Baybars

Lore & Background

Baybars was born in the Dasht-i Kipchak steppe region north of the Black Sea, likely between 1223 and 1228. He belonged to the Barli tribe. After his parents were massacred by Mongols invading Bulgaria around 1242, he was captured and sold into slavery in Sivas, then Hama, before arriving in Cairo. In 1250, he commanded Muslim forces that defeated King Louis IX of France at the Battle of Al Mansurah and Fariskur during the Seventh Crusade. Following internal Mamluk strife, he fled to Syria but returned to Egypt under Sultan Qutuz. After decisively defeating the Mongols at Ain Jalut in 1260, Baybars orchestrated Qutuz's assassination on a hunting expedition and seized the throne. As sultan, he asserted authority in Syria, secured Ayyubid loyalty, captured Antioch in 1268, forged an alliance with the Golden Horde to counter the Ilkhanate, and subjugated Makuria in Nubia in 1276.

In Their Own Story

In 1260, Baybars stood as a commander under Sultan Qutuz at the Battle of Ain Jalut. Following this victory over the Mongol army, he joined others on a hunting expedition where Qutuz was assassinated. Baybars expected the governorship of Aleppo for his service but was refused due to Qutuz's fear of his ambition. Immediately thereafter, Baybars succeeded Qutuz as Sultan.

Reader's Guide

Historically, Baybars set about asserting Mamluk authority in Syria after becoming sultan in 1260. He launched extensive campaigns against the Crusader states, culminating in the capture of Antioch in 1268. He also dealt with internal threats, such as routing the troops of Alam al-Din Sinjar al-Halabi outside Damascus in January 1261 and suppressing a Shiite rebellion in Cairo led by al-Kurani. To gain legitimacy after the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258, Baybars proclaimed Abu al-Qasim Ahmad as Caliph al-Mustansir II in 1261, receiving investiture as sultan. When this caliph was killed later that year, Baybars installed another Abbasid, Abu al-'Abbas Ahmad (al-Hakim I), in 1262.

Did You Know?

• Baybars' name in Turkic means 'great panther' or 'lord panther,' and he used a panther as his heraldic blazon on coins and buildings.
• He was described as having olive skin, blue eyes, broad shoulders, slim legs, a powerful voice, and a cataract in one eye.
• Baybars witnessed the massacre of his parents by Mongols before being sold into slavery at Sivas and later Hama.
• In 1263, Baybars laid siege to Acre, the capital of the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
• He forged an alliance with the Golden Horde to counter threats from the Ilkhanate.