Lajin

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Dominion of Bahri Mamluks ( red )

Lajin ^[1] (Arabic: لاجين) royal name: al-Malik al-Mansour Hossam ad-Din Lajin al-Mansuri (Arabic: الملك المنصور حسام الدين لاجين المنصورى nicknamed: al-Saghir (Arabic: الصغير) (d. January, 16, 1299, Cairo) was the 11th Mamluk sultan of Egypt from 1297 to 1299.

[edit] Background

He was originally a Mamluk of al-Mansur Ali, the son of Sultan Izz al-Din Aybak, known by the name Shoqair. Later, during the exile of the dethroned Sultan al-Mansur Ali in Nicaea, he was bought by Sultan saif al-Din Qalawun who nicknamed him Lajin al-Saghir ^[2] and promoted him till he became the Emir of Damascus.

During the reign of Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil he was arrested in Damascus and brought to Cairo to be executed but he was pardoned and received back his post in Damascus after Emir Badr al-Din Baydra al-Mansuri pleaded for him. In 1293 he took part with Emir Baydra in the murder of al-Ashraf Khalil and he had to hide during the reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ( brother of the murdered Khalil ) until Emir Kitbugha pleaded for him. When Kitbugha became Sultan of Egypt in 1295 he became a vice-Sultan then, a year later, he became the Sultan of Egypt upon the flee of Sultan Kitbugha to Damascus when a group of Mamluks defied him in 1296.

[edit] Rise to power

Sons of Baibars were exiled in Nicaea

Kitbugha, who fled to Syria and took refuge inside the castle of Damascus, tried first to resist the coup d'état but soon he was forced to resign and recognize Lajin as the new Sultan of both Egypt and Syria. Kitbugha announced his loyalty to Lajin and left Damascus to Sarkhad. Lajin, on his turn, announced that he was only the deputy of al-Nasir Muhammad until the last was able to rule and sent him to Al Karak.

Cilician Armenia was often attacked by the Mamluks. It was devastated by Qalawun in 1266.

One of the first acts of Sultan Lajin, who was married to one of the daughters of the late Sultan al-zahir Baibars al-Bunduqdari, was to return the exiled wife and sons of Baibars to Egypt from Constantinople ^[3] . During the reign of Lajin, Sis, the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, was raided and many Armenian forts were captured.

Though Lajin was known to be reckless and alcoholic in his early life, as a sultan he was known to be a serious and scrupulous ruler who liked justice and ascetism. He made a few reforms and abolished many taxes and wished to abolish all taxes. He was admired by both nobles and commons.

[edit] End

Lajin's weakest point, however, was his vice-sultan Minkotamr. Minkotamr who had an overwhelmed authority was not liked by the Emirs and the Mamluks who decided to get rid of him by the liquidation of both. Lajin was murdered by a group of Emirs led by Saif al-Din Kirji while they were visiting him at the citadel. Minkotamr was lured and killed after him. Lajin ruled a little longer than two years.

[edit] See also

• Bahri dynasty
• Solamish

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Abu al-Fida, The Concise History of Humanity
• Al-Maqrizi, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk, Dar al-kotob, 1997.
• Idem in English: Bohn, Henry G., The Road to Knowledge of the Return of Kings, Chronicles of the Crusades, AMS Press, 1969.
• Al-Maqrizi, al-Mawaiz wa al-'i'tibar bi dhikr al-khitat wa al-'athar,Matabat aladab,Cairo 1996, ISBN977-241-175X.
• Idem in French: Bouriant, Urbain , Description topographique et historique de l'Egypte,Paris 1895
• Ibn Taghri, al-Nujum al-Zahirah Fi Milook Misr wa al-Qahirah, al-Hay'ah al-Misreyah 1968
• History of Egypt, 1382-1469 A.D. by Yusef. William Popper, translator Abu L-Mahasin ibn Taghri Birdi, University of California Press 1954

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