Al-Nasir Hasan facts for kids

Al-Nasir Hasan (born 1334/35, died 1361) was a powerful Mamluk sultan of Egypt. He was one of the many sons of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad who became sultan. Al-Nasir Hasan ruled Egypt twice: first from 1347 to 1351, and then again from 1355 to 1361.

He became sultan for the first time when he was only 12 years old. During this period, important Mamluk leaders, called emirs, held most of the power. Al-Nasir Hasan mostly had a symbolic role. He tried to take more control in 1351, but the emirs removed him from power. Three years later, he became sultan again after a coup against his brother, Sultan al-Salih Salih. This coup was led by two strong emirs, Shaykhu and Sirghitmish.

In his second reign, Al-Nasir Hasan worked hard to gain full control. He slowly removed powerful emirs and their supporters. He replaced many mamluks (slave soldiers who were freed and became loyal fighters) with awlad al-nas. These were the children of mamluks, and Sultan Hasan found them more trustworthy. Sadly, Al-Nasir Hasan was killed by one of his own mamluks, Yalbugha al-Umari, who disagreed with his policies.

Sultan Hasan is also famous for starting the building of the huge Sultan Hasan Mosque-Madrasa complex in Cairo. A madrasa is a school, often for religious studies. He also built other important buildings in cities like Jerusalem, Gaza, and Damascus.

Early Life and Family

Al-Nasir Hasan was born in Cairo around 1334 or 1335. His birth name was 'Qamari'. When he became sultan in 1347, he changed his name to 'Hasan'. This change was important. Historians believe he wanted to show he was different from the mostly Turkish mamluks. He preferred to rely on the awlad al-nas, the descendants of mamluks.

His father was Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, who ruled from 1310 to 1341. His mother was Kuda, a Tatar woman, who died when he was a baby. He grew up in the Cairo Citadel, which was the main government building. After his father died in 1341, several of his brothers became sultan. However, the real power was often held by powerful emirs.

Al-Nasir Hasan married Tulubiyya, whose father was one of his father's emirs. He had many children, including eleven sons and six daughters. One of his daughters, Shaqra, married Emir Baybugha al-Qasimi. Baybugha was a very important emir during Sultan Hasan's time.

Becoming Sultan

First Time as Sultan (1347-1351)

In December 1347, Al-Nasir Hasan's half-brother, al-Muzaffar Hajji, died. The powerful Mamluk emirs quickly made Al-Nasir Hasan the new sultan. He was only 12 years old. The emirs chose him quickly. They did not want another of his brothers, al-Amjad Husayn, who was popular with the mamluks.

During his first reign, Al-Nasir Hasan had a ceremonial role. The real power was held by four main emirs. These included Baybugha al-Qasimi, who was the viceroy, and Manjak al-Yusufi, the chief of staff. Also powerful were emirs Shaykhu al-Nasiri and Taz al-Nasiri.

The first year of his rule saw the Black Death in Egypt, a terrible plague. It was at its worst from October to December 1348. In 1350, Al-Nasir Hasan tried to take more power. He told the four chief judges, called qadis, that he was an adult. He said he no longer needed the emirs to guide him. He also fired Manjak from his important roles. However, Emir Taz quickly stopped his efforts to gain control.

In August 1351, Taz arranged for Al-Nasir Hasan to be replaced. His half-brother, al-Salih Salih, became the new sultan. Al-Nasir Hasan was put under house arrest. He spent his time studying Islamic theology. He was known to be very good at Arabic and was a more educated ruler than those before him.

Back in Power (1355-1361)

Illuminated opening from a Qur'an ordered by Sultan Al-Hasan for his Complex. This book is now in the National Library of Egypt.

Al-Salih Salih ruled for three years. During this time, Taz was the most powerful person. But in 1355, emirs Shaykhu and Sirghitmish al-Nasiri removed Taz from power. In October of that year, Al-Nasir Hasan became sultan again.

His second reign was all about him taking full control. He wanted to get rid of the powerful emirs who often caused trouble. First, he imprisoned Taz. But Shaykhu, who was very influential, asked for Taz to be released. Al-Nasir Hasan agreed to send Taz away to Aleppo instead. This meant Taz was exiled from Cairo but not kept in prison.

In November 1357, Shaykhu was killed. After Shaykhu's death, Al-Nasir Hasan worked to weaken Shaykhu's supporters. He exiled many of them. Those who were not exiled were put in prison in Alexandria.

This left Sirghitmish as the most powerful emir. To prevent Sirghitmish from trying to take power, Al-Nasir Hasan had him imprisoned in Alexandria in August 1358. Sirghitmish later died in prison. Al-Nasir Hasan then removed Sirghitmish's mamluks from their military and government jobs. He replaced them with his own mamluks and with awlad al-nas.

Sultan Hasan gave the awlad al-nas very high ranks and important jobs. This was something new in the sultanate's history. Ten out of twenty-four top military generals were awlad al-nas. Awlad al-nas and non-mamluk officials also held many senior government positions. This included governing provinces in Syria, like Aleppo and Safad. Two of Al-Nasir Hasan's own sons also became high-ranking generals.

Al-Nasir Hasan believed the awlad al-nas were more reliable. He thought they were less likely to rebel than mamluks. He also felt they treated the people better and understood rules more easily. Some historians say his plan with the awlad al-nas did not last long. However, others say it helped the awlad al-nas gain more power in the long run.

How Sultan Hasan Died

On March 17, 1361, Al-Nasir Hasan was killed. He was only 27 years old. He was killed by one of his own mamluks, Yalbugha al-Umari. Yalbugha led a group of mamluks who did not like Sultan Hasan giving so much power to the awlad al-nas. People at the time said he was killed by his closest mamluks. These were the ones he had bought, trained, given money, and promoted to high positions.

Historians say that Al-Nasir Hasan was one of the few sultans after his father who truly held power. He had a big impact on the events in the sultanate. A Mamluk historian named al-Maqrizi praised him. He called him "one of the best kings of the Turks."

His Big Building Projects

The Sultan Hasan Mosque and Madrasa, started by al-Nasir Hasan in 1357 and finished in 1363.

Sultan Hasan liked to support Muslim scholars. He was responsible for building a huge mosque and madrasa complex. It is known today as the Sultan Hasan Mosque and Madrasa in Cairo. Building started in 1357. It cost a lot of money every day for three years. The building was finished in 1363, after Sultan Hasan's death. His senior aide, Bashir Agha al-Jamdar, oversaw its completion.

This complex was described as amazing by historians. They said it had no equal among mosques and madrasas in Egypt and other regions. Western travelers also called it the finest mosque they had ever seen.

It was remarkable that Sultan Hasan built such an expensive complex. This was because he was not always a strong leader. Also, it was built during a time when the economy was very bad. This was after the Black Plague hit Cairo. One historian wrote that the money for the complex came from a huge treasure found under the site. However, another historian believes the money likely came from taking property from plague victims who had no family left. Sultan Hasan chose the site by tearing down two palaces his father had built for his emirs.

A double tomb structure in Cairo, called the Sultaniyya Mausoleum, is also believed to be built by Sultan Hasan. It was dedicated to his mother.

Starting in 1360, Al-Nasir Hasan began other building projects. These included a tower at the Cairo Citadel. This tower was described as unique in Mamluk architecture. It was a tall, domed tower decorated with jewels and gold. He also built a madrasa complex in Jerusalem in 1361. He built sabil-kuttabs (public fountains with open galleries for teaching the Qur'an) in Jerusalem, Gaza, Damascus, and other towns. Al-Nasir Hasan also ordered a major repair of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.