Ayyubid Dynastic Infighting in Egypt

Timeline

1. 1238–1240Cairo · CairoAfter Sultan al-Kamil died, his son al-Adil II and his half-brother al-Salih Ayyub contested the Egyptian throne. Al-Adil II briefly held Cairo, but his rule was weak, and dynastic splits and defections kept Egypt politically unstable.
2. 1240–1245Cairo · CairoAl-Salih Ayyub marched south from Mesopotamia via Syria, seized Cairo in 1240, and deposed al-Adil II. He greatly expanded the Khwarazmian mercenaries and Mamluk troops (the Bahriyya regiment) to counterbalance rival princes and Syrian Ayyubid emirs.
3. 1244–1249Egypt-Levant frontier · EgyptEgyptian infighting did not weaken al-Salih's offensive against the Crusaders; instead, he deployed Khwarazmian forces in the Levant to establish authority. After the fall of Jerusalem and the great victory at La Forbie in 1244, al-Salih continued contending with Syrian princes until his death in 1249, still facing pressures at court and on the frontiers.