African Kingdoms

Ayyubid Dynasty
AD 1171 - 1252

Taking Egypt from the Ikhshidite Amirs, Saladdin (pr. S.alâh.udDîn), later defeated and drove the Crusaders from Jerusalem, and set up his sons and relatives in several subsidiary lines, in Damascus, Aleppo, Hims, Hamat, Diyar Bakr, and Yemen.

Most of these were ended by 1260 by the Mamelukes or fell to the Mamelukes after the Mongol conquest. The line in Hamat was a little more durable, only falling to the Mamelukes in 1332, and the line in Diyar Bakr, with some interruptions, survived until conquest by the White Sheep Turks in the later fifteenth century.

Although originally ruling from Egypt, Saladdin spent the last years of his life fighting in Syria and Palestine and was buried in Damascus, next to the Omayyad (Umayyad) Mosque. The Ayyubid family still survives in Lebanon and retains Saladin's sword.

1169 - 1193

an Nasir I Salahud Din (Saladdin)

Also Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Ruled Damascus until 1186.

1186

Damascus is ruled by an Ayyubid relative as a subsidiary state.

1193 - 1198

al Aziz (Imad ad Din)

1198 - 1200

al Mansur (Nasir ad Din)

1200 - 1218

al Adil I (Sayf ad Din)

Ruler of Ayyubid Damascus (1196-1201).

1202 - 1204

The Fourth Crusade.

1218 - 1238

al Kamil I (Nasir ad Din)

1220

The Ayyubids conquer Sinjar.

1238 - 1240

al Adil II (Sayf ad Din)

Ruler of Ayyubid Damascus (1238-1239).

1229

Jerusalem is ceded to the Christians at Acre.

1240 - 1249

as Salih II (Najm ad Din)

Ruler of Ayyubid Damascus (1239, 1245-1249). Murdered.

1244

Jerusalem is re-conquered.

1249 - 1250

al Muazzam (Turan-Shah Ghiyat ad Din)

Ruler of Ayyubid Damascus (1249-1250).

1250

Shajar ad Durr

Widow of Najm ad Din.

1250 - 1252

al Ashraf II (Muzaffar ad Din)

Nominally until 1254.

1252

The Sultanate of Egypt is seized by the Mameluke slave-soldier, Aybak. The Abbasids still hold the title of caliph and hold court at Cairo, but are puppets of the Mamelukes.