Al-Durr's life exemplifies the tribulations, rewards, and challenges facing women who get involved in the political power game. She played several roles and held many offices. She was at once slave, concubine, ruler, murderer, nationalist leader, conspirator as well as mother and victim, all rolled into one.
While most historians of the Crusades focus their attention on the great men of the period, including Richard the Lion Heart and Salah El Din Al Ayyoubi (known as Saladin), they largely ignore the political role played by Shajarat Al-Durr (Tree of Pearls). She ruled Egypt during the Sixth Crusade led by Louis IX of France, provided stability for the country and defended it against the invaders.
Al-Durr's Origins and Rise to Power
Shajarat Al-Durr, a woman of Turkish or Circassian extraction, was sold into slavery and became a slave in the harem of Sultan Al-Salih Najm Al-Din Ayyub. She later became his wife and the mother of his son Turanshah. When her husband died in 1249, she gave orders that he be buried in secret, concealing the fact of his death from the world. She stopped his officials from going into his chamber and ordered food to be brought into his room every day, to give the impression that he was still alive. In this way, she succeeded in preserving the stability of the country and avoiding any conflict over succession.
Egypt Under Attack by the Sixth Crusade led by Louis IX
The most serious challenge facing Egypt in the thirteenth century was the Sixth Crusade which Louis IX led into Egypt. Taking over Damietta, he advanced with his army along the Nile with the intention of reaching and capturing Cairo. Under her directions and leadership, the Egyptian army managed to defeat Louis IX’s forces in February 1250 in Mansoura. The French king was captured and held hostage in a house called Dar Ibn Luqman, until he was later ransomed for a huge sum of money.
Shajarat Al-Durr Rules Egypt for Eighty Days
Shajarat Al-Durr ruled in her own name for eighty days. She was awarded all the accolades given to male rulers. Coins were struck in her name and Friday sermons paid tribute to her. She was the first female Muslim leader to be awarded such honors.
Shajarat Al-Durr Abdicates but Holds on to Political Power
Shajarat Al-Durr, however, faced opposition not only at home but also from abroad. When the Caliph in Baghdad learnt that Egypt was ruled by a woman, he sent her a message telling her that if there were no men left in Egypt, he would send one from Baghdad. Shajarat Al-Durr understood the threat and bowed to the winds blowing against her. She decided to abdicate her position to her new husband, Aybak, hoping to continue to exercise her power under the nominal legitimacy of a male ruler.
Intrigues and Murders in the Egyptian Mamluk Court
But Aybak had a very different agenda. Tired of her authority over him and over Egypt, and trying to consolidate his own, he contemplated marriage to the daughter of Mosul’s ruler. Shajarat Al-Durr was so upset that she decided to murder him. In 1257, she lured her into her bath and ordered her eunuchs to club him to death. In revenge for her deed, his supporters arrested her. She was brutally beaten to death and her body was thrown off the wall of the citadel. Her scattered remains were later collected and buried in a mausoleum.
With a combination of resilience and political shrewdness, Shajarat Al-Durr managed to establish herself as a major player in the power game of her period, which had been the exclusive domain of men. But she was also drawn into the circles of violence and intrigue surrounding high office.
References:
David J. Duncan, “Scholarly Views of Shajarat Al-Durr: A Need for a Consensus.” Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), January 1, 2000.
