The Role of Jerusalem in the Context of the Disruption of the Central Authority in the Ayyubid State in the Period of al-Malik al-Efdal

Abstract

The Ayyubid State (1175-1250) ruled for about a century in a geography stretching from the Middle East, Egypt, Hejaz, al-Jazeera, Yemen to even North Africa, from the last quarter of the XII century to the middle of the XIII century. Selahaddin Eyyubi, who succeeded in establishing the unity of Islam after long efforts, fought the Crusaders on behalf of the Islamic world and recaptured the city of Jerusalem, which was important for the three heavenly religions, in 583/1187. el-Melikü'l-Efdal Nûreddin Ali (565-622/1169-1225) was an important personality both in terms of his place in the family and the role he played in the Crusades during the time of his father, Selahaddin Ayyubî. Both his being the eldest son and his success in the wars with the Crusaders enabled him to be appointed as heir. He sat on the throne of the Ayyubid State after his father's death. However, after he took the throne, some important emirs and scholars beside him were disturbed both by his vizier Ziyâeddin Ibn al-Asir’s interference and his inexperience in the state administration. For these reasons, some of the important individuals who left al-Efdal went to Egypt, that is, to his brother al-Aziz (567-595/1172-1198), and encouraged al-Aziz to take the throne. Thus, al-Aziz started preparing to march on Damascus. Understanding the intentions of al-Aziz over Damascus, al-Efdal wanted to make a treaty between them by giving him Jerusalem, which is important in terms of both spiritual value and prestige. However, with the suggestions of some emirs, he quit giving Jerusalem to his brother. This situation caused the outset of conflict between the two brothers. Conquered during the reign of Selahaddin Ayyubi, Jerusalem unified Syria and Egypt. In the period of al-Efdal, Jerusalem became the cause of separation between the two brothers. As a result of his struggles against his brother, al-Aziz became the head of the state with the support of his uncle and father-in-law al-Âdil. However, after a short while, when al-Aziz died in Cairo in 1198, his young son Mansur replaced him. His uncle, al-Efdal, started to befriend him. However, this time, al-Efdal fought with his uncle, al-Âdil. As a result of these struggles, al-Efdal was defeated by his uncle and had to retreat to Samsat. In this paper, the central authority gap caused by al-Efdal in the Ayyubid State and the role of Jerusalem in the formation of this gap will be discussed.