Al-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt facts for kids

Al-Nasir Ahmad (born 1316, died 16 July 1344) was a Bahri Mamluk sultan who ruled Egypt for a short time. He was the son of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad. After his father passed away in 1341, Ahmad became part of a difficult process to decide who would be the next sultan.

Ahmad spent much of his life in the desert fortress of al-Karak in Transjordan. He really liked al-Karak and was close friends with the people there and the local Bedouin tribes. He was not eager to become sultan in Cairo. However, his supporters in Syria and Egypt worked hard to make him the ruler. They removed the powerful Mamluk leader Emir Qawsun and his young puppet sultan, al-Ashraf Kujuk. After many delays, Al-Nasir Ahmad finally became sultan.

As sultan, Al-Nasir Ahmad was quite private. He mostly stayed with his friends from al-Karak. He rarely met with the Mamluk leaders of Egypt and avoided public appearances. After two months, he moved back to al-Karak. He took a lot of money from the treasury and many horses with him. He ruled from the fortress, leaving a deputy to manage things in Egypt. His unusual way of ruling and some of his actions, like executing loyal supporters, led to him being removed from power. His half-brother, al-Salih Isma'il, replaced him. Ahmad stayed in al-Karak, which the Mamluks tried to capture many times. He was finally caught in July 1344 and killed shortly after.

Early Life and Training

The fortress of al-Karak, where Ahmad spent much of his life.

Ahmad was born in 1316. His father was Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, and his mother was Bayad. At the time, Ahmad was his father's only living son.

As a young boy, Ahmad often lived in the desert fortress of al-Karak. His father sent him there to train in horse riding and hunting. Al-Karak was a special place, like a school, where young Mamluk leaders learned knightly skills. Ahmad was looked after by the governor of al-Karak, Bahadur al-Badri.

In 1331, Ahmad returned to Cairo and became an emir, which was a high military rank. He then went back to al-Karak. His stepfather, Maliktamur, became the governor of al-Karak and was told to make sure Ahmad got a good education.

In 1337, Ahmad's father, the Sultan, became angry with him. He heard that Ahmad was spending too much time with ordinary people in al-Karak. Ahmad was called back to Cairo. His father arranged for him to marry Zahirbugha Tayirbugha, the daughter of a leading emir. Ahmad then returned to al-Karak with his wife.

Ahmad later asked his father to make him the governor of al-Karak Province. His father agreed. So, Ahmad became the governor of the fortresses of al-Karak and Shawbak.

A Loyal Friend

Ahmad had a close friend named Shuhayb. In 1339, his father ordered Ahmad to return to Cairo with Shuhayb. When they arrived, Shuhayb was put in jail. Ahmad was very upset and refused to eat or leave his rooms. His father sent important leaders to talk to him, but Ahmad would not change his mind. He even turned down an offer of many soldiers if he would give up his friend.

Eventually, his father gave in. Shuhayb was released, and Ahmad was made an emir with forty mounted soldiers. He was also told to stay in Egypt.

In 1341, Shuhayb had a problem with another official. Ahmad defended his friend, which angered his father again. His father wanted Ahmad to send Shuhayb away. Ahmad refused, saying he would not abandon his friend who had shared his difficult times. Because of this, Ahmad was sent away to Sarkhad. However, some of his father's family and advisors convinced the Sultan to let Ahmad return. Ahmad was then sent back to al-Karak with Maliktamur, who was again made governor.

Struggle for the Sultanate

Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad died in June 1341. Before he died, he talked about who should rule next. He thought Ahmad was not fit to be sultan. He preferred Ahmad's younger brother, Abu Bakr.

After his father's death, Abu Bakr was named sultan. But a powerful leader named Qawsun was really in charge. Qawsun soon had Abu Bakr arrested and killed. Then, Qawsun made al-Nasir Muhammad's five-year-old son, al-Ashraf Kujuk, the new sultan. This made Qawsun even more powerful.

Ahmad was still in al-Karak when Abu Bakr was killed. Qawsun asked Ahmad to come to Cairo, pretending to offer him the sultanate. But Ahmad thought it was a trick to get rid of him. He said he would only come if the main leaders of the sultanate came to al-Karak and promised their loyalty to him. He also wanted his other brothers, who were jailed, to be moved to al-Karak.

Ahmad also sent letters to Mamluk leaders in Syria, asking for their help against Qawsun. Qawsun then tried to force Ahmad to come to Cairo by attacking al-Karak. But one of Qawsun's commanders, Qutlubugha al-Fakhri, switched sides and supported Ahmad. This happened because another Mamluk leader, Tashtamur, convinced him to support Ahmad out of loyalty to Ahmad's father. From then on, Ahmad was called "al-Nasir," like his father.

Qutlubugha's support for Ahmad was a rebellion, as al-Ashraf Kujuk was still officially sultan. This caused a split among the Mamluk leaders in Syria. Some supported Qawsun, while others, like Tashtamur and Qutlubugha, supported al-Nasir Ahmad. Qutlubugha took control of Damascus and declared al-Nasir Ahmad sultan there. Many people supported this.

Even with all this support, Ahmad still wanted to stay in al-Karak. He insisted that Tashtamur, his most loyal supporter, had to come with him to Damascus. Sadly, during these political events in al-Karak, Ahmad's friend Shuhayb was killed, which deeply upset Ahmad.

A Short Reign

Qawsun's power in Egypt weakened, and he was eventually arrested. After this, a group of Egyptian leaders came to al-Karak to tell al-Nasir Ahmad that Qawsun was gone. They invited him to Cairo to become sultan, but Ahmad refused.

On 21 January 1342, al-Ashraf Kujuk was removed from power. Al-Nasir Ahmad was declared sultan, even though he was not in Cairo. Qutlubugha expected Ahmad to meet him in Damascus for a grand procession to Cairo. But Ahmad chose a quieter route from Gaza and then went straight to Cairo without Qutlubugha. He arrived in Cairo in mid-March, dressed simply. He said, "I was not looking for royalty, and found that place [al-Karak] good enough."

In Cairo, Al-Nasir Ahmad did not act like a typical sultan. He did not attend royal feasts or public prayers. He mostly stayed with his friends from al-Karak and avoided meeting Egyptian Mamluk leaders or the public. He ordered the execution of Qawsun and Altunbugha, who had been his enemies. He also gave important jobs to his friends from al-Karak, even if they were not qualified. This made the Egyptian Mamluk leaders unhappy.

Tashtamur, who had helped Ahmad become sultan, was very important in Ahmad's government. But Tashtamur started acting on his own, which made Ahmad turn against him. With support from other Mamluk leaders, Ahmad had Tashtamur arrested in May 1342. He also ordered Qutlubugha to stay in Damascus. Qutlubugha was later arrested and sent to Egypt.

By the end of May, Al-Nasir Ahmad decided to rule the sultanate from al-Karak. He felt safer there. He left Cairo with a lot of money, many horses, and his arrested supporters, Tashtamur and Qutlubugha. He left his newly appointed deputy, Aqsunqur al-Salari, in charge of Cairo. From al-Karak, Ahmad sent his orders to Cairo through a messenger. He rarely spoke directly with the Mamluks in Egypt.

In al-Karak, Al-Nasir Ahmad had Tashtamur and Qutlubugha executed. The reasons are not clear. This act shocked the public and made Ahmad lose trust. People saw it as Ahmad being ungrateful to the men who had helped him become sultan. Some historians believe Ahmad resented them for forcing him to leave his quiet life in al-Karak and become sultan.

Removed from Power and Death

In Cairo, the main Mamluk leaders decided to remove Al-Nasir Ahmad from power. In June 1342, they replaced him with his half-brother, al-Salih Isma'il. The governors of the Syrian provinces also stopped supporting Ahmad after hearing about the executions and reports of his unusual behavior in al-Karak.

Even though Ahmad was no longer sultan and seemed happy to stay in al-Karak, the new sultan still saw him as a threat. This was because Ahmad's father had once been exiled in al-Karak before returning to Cairo and taking the throne.

Between Ahmad's removal from power and 1344, seven expeditions were sent to capture him in al-Karak. Each time, the attacks failed. They cost a lot of money and sometimes led to leaders being fired. The Mamluks struggled to get help from the local Bedouin tribes, who were allies of Al-Nasir Ahmad.

In the summer of 1344, a key supporter of Ahmad named Baligh switched sides and joined the sultan's army. These local defectors told the Mamluks about a weak spot in al-Karak's defenses. On 4 July, the Mamluks entered the fortress and captured Al-Nasir Ahmad. He was wounded but treated with respect. Still, he was suspicious and only ate food prepared by his own supporters from al-Karak. He was sent to Cairo, where al-Salih Isma'il secretly ordered him to be killed on 16 July.

Legacy

Mamluk historians of the time were disappointed with Al-Nasir Ahmad's four-month reign. One historian, Ibn Iyas, wrote that people hoped Ahmad would be a "victorious lion" when he became sultan, but instead, he was called the "crazy teacher." Another historian, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, said he was a "terrible administrator." Ibn Taghribirdi believed Ahmad was thoughtless and the worst of al-Nasir Muhammad's sons. al-Maqrizi repeated the warning that al-Nasir Muhammad supposedly gave: that Ahmad should never "enter Egypt... for he will cause the ruin of the state!"

Images for kids

• 

  The fortress of al-Karak, where Ahmad spent much of his life.

See Also

• List of Mamluk sultans