Al-Said Barakah

Al-Said Barakah (b. 1260 – d. 1280) (original name: Muhammed Barakah Khan (Arabic: محمد بركة قان), royal name: al-Malik al-Said Nasir al-Din Barakah (Arabic: الملك السعيد ناصر الدين بركة) was the Mamluk sultan who ruled Egypt from 1277 to 1279 after the death of his father al-Zahir Baibars al-Bunduqdari.

Biography

Early life

He was one of the sons of Baibars al-Bunduqdari, the Mamluk sultan of Kipchak Turkic origin. His mother was the daughter of Berke Khan, the Mongol ruler of the Golden Horde and the grandson of Genghis Khan, who embraced Islam and allied with Egypt against Hulagu. Before his death, Baibars prepared his son Barakah to succeed him as the sultan of Egypt. He used to take him to military shows and trainings. In 1268, in a public celebration in Cairo, he nominated him as a cosultan and in 1275, two years before his death, he consolidated his position by arranging his marriage to Ghaziyah Khatun, daughter of the powerful emir Qalawun al-Alfi.

Rise to power

Baibars died in 1277 in Damascus. The news of his death was concealed for a few days. The vice-sultan Badr ad-Din Bilbak who was in Damascus sent a message to Barakah who was in charge in Cairo. Barakah concealed the news, he pretended joy and told the emirs that the message was about the return of his father to Cairo shortly. After he arranged his affairs and felt he was in full control, Barakah infomed the emirs about the death of his father and ordered the burial of his father in Damascus. Though the Salihi Emirs^[1], who were rivals of the Zahiri Emirs ^[2] , had always felt they deserved the right to have a Salihi Sultan, they, including emir Qalawun al-Alfi who belonged to them, agreed that the sultanate of Egypt should pass to the son of al-Zahir Baibars. The 19-year-old al-Said Barakah was declared the new Sultan of Egypt. Barakah began his era by replacing old powerful staff with new unsignificant emirs. He assigned Badr ad-Din Bilbak as a vice-sultan but he died within a few days and Barakah himself was suspected of poisoning him according to advices from some of his new staff. Soon the emirs were divided and Barakah started to arrest some of the powerful emirs which led to dissatisfaction of the Salihi emirs including his father-in-law Qalawun al-Alfi. Barakah's uncle emir Badr ad-Din Berke Khan advised Barakah not to arrest the powerful emirs or soon he will be involved in big troubles, but instead of listining to his advice he arrested him too. When his mother pleaded for the release of her brother and the other emirs he released them but the damage was done. The first sign of a serious rebellion was revealed when some of the emires accompanied by their Mamluks and soldiers went to Barakah in the citadel to warn him of the consequence of humiliating the celebrated emirs. " Either you stop that or we will fight you! " they told him. Barakah reacted in a friendly manner and swore to them that he did not mean to harm anyone and the angry gathering ended in a reconciliation, though the emirs refused to receive presents from him. Barakah went to Damascus accompanied by his mother, brother khidr, his emirs and soldiers. In Damascus he abolished an annual tax that was imposed by his father on the Syrians, but again, while he was in Damascus, his emirs advised him to send the prominent emirs away. Listening to this devastating advice, he ordered the emirs Qalawun al-Alfi and Bisri to go attack Sis. Both left Damascus with anger. During the absence of Qalawun and Bisri in Sis, the emirs of Barakah advised him to arrest them when they come back and to take their fiefdoms. This plot was revealed to the Salihi emirs on their return from Sis and they asked Barakah to go to them in al-Marj to explain. Barakah did not show curiosity in their request and, instead, he ordered the Zahiri emirs to separate themselves from the Salihi emirs and join him in Damascus. When the Salihi emirs heard that, they left al-Marj after they agreed that Barakah is not capable to rule.

Fall

Barakah started to be conscious of the danger. He sent to them two prominent emirs to try to calm down the agitated situation and make them return. But they refused to return and Barakah became more worried. He involved many emirs and even his mother in the negotiation but the Salihi emirs insisted that he must terminate his relation with his advisors and friends. As he did not agree they left with their troops to Egypt. Next morning Barakah sent his mother to Kark then assembled the troops that remained with him and hired beduins and went to Cairo. Arriving to Egypt he learned that the troops of the Salihi emirs are sieging the citadel. The soldiers he brought with him from Syria left him and went back to Syria. Barakah was abandoned except of some of his Mamluks. The emirs tried to prevent Barakah from entering the citadel but with the help of the fog he managed to enter it. His Mamluks began to abandon him one by one and join the emires. Barakah went to the balcony of the tower and shouted to the emirs : " Emirs, I will listen to you and I will only do what you say!". but the emirs did not answer him. After a week of siege, Barakah sent Caliph al-Hakim Bi-amr Illah Ahmed ^[3] to ask the emirs about their requests. The emirs answered : " al-Malik al-Said should resign and we will grant him the Kark." al-Said Barakah resigned and went to Kark after he ruled Egypt for two years, two months and eight days. After the resignation of al-Said Barakah, Qalawun al-Alfi became the candidate for the Sultanate of Egypt. But Qalawun was well aware of the strength of the Zahiri emirs who were a majorty. To prevent insurrection he refused to become the new sultan and proposed the 7-year-old Solamish (son of Baibars and brother of barakah ) to become the new sultan. Solamish was brought to the citadel and was made the new sultan of Egypt with Izz al-Din Aybak al-Afram^[4] as the vice-sultan and the powerful Qalawun al-Alfi as the Atabeg. Soon Qalawun started to act as the real Sultan and began to arrest the Zahiris and grant fiefdoms and castles to his Salihi followers. After 100 days of being a nominal Sultan, Solamish was sent to Kark and Qalawun al-Alfi became the Sultan of Egypt. In 1280 al-Said Barakah died in Kark from a favor after he fell from his horse while playing a ball game. Poisoning was suspected. His mother took his body to Damascus and buried him beside his father. al-Said Barakah was known among the commons as a friendly and a generous Sultan who loved justice and disliked bloodshed. When he died his wife who was a daughter of Qalawun, became very sad and the commons accused Qalawun, who also expressed sorrow, of poisoning him.

See also

• Bahri dynasty

Notes

References

• Jackson, Sherman A. "Islamic Law and the State: The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Shihāb Al-Dīn Al-Qarafi". Brill Publishers, 1997. pages 35 and 51
• Philipp, Thomas & Haarmann, Ulrich. "The Mamluks in Egyptian Politics and Society". Cambridge University Press, 1998. page 5
• Al-Maqrizi, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk.
• Ibn Taghri Bardi, al-Nujum al-Zahirah, al-Hay'ah al-Misreyah 1968.
• H. Sadawi, Al-Mamalik, Maroof Ikhwan, Alexandria.