Rise of Mamluk Power in Egypt (1240s)

Name: Rise of Mamluk Power in Egypt (1240s)
Start: 1240
End: 1249

Type Event Region Asia Time 1240–1249

In the 1240s, Mamluk corps rose sharply in Ayyubid Egypt through wars against the crusaders and Mongols, laying the groundwork for the 1250 coup.

Timeline

1240–1244Cairo · EgyptAyyubid Sultan as-Salih Ayyub relied on Mamluk slave soldiers purchased from the Kipchak steppe, forming the elite 'Bahri Mamluks' guard. In the 1240s these corps gradually replaced traditional tribal forces as Egypt's military mainstay and began to have a voice in palace politics.
1244La Forbie · LevantIn 1244, the Egypt–Syria coalition crushed the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the main crusader forces at La Forbie, with Mamluk cavalry distinguishing itself. The battle destroyed crusader military power in the East and prompted King Louis IX of France to launch the Seventh Crusade against Egypt in 1248, indirectly accelerating the rise of Mamluk power.
1249Damietta · EgyptIn 1249, King Louis IX of France landed in the Nile Delta with the Seventh Crusade and captured Damietta. Sultan as-Salih Ayyub died of illness; his wife Shajar al-Durr and Mamluk commanders such as Baybars organized resistance, confronting the crusaders along the Mansura front, whereby the Mamluk military aristocracy established itself as Egypt's de facto guardians.

The New Cambridge Medieval History, Vol. 5: c.1198–c.1300 — David Abulafia (ed.) (1999)
A History of the Crusades, Vol. 2: The Later Crusades, 1189–1311 — Kenneth M. Setton (ed.) (1969)