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Factions in medieval Egypt*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Robert Irwin
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“If all you have to tell us is that one barbarian succeeded another barbarian on the banks of the Oxus or Jaxartes, what benefit have you conferred on the public?” Voltaire's question is an awkward one for anyone investigating the transmission and distribution of power in the XVth century Circassian Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria. Even so the question of factionalism and its role in succession crises and other crises in the history of the Islamic lands has to be tackled, for surely the prevalence of factions in the Near East and our lack of understanding of them does add a certain patina of dullness to much of Islamic history. Faction succeeds to faction as “Amurath to Amurath”, and though Macaulay could find the history of England and its latter part, the struggle of Whig and Tory, to be “emphatically the history of progress”, few people have felt similarly confident about the struggle of Ẓāhirī and Manṣūrī factions in medieval Egypt. It is hard to understand past events without imposing a pattern, and at the political level the gyrations of Egyptian factions do not lend themselves easily to the imposition of pattern.

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Articles
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 118 , Issue 2 , April 1986 , pp. 228 - 246
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Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1986

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References

1 Ives, E. W.: Faction in Tudor England. (Historical Association pamphlet), London, 1979, p. 1.Google Scholar But, for a very different view of some of the same material, cf. Smith, L. B.: Treason in Tudor England: Politics and Paranoia, London, 1986.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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6 Apart from Ibn Taghrībirdī (see below), the chief Arabic sources in print on this period include al-Maqrīzī: Kitāb al-Sulūk, III–IV, ed. Ashour, A. F., Cairo, 1970–1974;Google ScholarIbnḤajar, : Inbā' al-Ghumr, II–III, ed. Ḥ. , Cairo, 1969;Google Scholaral-Sakhāwī, : Al-Ḍaw' al-Lāmī, I–XII, Cairo, 1934–1936;Google Scholaridem: Al-Ṭibr al-Masbūk, Cairo, 1896;Google Scholaral-Ṣayrafī, al-Jawharī b.: Nuzhat al-Nufūs, II–III, ed. Ḥabashī, Ḥ., Cairo, 1971–1974;Google ScholarAnonymous: Ḥawliyāt Dimashqiyya, ed. Ḥabashī, Ḥ., Cairo, 1968;Google ScholarIbnIyās, : Badā'ī al-Zuhūr, I–III, Cairo, 1893–1895;Google Scholaridem: Badā'ī al-Zuhūr, I–V, eds. Kahle, P. and Mostafa, M., Istanbul and Wiesbaden, 1931–1975.Google Scholar It should be noted that there are very substantial differences between the two editions of the Badā'ī. Whether either or both texts is entirely the work of Ibn Iyās remains to be determined.

7 Piloti, : Traité d'Emmanuel Piloti sur le Passage en Terre Sainte, ed. Dopp, P. H., Louvain, 1958.Google Scholar

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16 J. Wansbrough s.v. “Faradj” in EI 2.

17 Unless otherwise noted below, observations on the careers of Mu'ayyadī emirs are based on their obituary notices given in Ibn Taghrībirdī's chronicle or in al-Sakhāwī's biographical dictionary, the Ḍaw’. al-'Ajamī, 'Alī Bay (Nujūm, VII, p. 572;Google ScholarḌaw', V, p. 151Google Scholar). 'Alī Bay min 'Alam Shaykh (Nujūm, VI, p. 506;Google ScholarḌaw', V, p. 151Google Scholar). ‘Allān (Nujūm, VII, pp. 632–3;Google ScholarḌaw', V, p. 150Google Scholar). al-Marqabī, Alṭunbughā (Nujūm, VII, 272;Google ScholarḌaw', V, 351Google Scholar). Āqbay, (Nujūm, VI, pp. 374–5;Google ScholarḌaw', III, p. 314Google Scholar). Āqbirdī, (Ḍaw' II, p. 312Google Scholar). Arikmās, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 377–8;Google ScholarḌaw', II, p. 268Google Scholar). Aytamish, (Nujūm, VII, p. 310Google Scholar). Barsbay, (Nujūm, VII, p. 375;Google ScholarḌaw' III, p. 10.Google ScholarBayghūt, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 570–1Google Scholar). Dawlatbay, (Nujūm, VII, p. 567;Google ScholarḌaw', III, pp. 220–1Google Scholar). Jakam, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 600–1;Google ScholarḌaw' III, p. 76.Google ScholarShaykh, Jānibak (Ḍaw' III, p. 60Google Scholar). Jānibak, (Ḍam', III, p. 60Google Scholar). al-Qawwāmi, Jānibak (Nujūm, VII, p. 275Google Scholar). al-Tājī, Jānibak (Nujūm, VII, p. 791Google Scholar). al-Shamsī, Jānibak (Nujūm, VII, p. 587;Google ScholarḌxam', III, p. 57Google Scholar). al-Maḥmūdī, Jānibak (Nujūm, VII, p. 591;Google ScholarḌaw', III, p. 60Google Scholar). al-Zaynī, Jānibak (Ḍaw' III, p. 56Google Scholar). Ḥarāmī Shakl, Jānim (Nujūm, VII, p. 805Google Scholar). Jānim, (Nujūm, VII, p. 592;Google Scholar (Ḍaw', III, p. 65Google Scholar). Julbān, (Ḍam', III. p. 78Google Scholar). Kasbāy, (Ḍaw' VI, p. 229Google Scholar). al-Shishmānī, Kasbāy (Nujūm, VII, pp. 809–10;Google ScholarḌaw' VI, pp. 228–9Google Scholar). al-Ajrūd, Khayrbak (Nujūm, VII, pp. 582–3;Google ScholarḌam', III, pp. 209–10Google Scholar). al-Ashqar, Khayrbak (Nujūm, VII, p. 625;Google ScholarḌaw' III, p. 210Google Scholar). Khushqadam, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 687–9;Google Scholar (Ḍaw', III, pp. 175–6Google Scholar). Māmish, (Ḍaw' VI, p. 235Google Scholar). Mughulbāy, (Ḍam', X, p. 164Google Scholar). al-Ḥamzāwī, Qānībāy (Nujūm, VII, pp. 619–20;Google Scholar (Ḍam', VI, p. 195Google Scholar). al-Ḥasanī, Qānībāy (Ḍam'.VI, p. 195Google Scholar). al-Maḥmūdī, Qānībāy (Ḍam' VI, p. 198Google Scholar). Saqal, Qānībāy Qarā (Nujūm, VII, p. 627;Google Scholar (Ḍam', VI, pp. 196–7Google Scholar). Qānim, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 814–6;Google Scholar (Ḍam', VI, pp. 200–1Google Scholar). Shādhbak, (Ḍam', III, p. 290Google Scholar). al-Faqih, Sūdūn (Nujūm, VII, p. 811;Google Scholar (Ḍam' III, p. 276Google Scholar). al-Abūbakrī, Sūdūn (Nujūm, VII, p. 767;Google ScholarḌam', III, p. 276Google Scholar). Qash, Sūdūn Qarā (Nujūm, VII, p. 763;Google ScholarḌam' III, pp. 276–7Google Scholar). al-Atmakjī, Sūdūn (Nujūm, VII, p. 338;Google Scholar (Ḍaw', III, p. 286Google Scholar). Taghrībirdī, (Nujūm, VI, pp. 785–6;Google Scholar (Ḍaw', III, pp. 29–30).Google ScholarTanam, (Ḍaw' III, p. 45).Google Scholaral-Faqīh, Tanam (Ḍaw' III. p. 45).Google ScholarAbd al-Razzāq, Tanam min (Nujūm, VII, p. 788–9;Google ScholarḌaw' VI, p. 168).Google ScholarTimrāz, Ḍaw' III, p. 38).Google ScholarTimrāz, (Nujūm, VI, p. 849).Google Scholaral-Musāri, Timrāz' (Nujūm, VII, p. 363;Google ScholarḌaw', III, pp. 35–6).Google ScholarṬūghān, (Ḍaw', IV, p. 13).Google ScholarṬūkh, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 296–7;Google ScholarḌaw' IV, p. 10).Google ScholarUzbak, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 601–2;Google ScholarḌaw', II, p. 273).Google ScholarYakhshibāy, (Nujūm, VII, p. 259).Google ScholarYalbāy, (Nujūum, VII, pp. 824–5, 839;Google ScholarḌaw' X, pp. 287–8).Google ScholarYalbughā, (Ḍaw' X, p. 290).Google ScholarYarshbāy, (Nujūm, VII, pp. 640–1).Google ScholarYashbak, (Nujūm, VII, p. 641;Google ScholarḌaw', X, 279).Google Scholaral-Ṣūfī, Yashbak (Nujūm, VII, pp. 617–8;Google ScholarḌaw', X, p. 270).Google Scholaral-Inālī, yashbak (Nujūm, VI, p. 506).Google ScholarQulaq, Yashbak Āsh (Ḍaw', X, p. 275).Google Scholaral-Yūsufī, Yashbak (Nujūm, VI, p. 546).Google Scholaral-Faqīh, Yashbak (Ḍaw', X, pp. 270–2).Google Scholar This is not, of course, by any means an exhaustive list of all the Mu'ayyadi emirs who received notices in Mamluk chronicles or biographical dictionaries.

18 Nujūm, VI, pp. 789–90.Google Scholar

19 Nujūm, VI, pp. 551–2.Google Scholar

20 On the career of Emir, later Sultan, Ṭaṭār al-ຒāhirī, Nujūm, VI, pp. 508–9;Google ScholarḌaw' IV, pp. 7–8;Google Scholaral-Jawharī, : Nuzha, II, pp. 513–4.Google Scholar

21 Nujūm, VI, p. 807.Google Scholar

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23 Nujūm, VI, pp. 442–3.Google Scholar Nawrūz had over 1000 mamluks in Syria. Wiet's index to Ibn Taghrībirdī's Manhal lists sixteen emirs with his nisba.

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26 Jawharī, : Nuzha, III, p. 485.Google Scholar

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39 In almost every case promotion to an emirate of ten was from the ranks of the Khāṣṣakiyya and in many cases the promotion was coupled with appointment to an office as one of the junior ra‘s nawbas. The ra‘s nawbas seem to have commanded royal mamluks on guard patrol.

40 Besides Sakhāwī's obituary of this minor figure, he also receives an obituary in IbnTaghrībirdī, : Ḥawādith, p. 716.Google Scholar

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50 Anonymous: Ta'rīkh Qāytbāy al-Tarjama al-Sharīfa al-Ashrafiyya, B. M. MS Or. 3028, f. 6b, 8b.

51 IbnTaghrībirdī, : Ḥawādith, pp. 660, 718.Google Scholar

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53 Al-Asadī, : Al-Taysīr wa'l-ítibār wa'l-taḥrīr wa'l-ikhtiyār, ed. Ṭulaymāt, A. A., Cairo, 1967.Google Scholar

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55 Nujūm, VI, p. 518.Google Scholar

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59 Nujūm, VII, p. 644.Google Scholar

60 Nujūm, VII, p. 692.Google Scholar

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65 For this phenomenon in the Baḥrī Mamluk period, see Irwin, , The Middle East in the middle ages, pp. 153–4.Google Scholar However not all general observations on the operation of faction in the Baḥrī period apply to the Circassian period, or vice-versa.

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67 Nujūm, VII, pp. 58–60,Google Scholar 63, 65–8.

68 IbnṢaṣrā, : A Chronicle of Damascus, I, p. 115Google Scholar indicates that the citizens of the Ṣalāḥiyya district of Damascus fought for the Emir Minṭāsh only because his troops were quartered there, and, in general, Ibn Ṣaṣrā makes it plain that he and most of his fellow citizens regarded Minṭāsh and his following of 'urbān, (nomadic tribesmen) and Barqūq and his rival following of 'ushrān (settled or semi-nomadic tribesmen) with equal dread.

69 On Qays and Kalb partisanship in the strife of the 1390s, see Lapidus, : Muslim Cities, pp. 87–90, 165–7.Google Scholar But Lapidus has been misled by the fact that the Banū Kilāb quarter of Damascus backed Barqūq and deduced from this that Barqūq's following were Kalbīs. In fact the Banu Kilāb were by tradition a part of the Qaysī moiety and, as Qaysīs, backed Barqūq. See IbnṢaṣra, : Chronicle, p. 53Google Scholar and n.

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74 Lapidus, : Muslim Cities, pp. 171–2;Google ScholarLewis, B.: Race and Color in Islam, New York, 1971, pp. 74–6.Google Scholar

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77 Nujūm, VI, pp. 789–90,Google Scholar VII, pp. 347–50; Ḍaw,' III, pp. 24–5.Google Scholar

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81 Nujūm, VII, p. 791;Google ScholarAnonymous: Ḥawliyāt, pp. 49–50.Google Scholar

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83 Nujūm, VI, pp. 330, 779.Google Scholar

84 Nujūm, VI, p. 500.Google Scholar

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86 For examples, see James, B. G.: Business Wargames, Tunbridge Wells, 1984;Google ScholarRinger, R. J.: Winning Through Intimidation, Los Angeles, 1973.Google Scholar See also the Japanese manual on swordsmanship and strategy, said to be consulted by Wall Street executives— Musashi, Miyatomo: A Book of Five Rings, London, 1974.Google Scholar