Saturday, January 28, 2023

2023: Malik, Adam - Malik al-Salih

 Malik, Adam

Malik, Adam (Adam Malik) (July 22, 1917 - September 5, 1984).  Indonesian journalist and politician.  He was active in the nationalist Partindo and Gerindo and in 1937 established the Indonesian news agnecy Antara.  With Tan Malaka he founded the Partai Murba, which he represented in Parliament (1956-1960).  As trade minister under Sukarno, he opposed the growth of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and proposed the establishment of a single-state party in which the PKI would be submerged.  He became one on the leading civilian politicians associated with Suharto’s New Order, as foreign minister (1966-1977) and vice president (1978-1983).  In later years, he was occasionally critical of the New Order’s record on human rights.  

Malik was born in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies to Abdul Malik and Salamah Lubis.  After completing junior high school, he received his first job as a shopkeeper, filling in time by reading books and increasing his knowledge.  Malik quickly developed an interest in politics and at the age of 17 became the Chairman of the Pematang Siantar branch of Partindo (Indonesia Party).  In this position, Malik campaigned for the Dutch Colonial Government to grant independence to Indonesia.  As a result of this, Malik was put in prison for disobeying the Colonial Government's ban on political assemblies.  Once he was freed, Malik left Pematang Siantar for Jakarta.

After leaving hometown, Malik pursued a job as a journalist.  He wrote for Partindo's Party Magazine and Pelita Andalas Newspaper.  In 1937, along with like-minded colleagues, Malik formed ANTARA.  ANTARA would develop to become Indonesia's national news agency.  

Malik played an important role in the events leading up to Indonesia's Declaration of Independence.  On August 16, 1945, Malik and other pro-Independence youths kidnapped Nationalist movement leaders, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta.  They took the two leaders to the town of Rengasdengklok and forced them to declare Indonesia's independence to fill the vacuum left by the Japanese Occupational Forces which had surrendered.  Sukarno and Hatta finally declared Indonesia's independence, on August 17, 1945.  The two were also elected as Indonesia's first President and Vice President.  After Indonesia's independence, Malik formed the Murba Party and used it as a platform to become a Parliament member.  Malik also served as the Third Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Central National Committee (KNIP).  

After becoming a journalist and a politician, Malik took up the duties of diplomat.  In 1959, he was appointed ambassador to the Soviet Union and Poland.  This was followed in 1962 by an appointment as Chairman of the Indonesian Delegation for the negotiations to hand over West Irian to Indonesia.  He then served as Minister for Trade before being appointed Minister for the Implementation of the Guided Economy in Sukarno's Cabinet.  

With Sukarno being increasingly influenced by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in his policies, Malik set up the Preservation of Sukarnoism Body (BPS).  This organization aimed to translate Sukaroist ideas in a non-Communist sense and to use the name Sukarno to criticise the PKI.  Sukarno was not oblivious to this and banned BPS in 1965.  Together with General Abdul Haris Nasution and Ruslan Abdulgani, Malik was despised by the PKI for his anti-Communist stance.

1966 was the year which saw Sukarno lose his executive powers as he passed them over to Lieutenant General Suharto through a presidential decree known as Supersemar.  Although Sukarno continued to keep the title of President, all the de facto power was in the hands of Suharto.  A Cabinet reshuffle followed in which Malik took up the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Malik, together with Suharto and Hamengkubuwono IX formed a triumvirate as they sought to reverse Sukarno's policies.

As Foreign Affairs Minister, Malik conducted trips to Western Countries to reschedule debt payments.  Malik also quit the Murba Party that year to put himself more in line with the new regime's more open economic policies.  The Murba Party having been a party that rejected foreign investments.  In 1967, Malik, together with the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore would officially form ASEAN in a bid to form a united front in the face of Communist expansion in Vietnam.

With Suharto finally elected as President in 1968, Malik continued to serve as the Foreign Affairs Minister.  In 1970, Malik solidified his position with the regime by officially joining Golkar.  Malik would also represent Indonesia and deputize for Suharto in summits with Suharto not showing much interest in foreign policy in the first years of his Presidency.  

As Foreign Affairs Minister, Malik had had differences with Suharto's ABRI Generals such as General Maraden Panggabean over the way in which Indonesia should approach its Foreign Policy in Southeast Asia.  The Generals wanted Indonesia and its regional neighbors in ASEAN to have a closer security cooperation which in effect.  The Generals were also in favor of sending Indonesian troops to help the South Vietnamese in the Vietnam War.  On the other hand, Malik insisted that ASEAN should only be about economic, not military cooperation.  In this he was supported by Suharto.  Malik also adopted a softer stance towards the People's Republic of China which the Suharto regime saw as supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).  

In 1971, Malik was chosen as President of the United Nations General Assembly.  

Malik was briefly involved in the crisis that would lead to the invasion of East Timor.  Malik had assured an East Timorese delegation led by Jose Ramos-Horta that Indonesia would not be involved in the crisis in East Timor.  Suharto at first supported this stance towards East Timor.  However, in 1975, was convinced by his generals to intervene and invade.

In 1977, Malik was replaced as Foreign Minister as he took on the Chairmanship of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Malik's stint as MPR Chairman would not last long.  In March 1978, Suharto was elected President for a third term and expected Hamengkubuwono IX to continue as Vice President.  As it turned out, Hamengkubuwono refused to be nominated.  After considering some alternative candidates, Suharto chose Malik to be his Vice President.

In his position as Vice President, Malik was not afraid to criticize the Government.  In 1979, he admitted that the current regime had violated the spirit of the 1945 constitution.  He also criticized the increasing feudalism in the regime.  A reference to Suharto, who acted in the manner of a feudal Javanese king.  In 1981, Malik commented on the corruption in the regime, referring to it as an "epidemic."

In 1982, Malik received the Dag Hannarskjold Award from the United Nations.  He was also recognized as a National Hero of Indonesia.

In 1983, Malik's term as Vice President came to an end and he was replaced by Umar Wirahadikusumah.  

Malik died on September 5, 1984, in Bandung, West Java, as a result of liver cancer.  He was married to Nelly and had four sons and one daughter.


Adam Malik see Malik, Adam



Malik Ahmad Bahri
Malik Ahmad Bahri.  First independent ruler of the Nizam Shahi sultanate of Ahmadnagar in the Deccan (r.1490-1509).
Bahri, Malik Ahmad see Malik Ahmad Bahri.


Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-
Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al- (Sayf al-Din al-Malik al-‘Adil) (al-Malik al-Adil Sayf al-Din Abu-Bakr ibn Ayyub) (Al-Adil I) (June 1145-1218).  Ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty who ruled in Egypt (1200- 1218) and in Damascus (1196-1218).  Called Saphadin by the Crusaders, he was the brother, assistant, and spiritual heir of Saladin.  In 1207, he distributed his provinces between his sons: al-Malik al-Kamil in Egypt, al-Mu‘azzam in Damascus, al-Ahwad and al-Ashraf in al-Jazira and Diyarbakr, himself moving from place to place as circumstances required.

Malik al-'Adil was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish descent.  From his honorific "Sayf al-Din," he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin."  He was a son of Najm ad-Din Ayyub and a younger brother of Saladin.  He was born in June 1145, probably in Damascus.  He first achieved distinction as an officer in Nur ad-Din's army during his uncle Shirkuh's third and final campaign in Egypt (1168-1169).  Following Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Malik al-'Adil governed Egypt on behalf of his brother Saladin and mobilized that country's vast resources in support of his brother's campaigns in Syria and his war against the Crusaders (1175-1183).

In 1176, Malik al-'Adil suppressed the revolt of the Christian Copts of the Egyptian city of Qift and hanged nearly 3000 of them on the trees around the city.

Malik al-'Adil was governor of Aleppo (1183-1186) but returned to administer Egypt during the Third Crusade (1186-1192).  As governor of Saladin's northern provinces (1192-1193), he suppressed the revolt of 'Izz Al-Din of Mosul following Saladin's death (March 1193), and played the role of kingmaker during the succession dispute among Saladin's sons Al-Aziz Uthman and Al-Afdal (1193-1196).  He was named governor of

Damascus and used this base to expand his power, and championed the faction opposed to Al-Afdal's inept rule following Al-Aziz's death in 1198.  Although he was closely besieged in Damascus in 1199, Malik al-'Adil defeated Al-Afdal at the Battle of Bilbeis in January of 1200.  After this victory, he was proclaimed Sultan and ruled wisely and well over both Egypt and Syria for nearly two decades, promoting trade and good relations with the Crusader states (1200-1217).  He took the field again on hearing news of the Fifth Crusade, despite his advanced age (1217), and organized the defenses of Egypt and Palestine.  He fell ill and died while on campaign (August 1218) and was succeeded by his son Malik al-Kamil.

A gifted and effective administrator and organizer, Malik al-'Adil provided crucial military and civilian support for Saladin's great campaigns (an early example of the great minister of war).  He was also a capable general and strategist in his own right, and the foundation and persistence of the Ayyubid state was as much his achievement as it was Saladin's.  


Sayf al-Din al-Malik al-'Adil  see Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-
'Adil, Sayf al-Din al-Malik al- see Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-
Al-Adil I see Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-
Malik al-Adil Sayf al-Din Abu-Bakr ibn Ayyub, al- see Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-
Saphadin see Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-
Adil I, Al- see Malik al-‘Adil, Sayf al-Din al-



Malik al-Kamil I
Malik al-Kamil I (Nasir al-Din al-Malik al-Kamil I) (al-Malik al-Kamel Naser al-Din Abu al-Ma'ali Muhammed)
(1177/1180-1238).  Ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty (1218-1238).  The eldest son of al-Malik al-‘Adil, he became viceroy of Egypt in 1207 and, at his father’s death, sultan of Egypt and supreme head of the Ayyubid realm.  During the fifth Crusade, the Franks took Damietta in 1219 but, with the help of his brothers al-Malik al-Mu‘azzam and al-Malik al-Ashraf I, al-Kamil forced them to surrender in 1221.  The second period of al-Kamil’s reign was marked by the struggle for the leadership with al-Mu ‘azzam and al-Ashraf.  In 1227, al-Kamil offered much of Saladin’s conquests to Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen in exchange for the Crusaders’ withdrawal from Egypt.  The Emperor then landed at Acre in 1228.  The famous treaty which delivered Jerusalem to the Franks was signed in 1229.

Malik al-Kamil was the son of sultan al-Adil, a brother of Saladin.  In 1218, al-Kamil led the defense during the Siege of Damietta against the Fifth Crusade, and later that year became sultan when his father died.  In 1219, he was almost overthrown by a conspiracy among Coptic Christians, and considered fleeing to Yemen until the conspiracy was put down by his brother al-Mu'azzam, governor of Damascus.

Malik al-Kamil made many offers of peace to the Crusaders, all of which were rejected, due to the influence of the papal legate Pelagius.  He offered to return Jerusalem and rebuild its walls (which his brother had torn down earlier in the year), and to return the True Cross (which he probably did not have).  At one point, he even negotiated with Francis of Assisi, who had accompanied the crusade, and who apparently tried to convert the sultan.

Due to famine and disease after the Nile failed to flood, Malik al-Kamil could not defend Damietta and it was captured in November of 1219.  The sultan withdrew to al-Mansourah, a fortress further up the Nile.  After this there was little action until 1221, when Malik al-Kamil offered peace again, but was again refused.  The Crusaders marched out towards Cairo, but al-Kamil simply opened the dams and allowed the Nile to flood, and finally the Crusaders accepted an eight-year peace.  He retook Damietta in September.

In the following years, there was a power struggle with his brother al-Mu'azzam, and al-Kamil was willing to accept a peace with emperor and King of Sicily, Frederick II, who was planning the Sixth Crusade.  Al-Mu'azzam died in 1227, eliminating the need for a peace, but Frederick had already arrived.  After al-Mu'azzam's death, Malik al-Kamil and his older brother al-Ashraf Khalil negotiated a treaty giving all of Palestine (including Transjordan) to Malik al-Kamil and Syria to al-Ashraf.  In February of 1229, Malik al-Kamil negotiated a ten-year peace with Frederick II and returned Jerusalem and other holy sites to the Crusader kingdom.

The treaty of 1229 is unique in the history f the Crusades.  By diplomacy alone and without major military confrontation, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and a corridor running to the sea were ceded to the kingdom of Jerusalem.  Exception was made for the Temple area, the Dome of the Rock, and the Aqsa Mosque, which the Muslims retained.  Moreover, all Muslim residents f the city would retain their homes and property.  They would also have their own city officials to administer a separate justice system and safeguard their religious interests.  The walls of Jerusalem, which had already been destroyed, were not rebuilt, and the peace was to last for ten years.

Nevertheless, many Muslims were still opposed to this treaty, as were many Christians, including the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who placed an interdict over the holiest city in Christianity -- an interdict which Frederick summarily ignored. After this there was peace with the Crusaders, but al-Kamil had to contend with the Seljuks and the Khwarezmians before he died in 1238.

The sons of Malik al-Kamil, as-Salih Ayyub and al-Adil II, succeeded him in Syria and Egypt respectively, but the Ayyubid empire soon descended into civil war.  In 1239, the treaty with Frederick expired, and Jerusalem came under Ayyubid control.

The Crusades of 1239 to 1241, under Thibaut IV of Champagne and Richard of Cornwall, brought about the return to Christendom of the city as well as other lost territories through negotiation.  However, in 1244, an alliance of Jerusalem and Damascus failed to prevent the capture and sack of Jerusalem by Khwarezmians with Egyptian aid.  All the diplomatic gains of the preceding years were lost.  Once again the Christians were confined to a thin strip of ports along the Mediterranean coast.

Nasir al-Din al-Malik al-Kamil I see Malik al-Kamil I
Kamil, Nasir al-Din al-Malik al- see Malik al-Kamil I
Malik al-Kamel Naser al-Din Abu al-Ma'ali Muhammed, al- see Malik al-Kamil I
Muhammed, al-Malik al-Kamel Naser al-Din Abu al-Ma'ali see Malik al-Kamil I



Malik al-Kamil II
Malik al-Kamil II (Nasir al-Din al-Malik al-Kamil II).  Ayyubid ruler of Mayyafariqqin (r.1244-1260).  He was the son of al-Malik al-Muzaffar Shihab al-Din, the Ayyubid ruler of Mayyafariqqin, and a nephew of al-Malik al-Kamil (I).  Brought with his brother al-Ashraf before the Il-Khan Hulegu, the latter killed them both personally.


Nasir al-Din al-Malik al-Kamil see Malik al-Kamil II
Kamil, Nasir al-Din al-Malik al- see Malik al-Kamil II



Malik al-Mu‘azzam
Malik al-Mu‘azzam (Sharaf al-Din ‘Isa al-Malik al-Mu‘azzam) (al-Mu'azzam 'Isa Sharaf ad-Din) (1180-1227).  Ayyubid ruler of Damascus (1218-1227).  He was a son of al-Malik al-‘Adil and brother of al-Malik al-Kamil I.  He concurred in the latter’s policy in Palestine, but later struggled with him to secure his own position in Syria.

The son of Sultan al-Malik al-'Adil and the nephew of Saladin, founder of the dynasty, al-Mu'azzam was installed by his father as governor of Damascus in 1201.  After his father's death in 1218, al-Mu'azzam ruled the Ayyubid lands in Syria in his own name, down to his own death in 1227.  He was succeeded by his son, an-Nasir Dawud.  
Sharaf al-Din 'Isa al-Malik al-Mu'azzam see Malik al-Mu‘azzam
Mu'azzam, Sharaf al-Din 'Isa al-Malik al- see Malik al-Mu‘azzam
Mu'azzam 'Isa Sharaf ad-Din, al- see Malik al-Mu‘azzam



Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Dawud, al-
Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Dawud, al- (b. 1205).  Ayyubid ruler of Damascus (1227-1229).  His uncles al-Malik al-Kamil of Egypt and al-Malik al-Ashraf of Diyarbakr opposed him and divided the Ayyubid Empire between themselves.  After a three months’ siege of Damascus, al-Nasir had to yield.  He nevertheless remained loyal to al-Malik al-Kamil when the other Ayyubids combined against him.  During the following years he was harassed, put under arrest and not admitted into Baghdad.



Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, al-
Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, al- (An-Nasir Yusuf) (1228-1260).  Last Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo (r.1236-1260) and Damascus (r.1250-1260).  Until 1242, the regency was in the hands of his grandmother, Dayfa Khatun, and the period until 1251 saw the ascendancy of the amir Shams al-Din Lu’lu’ al-Amini.  These two periods were successful, but by the time the Mongols appeared in Syria, al-Nasir’s regime was on the verge of disintegration.  In 1260, the Il-Khan Hulegu captured and sacked Aleppo.  Al-Nasir abandoned Damascus, fled to Gaza but lost his nerve and surrendered to the Mongols.  After the Mongols were defeated at ‘Ayn Jalut in 1260, Hulegu put him to death.

The great grandson of Saladin, Malik al-Nasir became the Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo when he was seven years old after the death of his father al-Aziz.  His grandmother Daifah Khatun, daughter of al-Adil I, was his regent until her death in 1242.

When the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt as-Salih Ayyub died and his son Turanshah was murdered by the Bahri Mamelukes of Egypt, Shajar al-Durr (widow of as-Salih Ayyub) seized the throne of Egypt (in 1250). Malik al-Nasir, being an Ayyubid, refused to recognize Shajar al-Durr as the Sultana of Egypt and, as a sign of support, the Emirs of Syria granted him the city of Damascus, in Syria.

Alarmed by these developments, the Mameluke leaders in Egypt decided to replace Shajar al-Durr with the Atabek (commander-in-chief) Aybak.  In October 1250, Malik al-Nasir sent forces to Gaza to conquer Egypt and overthrow Aybak, but Egyptian forces led by Faris ad-Din Aktai defeated them.

In January 1251, Malik al-Nasir led another army to Egypt and clashed with Aybak's army in a significant battle that resulted in the defeat of Malik al-Nasir.  He fled back to Damascus, though some of his soldiers who could reach Cairo spread the initial impression inside Egypt that Malik al-Nasir had won the battle.  Later, when the news of Aybak's ultimate victory arrived, the soldiers and their commanders were arrested, and Aybak sent back the soldiers, some 3,000 in number, to Damascus on the backs of donkeys.

In 1253, through mediation of some Emirs, an accord was reached between Malik al-Nasir and Aybak which gave the Egyptians control over Gaza, Jerusalem, Nablus, and the coastline of al-Sham.  By 1254, another power shift occurred in Egypt, as Aybak killed Faris ad-Din Aktai, the leader of the Bahri Mamelukes.  Some of his Mamelukes, among them Baybars al-Bunduqdari and Qalawun al-Alfi, fled to Malik al-Nasir in Syria, persuading him to break the accord and invade Egypt.  Aybak wrote to Malik al-Nasir warning him of the dangerr of these Mamelukes who took refuge in Syria, and agreed to grant him their territorial domains on the coast, but Malik al-Nasir refused to expel them and instead returned to them the domains which Aybak had granted.

In 1255, Malik al-Nasir sent new forces to the Egyptian border, this time with many of Aktai's Mamelukes, among them Baybars al-Bunduqdari, and Qalawun al-Alfi, but he was defeated again.  

Malik al-Nasir had contact and correspondence with the European Crusaders, and tried to reach an accord with the barons of Acre.  He indirectly suggested to King Louis IX of France the possibility of surrendering Jerusalem to Louis, in return for assistance in conquering Egypt.  But Louis, who had already lost an army in Egypt during the Seventh Crusade and was still trying to free his imprisoned soldiers, was not willing yet to make such a deal.  Louis did, however, send his royal armorer to Damascus to purchase materials to make crossbows, and in 1224, Malik al-Nasir signed a truce with the Crusaders.

The Egyptian ruler Aybak was murdered in 1257 and his young son al-Mansur Ali, only fifteen years old, became the new sultan, with Qutuz as vice-sultan.  The following year (in 1258) the Mongols led by Hulegu Khan sacked Baghdad.

Baybars al-Bunduqdari argued that Malik al-Nasir should mobilize his army and make preparations to fight the Mongols who were marching towards Syria.  However, instead Malik al-Nasir sent his son al-Malik al-Aziz with a present to Hulegu, requesting Hulegu's assistance in invading Egypt.  Hulegu's response, however, was simply a warning that Malik al-Nasir should quickly submit to Mongol authority.  This answer frightened Malik al-Nasir who at once sent a message to Egypt, requesting help.  Saif ad-Din Qutuz, the vice Sultan of Egypt decided to confront the Mongols.  Arguing that Egypt could not face the approaching danger while ruled by a young boy, Qutuz prcclaimed himself Sultan, and began to raise a large army, though he assured Malik al-Nasir that his action was only a temporarily measure until the danger of the Mongols was overcome.

As the Mongols marched toward Aleppo, some of Malik al-Nasir's advisors recommended surrendering to Hulegu as the best solution.  This angered Baybars and his Mamelukes who attempted to assassinate Malik al-Nasir.  However, Malik al-Nasir escaped and fled with his brother to the castle in Damascus, also sending his wife, son, and money to Egypt.  Many f the citizens of Damascus also fled to Egypt.

The Mongols arrived in Aleppo in December 1259.  Turanshah, the uncle of Malik al-Nasir, refused to surrender.  After a siege of seven days, the Mongols stormed Aleppo and massacred its population for another five days.  Turanshah fled the city but died a few days later.  When the news of the sack of Aleppo reached Malik al-Nasir, he and his army fled towards Gaza on January 31, stopping in Nablus for several days and leaving a contingent which may have been intended as a rearguard.  After the capture of Damascus, some of the Mongol troops raided Palestine, and fought with Malik al-Nasir's troops in the olive groves of Nablus, defeating the entire force.

Damascus fell to the hands of the Mongols, under general Kitbuqa, 16 days after the sack of Aleppo.  The Emirs of Damascus surrendered without resistance.  

Once arriving at the border with Egypt, some Emirs of Malik al-Nasir abandoned him and joined Qutuz.  Malik al-Nasir, his son al-Aziz, and his brother al-Zahir were abducted in Gaza by one of his servants and were sent to Hulegu.  Malik al-Nasir and his brother were executed after Hulegu heard the news of the defeat of the Mongol army at Ayn Jalut by an Egyptian army led by Qutuz and Baybars on September 3, 1260.


An-Nasir Yusuf see Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, al-
Nasir Yusuf, An- see Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, al-
Yusuf, An-Nasir see Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, al-
Yusuf, al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din  see Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, al-



Malik al-Salih, ‘Imad al-Din al-
Malik al-Salih, ‘Imad al-Din al- (‘Imad al-Din al-Malik al-Salih) (1202-1250).  Ayyubid ruler in Damascus (r.1237-1238 and 1239-1245).  A son of al-Malik al-‘Adil, he repeatedly allied himself with the Khwarazm-Shahs and with the Crusaders out of selfish ambition.
'Imad al-Din al-Malik al-Salih see Malik al-Salih, ‘Imad al-Din al-



Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-
Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al- (Najm al-Din al-Malik al-Salih) (al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub) (Abu al-Fituh) (c.1207 - November 22, 1249).  Ayyubid ruler of Egypt (r.1240-1249).  The eldest son of al-Malik al-Kamil I, he strengthened his position by the formation of a corps of Mamelukes who in the end were to bring about the fall of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt.

In 1221, Malik al-Salih became a hostage at the end of the Fifth Crusade, while John of Brienne became a hostage of Malik al-Salih's father al-Kamil, until Damietta was reconstructed and restored to Egypt.  In 1232, Malik al-Salih was given Hisn Khayfa in the Jazirah (northern Iraq), which his father had captured from the Ortoqids.  In 1234, his father sent him to rule Damascus, removing him from the succession in Egypt after suspecting him of conspiring against him with the Mamelukes.  His uncle as-Salih Ismail soon expelled him from Damascus, and he fled to the Jazirah, where he allied with the Khwarezmians.

In 1238, al-Kamil died and was succeeded by his son al-Adil, Malik al-Salih's brother.  By 1240, Malik al-Salih had overthrown him and taken control of Egypt.  In 1244, the Khwarezmians sacked Jerusalem, which had been handed over to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor by al-Kamil during the Sixth Crusade. Later that year Malik al-Salih and the Khwarezmians defeated Malik al-Salih's uncle in Syria, who had allied with the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, at the Battle of La Forbie.  In 1245, Malik al-Salih captured Damascus, and was awarded the title of sultan by the caliph al-Musta'sim in Baghdad.  The next year the combined forces of the Ayyubids defeated the unruly Khwarezmians, who no longer recognized Malik al-Salih as their lord.

In 1249, Louis IX of France invaded Egypt on the Seventh Crusade, and occupied Damietta.  Malik al-Salih was away fighting his uncle in Syria, but quickly returned and encamped at al-Mansourah, where he died after having his leg amputated in an attempt to save his life from a serious abscess affliction in November.  Malik al-Salih's heir, al-Muazzam Turanshah, was far away in Hasankeyf, and his widow, Shajar al-Durr, hid his death until Turanshah arrived.  Nevertheless, the Mamelukes, whom Malik al-Salih had mostly recruited from the Kipchak Turks, gained power in Egypt, and were ultimately responsible for defeating the crusade.  Their dynasty, the Bahri dynasty, was named after their barracks on an island in the Nile (Bahr al-Nil).  The Bahriyya were also called Salihiyya, after Malik al-Salih.  The Mamelukes did not control Syria, however, and Malik al-Salih was the last Ayyubid to rule a united territory.

Malik al-Salih also purchased a slave who would later become Sultan.  He purchased Qalawun al-Alfi for 1000 dinars.  He was called al-Alfi ("the Thousand-man") because he was bought for a thousand dinars of gold.  Qalawun was an important Sultan in the Bahri dynasty of Mamelukes.


Najm al-Din al-Malik al-Salih see Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-
Salih, Najm al-Din al-Malik al- see Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-
al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub see Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-
Ayyub, al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din see Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-
Abu al-Fituh see Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-
Fituh, Abu al- see Malik al-Salih, Najm al-Din al-



 

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