, reigning under the tutelage of the Mamluk sultans from 1406 to 1414. He was the only Cairo-based Abbasid caliph to hold political power as Sultan of Egypt, albeit for only six months in 1412... |
1412 | |
| Al-Mu'ayyad |
Sayf-ad-Din Tatar I |
1412 - 1421 | |
| Al-Muzaffar |
Ahmad |
1421 | |
| Al-Zahir |
Sayf-ad-Din Tatar II |
1421 | |
| As-Saleh |
Nasir-ud-din Muhammad |
1421 - 1422 | |
| Al-Ashraf |
Sayf-ad-Din Barsbay Barsbay Al-Ashraf Sayf-ad-Din Barsbay was the ninth Burji Mamluk sultan of Egypt from AD 1422 to 1438. He was Circassian by birth and a former slave of the first Burji Sultan, Barquq.... |
1422 - 1437 | |
| Al-Aziz |
Jamal-ad-Din Yusuf |
1437 - 1438 | |
| Al-Zahir |
Sayf-ad-Din Jaqmaq |
1438 - 1453 | |
| Al-Mansur |
Fakhr-ad-Din Uthman |
1453 | |
| Al-Ashraf |
Sayf-ad-Din Inal |
1453 - 1461 | |
| Al-Mu'ayyad |
Shihab-ad-Din Ahmad |
1461 | |
| Al-Zahir |
Sayf-ad-Din Khushqadam |
1461 - 1467 | |
| Al-Zahir |
Sayf-ad-Din Bilbay |
1467 | |
| Al-Zahir |
Taimur Bugha |
1467 - 1468 | |
| Al-Ashraf |
Sayf-ad-Din Qait Bay Qaitbay Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay was the eighteenth Burji Mamluk Sultan of Egypt from 872-901 A.H. . He was Circassian by birth, and was purchased by the ninth sultan Barsbay before being freed by the eleventh sultan Jaqmaq... |
1468 - 1496 | |
| Al-Nasir |
Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qait Bay |
1496 - 1497 first reign |
|
| Al-Zahir |
Qansuh Al-Burji |
1497 | |
| Al-Nasir |
Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qait Bay |
1497 - 1498 second reign |
|
| Al-Zahir |
Qansuh Al-Ashrafi |
1498 - 1500 | |
| Al-Ashraf |
Janbalat |
1500 - 1501 | |
| Al-Adil |
Sayf-ad-Din Tuman Bay I Tuman bay I Al-Adil Sayf ad-Din Tuman bay was the twenty fifth Mamluk Sultan of Egypt from the Burji dynasty... |
1501 | |
| Al-Ashraf |
Qansuh Al-Ghawri Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri was the second last of the Mamluk Sultans. One of the last of the Burji dynasty, he reigned from 1501 to 1516.On the disappearance of Sultan Al-Adil Sayf ad-Din Tuman bay I, it was not till after some days that the choice of the Emirs and Mamluks fell upon Al-Ashraf... |
1501 - 1516 | |
| Al-Ashraf |
Tuman Bay II Tuman bay II Al-Ashraf Tuman bay better known as Tuman bay II succeeded as Sultan of Egypt during the final period of Mamluk rule in Egypt prior to its conquest by the Ottoman Empire... |
1516 - 1517 | |
| Burji dynasty Burji dynasty The Burji dynasty المماليك البرجية ruled Egypt from 1382 until 1517. It proved especially turbulent, with short-lived sultans. Political power-plays often became important in designating a new sultan. During this time Mamluks fought Timur Lenk and conquered Cyprus. Constant bickering may have... of the Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt was the final independent Egyptian state prior to the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in 1805. It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid Dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, Arabised... falls to Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries... under Sultan Selim I Selim I Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to... in 1517C.E. |
|||
- Orange shaded row signifies brief interruption in the rule of Burji dynasty by 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...
.- Silver shaded row signifies interruption in the rule of Burji dynasty by Abbasid dynasty.
See also
- History of Arab Egypt
- History of Ottoman Egypt
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties