Comparison between Sultan Saladin and Baibars - Essay Example

? Comparison between Sultan Saladin and Baibars Comparison between Sultan Saladin and Baibars After the death of the last Prophet of Muslims, for thousands of years the Islamic world was indulged in a series of jihads to conquer and expand their Muslim territory. Many expeditions were marked by Sultans and Emperors that led their armies with great bravery and zeal. The Muslims conquered three-quarters of the Christian world under the reign of sequential leaders and zealous armies (Madden, 2013). Muslims faced many crusades which were led by less religious motivations and more of greed, politics and territorial expansions. Sultan Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) was the significant leader of the Ayyubid Rule from 1171-1250, and also the first Egyptian leader after the demise of the last Fatimid caliph. The successive period known as the Mamluk Period (1250-1517) was marked by the leadership of Al-Malik Baybars I. Saladin and Baybars are important historic leaders of their time periods and represented intelligently formed armies, great achievements and territorial progressions. Saladin, a Kurd and Baybars, a Turk, were both the famous Muslim leaders of middle Ages who fought valiantly against the crusaders and established glorious Muslim victories in the Middle East. Abu al-Muzaffar Yusuf b. Ayyub known as Salah al-Din which means the Reformer of the Religion was the fundamental founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty. The glorious dynasty ruled over Egypt, upper Iraq, Syria and Yemen for a long period of time. His claim to fame is considered as the capture of Jerusalem from the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187. He also played a crucial role in opposing the crusaders. In his initial years, Saladin was a part of the Syrian military expeditions in Egypt and fought to defend the Fatimid caliphate against the forces of Jerusalem. Saladin came into power and gained prominence when he was appointed as the commander of the Syrian forces. He proclaimed the return of Sunni Islam in 1171. Till 1186, he expanded the Muslim land and combined the lands of Egypt, Syria and Mesopotomia. With unifying major Muslim lands and gaining immense power, Saladin strengthened his grounds for facing the Christian crusaders and their threats (Bowering et al 2013). Saladin was very enthusiastic and religiously motivated while fighting the crusaders to protect the Holy Islamic lands and landmarks. Baha al-Din wrote about Saladin, “In his love for the Jihad on the path of God he shunned his womenfolk, his children, his homeland, his home and all his pleasures, and for this world he was content to dwell in the shade of his tent with winds blowing through left and right” Thus, the writer has narrated that Saladin’s goals and desire for success were of utmost importance to him (Nicolle & Dennis 2011). Saladin ruled for twenty four years out of which he spent eight years in Cairo. He established schools, hospitals and improved infrastructure (Asante, 2002). Saladin was remembered even by his enemies because of his honesty, chivalry and generosity. Unlike other Muslim emperors he was not cruel to his subordinates. He altered tax structure in Egypt supported higher education (Frank N Magill, 1998). It was in his reign that he brought the Mamluk Circassians and Turks from the Black Sea region and they were also allowed to own land, raise families and even gain social prominence (Asante, 2002). The main achievement of Saladin was that he won the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and conquered not only Jerusalem but also much of the Crusader kingdom. In 1187, Saladin announced jihad against the Christians who had invaded the Middle East. The invasion included attempts to conquer the Holy Land. As commander of the Muslim forces, he gathered the Muslim allies, soundly defeated the Christians and regained rule in the city of Jerusalem. His army expressed acts of chivalry and nobility that were highly appreciated and admired by the enemies themselves and was contrasted with the crusaders; brutality. Saladin signed a peace agreement with the King of England Richard the LionHeart in 1192 (Bowering et al 2013). Saladin’s rule over the Muslim world, although marked by chivalry and magnanimity, was quite short-lived and transitory. Jerusalem could not be protected from the Christian crusaders for a long period of time. Moreover, after the demise of the Sultan Saladin, it became evident that despite his political skills and extra-ordinary leadership qualities he was unable to unify Syria and Egypt into one ideological, economic or military unit (Nicolle & Dennis 2011). The weaknesses erupted after his death and the Ayyubid dynasty faced turmoil and disorder. Baybars I, al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Bayars al-Salihi, was born in the year 1223 and was of Mamluk origin, and came from the Black Sea origin (Frank N Magill, 1998). He came into power in Egypt when it was taken over by turmoil and chaos. Mamluk period was marked by tough challenges faced by the nation which included the Mongol invasion, heavy taxations of the military campaigns and the deadly plague (Asante, 2002). Baybars was sold by the Syrian merchants as a slave to the sutlan of Ayyubid Dynasty in Egypt. The time Baybars entered Egypt was a time of political disorder in the Arab world. The Arab world was faced by the fall of the Abbassid dynasty and the invasion of Mongols, hence Ayyubids at that time relied heavily on the slaves to work in the military. Baybars exhibited strong military skills as the head of the Bahriyya regimen, by protecting the Egyptian army from the threats of both the French Crusaders and the Mongols. However, the Mamluk slave troopers started rebellion against the Ayyubid Sultan of that time, Tran Shah. Baybars led the rebel Mamluk toops and he was murdered with the throne given to the first Mamluk Sultan, Aybak. With these strong accomplishments, Baybars was considered a “soldier of fortune”for six years in Syria (Frank N Magill, 1998). Baybars I was made the fourth Mamluk Sultan, and he had gained a history of assassinations and murder of his masters till this time. Baybars I was considerd as a leader of strong personal qualities and was a strict Muslim. He was known as a “fair and able ruler” who was respected by his subordinates. His rule was dominated by war which included nine battles with the Mongols, thirty-eight military campaigns in Syria and five engagements with Syrians. Baybars major achievement was that he secured the protection of Jerusalem and brought about the ultimate doom of the Crusaders. He conducted wars against the Crusaders from 1265 to 1271 which led them out of Arsuf, Safad, Jaffa and Antioch. Baybars also protected Syria from Mongol invasion by refortifying Syria and fighting enthusiastically against the Mongols. Hence he assured the safety of Syria and Egypt (Frank N Magill, 1998). Baybars success was marked by his strong Military expeditions. He imitated Saladin’s military formations and tried to live up to his high standards. His strong and dominating personality also was an important factor in leading his army valliantly. He rebuilt fortifications, warships and arsenals were made, merchant vessels were constructed and Baybars conducted his expeditions with careful planning. His usage of espionage system, better communcations and his basic talent as a field commander also added to his successful military excursions. Baybars was truly a reformer who tried to improve the culture and circumstances of Egypt as well (Frank N Magill, 1998). Baybars was considered as the Napoleon of the Arab world and was the real founder of the Maluk dynasty as well as the savior of the Egypt’s culture and nationality. Saladin and Baybars were both great Muslim leaders who strenghted the Islamic rule during the Middle ages. Like Saladin, Baybars was very religiously motivated and was intolerant to any unorthodoxy within Islam. Both tried to establish the Sunni Islamic rule and fought against the Shiite groups. Although, without any doubt, Saladin is considered as the greatest military Islamic hero of the Arab world but he was not able to establish a strong state on the basis of economy and culutre. Unlike Saladin, Baybars focused on the economic base of the state as well. He established trade relations and signed many important trade treaties (Waterson, 2010). Saladin’s rule was relatively transient and he could not demolish the Crusaders entirely, however Baybars I protected the Holy Land from the Christian Crusaders very strongly and almost eliminated the Crusader threats. Saladin and Baybars I were very important figures in the Islamic history. The two leaders belonged to two different origins and ethnicities, however they shared similar beliefs and motivations. Their goals were to protect the Holy Land and fight against any non-Islamic invasions within their land. They established Arab rule in the heart of the Middle East with their bravery, chivalry and carefully planned battles. They expanded the Islamic land and also protected it against turmoil and chaos. Their achievements were different from each other but the motivation behind these achievements was similar and driven by the same cause. Arab history is highlighted with incidents and accomplishments of Saladin and Baybar who exhibited high standards of military planning, nation building and relations with their enemies in the Middle Ages. References Asante, M. K. (2002). Culture and customs of Egypt. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Nicolle, D., & Dennis, P. (2011). Saladin: Leadership, strategy, conflict. Oxford: Osprey Pub. Magill, F. N. (1998). Dictionary of world biography: Vol. 2. (Dictionary of world biography.) Chicago [etc.]: Fitzroy Dearborn. Bo?wering, G., Crone, P., & Mirza, M. (2013). The Princeton encyclopedia of Islamic political thought. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Madden, T. F. (2013). The concise history of the crusades. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishes, Inc. Waterson, J. (2010). Sacred swords: Jihad in the Holy Land, 1097-1295. Barnsley: Frontline. Read More