History of Mamluk Turkish State in the period of al-Malik al-Aşraf Alāaddin Kujuk Ali (6 August 1341-10 January 1342)

The Mamluk Turkish State is one of the most successful periods of political, administrative, military and economic aspects, at the time of Malik al-Nāsir Muhammad b. Qalāwūn. The sultan succeeded in breaking the authority of the orders which were active in the state to a great extent, and he established a centralized state system. Malik al-Nāsir was a very popular leader in a large part of the territory of Mamluk, especially Cairo. The group of Nasīriyah amīrs that he created in order to form a centralized administration, delayed intervention in the state shortly after his death. These orders, hesitating from the reaction of the people, took their son Abū Bakr in place of his will, and soon they sent him out of the throne. Al-Malik al-Aşraf Alāaddin Kujuk Ali was proclaimed a new sultan by Amir Qawsūn shortly after his brother Abū Bakr. Almost eight months old on the throne, he was under the control of Amir Qawsūn and other Nasīriyah amīrs, who were in the nā’ib al-saltanah (vice-sultan) office during his reign for about five months. Amir Qawsūn was a merchant-based statesman who did not grow up as a mamluk. The intervention of Sultan Alāaddin Kujuk as a nā’ib al-saltanah (vice-sultan) in the state affairs disturbed other leading Nasīriyah amīrs and an authority conflict was born between these orders. This conflict resulted in the imprisonment of Amir Qawsūn and the demotion of Sultan Alāadin Kujuk. In our papers, the history of the Mamluk Turkish State in Sultan Alāaddin Kujuk Ali period, which is often the scene of the conflict of authority between the Nasīriyah amīrs, has been dealt with in detail.

Keywords

Alāaddin Kujuk Ali, Qawsūn, Nasīriyah, authority conflict