Baligh ibn Yusuf ibn Tayyi
Baligh ibn Yusuf ibn Tayyi (/ALA-LC: Bāligh ibn Yūsuf ibn Ṭayyiʾ) was the Arab commander (muqaddam) of the halqa (non-mamluk) regiment of the fortress of al-Karak in the mid-14th century under the Mamluks. He was a key backer of Sultan an-Nasir Ahmad (r. 1342) during the latter's brief reign. However, he ultimately betrayed an-Nasir Ahmad after being recruited by the latter's brother and usurper of the throne, as-Salih Ismail in 1344.
Biography
[edit]Baligh is rarely mentioned in Mamluk chronicles.[1] His surname "Tayyi" indicates that he was a member of the Tayyid tribe of Banu Rabi'ah, though it is not known if he belonged to the Al Fadl or Al Mira branch.[2] While the Banu Rabi'ah was the most dominant tribe in Mamluk Syria, the area around al-Karak was dominated by the Banu Uqba.[2] During the power struggle following the death of Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad (r. 1310–1341), Baligh was one of the main backers of the sultan's al-Karak-based son, an-Nasir Ahmad. The Mamluk historian al-Maqrizi wrote that Baligh was Ahmad's "most important confidant among the people of al-Karak",[3] whose Arab inhabitants were a well-spring of support for Ahmad.[4] Ahmad eventually gained the sultanate and moved the Mamluk throne from Cairo to al-Karak.[4] Baligh officially served as the muqaddam (commander) of the halqa (non-mamluk) regiment in al-Karak's fortress. The regiment consisted of Bedouin tribesmen and locals from the al-Sharat mountains.[3]
While Ahmad ruled from al-Karak, the Mamluks in Egypt had him replaced with his half-brother, as-Salih Ismail.[4] Hoping to be rewarded for his loyalty, Baligh continued to support Ahmad during the numerous Mamluk campaigns against al-Karak.[1] On 30 August 1343, Baligh was wounded in the leg during one of the Mamluk expeditions against Ahmad.[5] However, as Ahmad's "wealth came to depletion", Baligh "began to work upon him", according to al-Maqrizi.[1] Baligh began communications with Ismail via the Mamluk emirs besieging al-Karak.[1] The latter could not be captured because of the resistance of Baligh's Arab troops throughout the vicinity.[3] Baligh promised Ismail he could arrange the surrender of al-Karak, writing
All the people in the fortress of al-Karak are my friends and those in the city are my family and kinsfolk. No one among them contradicts me.[3]
Ismail accepted Baligh's offer, giving him a pardon, after which Baligh escaped al-Karak to meet Ismail in Cairo.[1] He arrived with a coterie of supporters on 21 March 1344,[1] and in return for his defection, was granted an iqta (fief) with an annual revenue of 450,000 silver dirhams and the title of amir tablkhana.[6] Baligh left Cairo three days later and proceeded to facilitate the surrender of al-Karak and Ahmad to Ismail's troops on 5 July 1344.[1] In August, Baligh and a certain Isa ibn Hasan were arrested on charges of involvement in the murder of a camel merchant in Cairo named Hasan ibn al-Radini.[5] The na'ib of Cairo sought to punish them by bastinado, but they managed to have the punishment delayed pending further investigation.[6] Afterward, they used their influence with some Mamluk emirs, who successfully lobbied for their release.[6] This was the final time Baligh was mentioned in Mamluk sources.[5]
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Bauden, Frederic (2004). "The Recovery of Mamluk Chancery Documents in an Unsuspected Place". In Winter, Michael; Levanoni, Amalia (eds.). The Mamluks in Egyptian and Syrian Politics and Society. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9004132864.
- Milwright, Marcus (2008). The Fortress of the Raven: Karak in the Middle Islamic Period (1100-1650). Brill. ISBN 9789047432906.