Sayf ad-Din Baybugha Rus al-Qasimi an-Nasiri (also known as Baybugharus or Aurus) was a prominent Mamluk emir during the reigns of sultans as-Salih Isma'il, al-Muzaffar Hajji, an-Nasir Hasan and as-Salih Salih.

Biography

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Baybugha was a mamluk of Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad.[1] According to historian David Ayalon, Baybugha was one of the few mamluks to have ethnic Rus origins.[2] He is first mentioned by Mamluk-era historians during the reign of an-Nasir Muhammad's son, as-Salih Isma'il.[1] During the reign of the latter's brother and successor, al-Muzaffar Hajji, Baybugha became the amir majlis (lord of the audience),[1] a relatively high-ranking office which was responsible for overseeing the sultan's physicians and oculists.[3] In 1347, he was promoted to na'ib al-saltana (viceroy) of Egypt.[1]

During the reign of Hajji's successor, an-Nasir Hasan, another son of an-Nasir Muhammad, Baybugha, as na'ib al-saltana, was among the four senior emirs who actually ruled the Mamluk state.[4] The other three were Baybugha's brother Manjak al-Yusufi (com), Shaykhu an-Nasiri and Taz an-Nasiri (com), all former mamluks of an-Nasir Muhammad.[4] During his viceroyship, in 1348, Baybugha decreed that the sons of fief holders could inherit the fiefs from their fathers. The decree endeared him to the population.[5] While on Baybugha was making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with Taz,[1][6] an-Nasir Hasan attempted to assert his authority over the senior emirs,[6] and had Baybugha arrested. He was imprisoned in al-Karak.[1]

An-Nasir Hasan was overthrown in September 1351 and replaced by his half-brother as-Salih Salih. The latter freed Baybugha and appointed him na'ib (governor) of Aleppo in 1351,[1] replacing Emir Arghun al-Kamili.[7] The following year, Baybugha incited a rebellion by the Mamluk emirs in Syria against the sultan.[7] The latter responded by leading a military expedition against the rebellious emirs, and he succeeded in arresting Baybugha, along with the nuwab (governors) of Safad, Hama and Tripoli.[7] Baybugha was incarcerated in the Aleppo Citadel in 1353,[7] and was executed later that year.[1]

He was married to Shaqra (d. 1389), a daughter of An-Nasir Hasan.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mayer, L. A. (1933). Saracenic Heraldry: A Survey. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 111.
  2. ^ Ayalon, David (1987). "Mamluk". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Islam, VI Fasicules 103-104. Brill. ISBN 9789652640147.
  3. ^ Ayalon, David (2005). "Studies on the Structure of the Mamluk Army-III". In Hawting, Gerald (ed.). Muslims, Mongols and Crusaders. Routledge. p. 99. ISBN 9781136027260.
  4. ^ a b Al-Harithy 1996, p. 70.
  5. ^ Haarmann, Ulrich (1998). "Joseph's Law-The Careers and Activities of Mamluk Descendants Before the Ottoman Conquest of Egypt". In Philipp, Thomas; Haarmann, Ulrich (eds.). The Mamluks in Egyptian Politics and Society. Cambridge University Press. p. 70. ISBN 9780521591157.
  6. ^ a b Burgoyne, Michel Hamilton (1987). Mamluk Jerusalem. British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem by World of Islam Festival Trust. p. 386. ISBN 9780905035338.
  7. ^ a b c d Al-Harithy 1996, p. 78.
  8. ^ Bauden, Frédéric. "The Qalawunids: A Pedigree" (PDF). University of Chicago. Retrieved 2016-02-25.

Bibliography

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