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Political Struggles in Damascus

Type Event Region West Asia Time 1131–1140

In the 1130s, Damascus's Burid atabegate was torn by fierce struggles over succession, factional interests, and foreign alliances, leaving the city w…

Timeline

  1. 1131–1132Damascus · DamascusAfter Buri succeeded Tughtigin, the Damascus court was sharply divided between a pro-Zengi faction and an independence faction. Buri briefly allied with Zengi before falling out with him, and was assassinated at Hims in 1132, marking the outbreak of the Burid succession crisis.
  2. 1132–1136Damascus · DamascusAfter Buri's son Shams al-Muluk Isma'il succeeded to power, he faced fraternal rivalry for the throne and court conspiracies. Zengi seized the opportunity to press Damascus, and in 1135 Isma'il was forced to submit to Zengi, greatly weakening Damascus's independence.
  3. 1136–1140Damascus and Hims · SyriaIn the later 1130s, Damascus struggled to hold on amid Zengi's military threats, crusader pressure on the frontier, and internal factional strife. The regime repeatedly wavered between submitting to Zengi, seeking crusader aid, and independent self-preservation, while the political fragmentation of southern Syria continued.

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