List of Mamluk sultans

The Cairo Citadel, the seat of power of the Mamluk sultans

The following is a list of Mamluk sultans. The Mamluk Sultanate was founded in 1250 by mamluks of the Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub and it succeeded the Ayyubid state. It was based in Cairo and for much of its history, the territory of the sultanate spanned Egypt, Syria and parts of Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia and the Hejaz. The sultanate ended with the advent of the Ottoman Empire in 1517.

There were a total of 47 sultans, although Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad reigned three times, and sultans an-Nasir Hasan, Salah ad-Din Hajji, Barquq and an-Nasir Faraj each reigned twice. The Mamluk period is generally divided into two periods, the Bahri and Burji periods. The Bahri sultans were predominantly of Turkic origins, while the Burji sultans were predominantly ethnic Circassians. While the first three Mamluk sultans, Aybak, his son al-Mansur Ali, and Qutuz, are generally considered part of the Bahri dynasty, they were not part of the Bahriyya mamluk regiment and opposed the political interests of the Bahriyya.^[1] The first sultan to come from the Bahriyya's ranks was Baybars.^[1] The Burji mamluks usurped the throne in 1382 with the accession of Sultan Barquq. The 34th sultan, al-Musta'in Billah, was also the Abbasid caliph and was installed in power by the Burji emirs as a figurehead.^[2]

List of sultans

Salihi Mamluks       Bahri dynasty       Burji dynasty
Number	Royal title	Name	Reign start	Reign end	Ethnicity	Background notes	Coinage
1st	Al-Malik al-Mu'izz	Izz ad-Din Aybak	31 July 1250[3]	10 April 1257[4]	Kipchak	Middle-ranking mamluk of Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub. Married the latter's widow, Shajar ad-Durr, who became sultan on 2 May 1250 until she abdicated in favor of Aybak.[3]
2nd	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Nur ad-Din Ali	15 April 1257[5]	November 1259[5]	Kipchak	Son of Aybak.
3rd	Al-Malik al-Muzaffar	Sayf ad-Din Qutuz	November 1259[5]	24 October 1260[5]	Khwarazmian[6]	A mamluk of Aybak and head of Aybak's mamluk faction, the Mu'izziya,[7] Aybak's chief deputy, and strongman of Ali's sultanate.[8]
4th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Rukn ad-Din Baybars	24 October 1260[5]	1 July 1277[5]	Kipchak (Burch-oghlu)[9]	Bahri mamluk and founder of the Bahri dynasty.[7]
5th	Al-Malik as-Sa'id	Nasir ad-Din Barakah	3 July 1277[5]	August 1279[5]	Kipchak	Son of Baybars and his wife, who was the daughter of Husam ad-Din Baraka Khan, a Khwarazmian warrior chief, after whom Barakah was named.[10][6][11]
6th	Al-Malik al-Adil	Badr ad-Din Salamish	August 1279[5]	November 1279[5]	Kipchak	Son of Baybars.
7th	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Sayf ad-Din Qalawun	November 1279[5]	10 November 1290[5]	Kipchak (Burch-oghlu) [9]	Bahri mamluk and Baybars' chief deputy
8th	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Salah ad-Din Khalil	12 November 1290[5]	12 December 1293[5]	Kipchak	Son of Qalawun.
9th	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Nasir ad-Din Muhammad	14 December 1293[5]	December 1294[5]	Kipchak	Son of Qalawun. First reign.
10th	Al-Malik al-Adil	Zayn ad-Din Kitbugha	December 1294[5]	7 December 1296[5]	Mongol[12]	A mamluk of Qalawun.[12]
11th	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Husam ad-Din Lajin	7 December 1296[5]	16 January 1299[5]	Greek,[12] Prussian,[12] or Circassian[13]	A mamluk of Qalawun.[12] Relative to Rukn ad-Din Baybars al-Jashnakir[13]
12th	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Nasir ad-Din Muhammad	16 January 1299[5]	March 1309[5]	Kipchak	Second reign.
13th	Al-Malik al-Muzaffar	Rukn ad-Din Baybars al-Jashnakir	April 1309[5]	5 March 1310[5]	Circassian[13]	A mamluk of Qalawun.[14] Relative to Husam ad-Din Lajin[13]
14th	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Nasir ad-Din Muhammad	5 March 1310[5]	6 June 1341[5]	Kipchak	Third reign.
15th	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Sayf ad-Din Abu Bakr	8 June 1341[5]	August 1341[15]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and his concubine Narjis.[16] Real power in Abu Bakr's sultanate was held by Qawsun, a mamluk and senior emir of an-Nasir Muhammad.[15]
16th	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Ala'a ad-Din Kujuk	August 1341[17]	21 January 1342[18]	Kipchak and Tatar	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and his Tatar concubine Ardu.[16] An infant when he was made sultan by strongman Qawsun.[15]
17th	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Shihab ad-Din Ahmad	21 January 1342[18]	27 June 1342[19]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and his concubine Bayad, a freed slave girl.[16]
18th	Al-Malik as-Salih	Imad ad-Din Abu'l Fida Isma'il	27 June 1342[18]	3 August 1345[2]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and one of his concubines, unnamed by the sources.[16]
19th	Al-Malik al-Kamil	Sayf ad-Din Sha'ban	3 August 1345[2]	18 September 1346[2]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and one of his concubines, unnamed by the sources (same mother of as-Salih Isma'il).[16]
20th	Al-Malik al-Muzaffar	Sayf ad-Din Hajji	18 September 1346[2]	10 December 1347[2]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and one of his other unnamed concubines.[16]
21st	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Badr ad-Din Hasan	December 1347	21 August 1351[2]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and his concubine Kuda, who died in Hasan's infancy. First reign. Hasan acceded to the sultanate as a young child and real power was shared by four senior emirs, Shaykhu an-Nasiri, Taz an-Nasiri, Manjak al-Yusufi and Baybugha al-Qasimi. Hasan was toppled when he challenged their power.
22nd	Al-Malik as-Salih	Salah ad-Din Salih	21 August 1351[2]	20 October 1354[2]	Kipchak	Son of an-Nasir Muhammad and his wife Qutlumalik, daughter of Emir Tankiz al-Husami.[16]
23rd	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Badr ad-Din Hasan	20 October 1354[2]	16 March 1361[2]	Kipchak	Second reign. He was killed by Emir Yalbugha al-Umari.[2]
24th	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Salah ad-Din Muhammad	17 March 1361[2]	29 May 1363[2]	Kipchak	Son of Hajji. Real power was held by Emir Yalbugha al-Umari, who toppled him.[2]
25th	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Zayn ad-Din Sha'ban (Sha'ban II)	29 May 1363[2]	15 March 1377[2]	Kipchak	Son of al-Amjad Husayn (d. 21 January 1363), the last surviving son of an-Nasir Muhammad who never reigned,[20] and Khawand Baraka.[21]
26th	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Ala'a ad-Din Ali	15 March 1377[2]	19 May 1381[2]	Kipchak	Son of Sha'ban II. Was an infant during his accession, and real power was initially held by emirs Ibek and Qartay until the latter was ousted by the former. Ibek was later killed and power passed to Barquq, a former mamluk of Yalbugha an-Nasiri.
27th	Al-Malik as-Salih	Salah ad-Din Hajji	19 May 1381[2]	26 November 1382[2]	Kipchak	Son of al-Ashraf Sha'ban. Was an infant during his succession and real power was held by Barquq.
28th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Sayf ad-Din Barquq	26 November 1382[2]	1 June 1389[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Yalbugha al-Umari. Son of Anas, who was brought to Egypt by Barquq in 1381 and converted to Islam. First reign. Established the Burji dynasty.
29th	Al-Malik as-Salih	Salah ad-Din Hajji	1 June 1389[2]	January 1390[2]	Kipchak	Second reign. Installed during a rebellion against Barquq in which the latter was toppled.[2] When Barquq was restored, Hajji was allowed to continue residing in the Cairo Citadel.
30th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Sayf ad-Din Barquq	21 January 1390[2]	20 June 1399[2]	Circassian	Second reign.
31st	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Nasir ad-Din Faraj	20 June 1399[2]	20 September 1405[2]	Circassian	Son of Barquq.[2]
32nd	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Izz ad-Din Abd al-Aziz	20 September 1405[2]	November 1405[2]	Circassian	Son of Barquq.[2]
33rd	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Nasir ad-Din Faraj	November 1405[2]	23 May 1412[2]	Circassian	Second reign.
34th	Al-Malik al-Adil	Al-Musta'in Billah	23 May 1412[2]	6 November 1412[2]	Arab	The Abbasid caliph in Cairo. He was appointed by the Burji emir Shaykh Mahmudi as a figurehead, but then compelled him to abdicate.[2]
35th	Al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad	Shaykh al-Mahmudi	6 November 1412[2]	13 January 1421[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Barquq.
36th	Al-Malik al-Muzaffar	Ahmad	13 January 1421[2]	29 August 1421[2]	Circassian	Son of Shaykh. Was an infant during accession.
37th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Sayf ad-Din Tatar	29 August 1421[2]	30 November 1421[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Barquq[22]
38th	Al-Malik as-Salih	An-Nasir ad-Din Muhammad	30 November 1421[2]	1 April 1422[2]	Circassian	Son of Tatar. Was an infant during accession.[2]
39th	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Sayf ad-Din Barsbay	1 April 1422[2]	7 June 1438[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Barquq.[22] He was a tutor of Muhammad before he toppled him.[2]
40th	Al-Malik al-Aziz	Jamal ad-Din Abu al-Mahasin Yusuf	7 June 1438[2]	9 September 1438[2]	Circassian	Son of Barsbay. Was a child during accession.
41st	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Sayf ad-Din Jaqmaq	9 September 1438[2]	1 February 1453[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Barquq.[22]
42nd	Al-Malik al-Mansur	Fakhr ad-Din Uthman	1 February 1453[2]	15 March 1453[2]	Circassian	Son of Jaqmaq.[2]
43rd	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Sayf ad-Din Inal	15 March 1453[2]	26 February 1461[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Barquq.[22]
44th	Al-Malik al-Mu'ayyad	Shihab ad-Din Ahmad	26 February 1461[2]	28 June 1461[2]	Circassian	Son of Inal.[2]
45th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Sayf ad-Din Khushqadam	28 June 1461[2]	9 October 1467[2]	Greek[2]	A mamluk of Shaykh.[22]
45th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Sayf ad-Din Yalbay	9 October 1467[2]	4 December 1467[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Shaykh.[23]
46th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Timurbugha	4 December 1467[2]	31 January 1468[2]	Greek[24]	A mamluk of Jaqmaq.[22]
47th	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Sayf ad-Din Qa'itbay	31 January 1468[2]	7 August 1496[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Barsbay.[25]
48th	Al-Malik an-Nasir	Muhammad	7 August 1496[2]	31 October 1498[2]	Circassian	Son of Qa'itbay[2]
49th	Al-Malik az-Zahir	Abu Sa'id Qansuh	31 October 1498[2]	30 June 1500[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Qa'itbay.[26]
50th	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Abu al-Nasir Janbalat	30 June 1500[2]	25 January 1501[2]	Circassian	Originally a mamluk of Emir Yashbak min Mahdi, who gave Janbalat to Qa'itbay, who then freed him.[27]
51st	Al-Malik al-Adil	Sayf ad-Din Tumanbay	25 January 1501[2]	20 April 1501[2]	Circassian	A mamluk of Qa'itbay.[28]
52nd	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Qansuh al-Ghawri	20 April 1501[2]	24 August 1516[2]	Circassian	His mamluk origins are unclear, but he was trained in the Ghawr Barracks of Cairo, hence his name "al-Ghawri".[29] Prior to his accession to the sultanate, he was an emir of ten and a provincial governor.[29]
53rd	Al-Malik al-Ashraf	Tumanbay II	17 October 1516[2]	15 April 1517[2]	Circassian	Last Mamluk sultan.

References

1. Northrup 1998, pp. 69–70.
2. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1910). The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, Volume IX. The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company. pp. 101–103.
3. Northrup 1998, p. 69.
4. Northrup 1998, p. 70.
5. Stewart, John (2006). African States and Rulers. McFarland & Company. p. 86. ISBN 9780786425624.
6. Hathaway, Jane (2003). Tale of Two Factions, A: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen. State University of New York Press. pp. 50–52. ISBN 9780791486108.
7. Northrup, ed. Petry 1998, p. 250.
8. Northrup 1998, p. 71.
9. Yosef 2012b, p. 394.
10. Thorau, Peter (1992). The Lion of Egypt: Sultan Baybars I and the Near East in the Thirteenth Century. Longman. p. 261. ISBN 9780582068230.
11. Holt 2004, p. 99.
12. Northrup, ed. Petry 1998, p. 252.
13. Yosef 2012b, p. 396.
14. Tarikh, Volumes 5-6: Peoples and Kingdoms of West Africa in the Pre-Colonial Period. Longman. 1974. p. 9.
15. Drory 2006, p. 20.
16. Bauden 2009, p. 63.
17. Levanoni 1995, p. 102.
18. Drory 2006, p. 24.
19. Drory 2006, p. 28.
20. Holt, eds. Vermeulen and De Smet, p. 319.
21. Al-Harithy, Howayda (2005). "Female Patronage of Mamluk Architecture in Cairo". In Sonbol, Amira El Azhary. Beyond The Exotic: Women's Histories In Islamic Societies. Syracuse University Press. p. 332. ISBN 9780815630555.
22. Garcin, ed. Petry 1998, p. 293.
23. Levanoni, eds. Winter and Levanoni 2004, p. 82.
24. Ali, Abdul (1996). Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization During the Later Medieval Times. M.D. Publications Private Limited. p. 64. ISBN 9788175330085.
25. Garcin, ed. Petry 1998, p. 295.
26. Dobrowolski, Jarosław (2001). The Living Stones of Cairo. American University in Cairo Press. p. 60. ISBN 9789774246326.
27. Mayer, Leo Ary (1933). Saracenic Heraldry: A Survey. Clarendon Press. p. 127.
28. Garcin, ed. Petry 1998, p. 297.
29. Petry 1994, p. 20.

Bibliography

• Bauden, Frédéric (2009). "The Sons of al-Nāṣir Muḥammad and the Politics of Puppets: Where Did It All Start?" (PDF). Mamluk Studies Review (Middle East Documentation Center, The University of Chicago) 13 (1).
• Drory, Joseph (2006). "The Prince who Favored the Desert: Fragmentary Biography of al-Nasir Ahmad (d. 745/1344)". In Wasserstein, David J.; Ayalon, Ami. Mamluks and Ottomans: Studies in Honour of Michael Winter. Routledge. ISBN 9781136579172.
• Garcin, Jean-Claude (1998). "The Regime of the Circassian Mamluks". In Petry, Carl F. The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521068857.
• Winter, Michael; Levanoni, Amalia, eds. (2004). The Mamluks in Egyptian and Syrian Politics and Society. Brill. ISBN 9789004132863.
• Northrup, Linda (1998). From Slave to Sultan: The Career of Al-Manṣūr Qalāwūn and the Consolidation of Mamluk Rule in Egypt and Syria (678-689 A.H./1279-1290 A.D.). Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 9783515068611.
• Northrup, Linda S. (1998). "The Bahri Mamluk sultanate". In Petry, Carl F. The Cambridge History of Egypt, Vol. 1: Islamic Egypt 640-1517. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521068857.
• Petry, Carl F. (1994). Protectors or Praetorians?: The Last Mamluk Sultans and Egypt's Waning as a Great Power. State University of New York Press. ISBN 9780791421406.
• Yosef, Koby (2012b). "Dawlat al-atrāk or dawlat al-mamālīk? Ethnic origin or slave origin as the defining characteristic of the ruling élite in the Mamlūk sultanate". Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) 39: 387–410.