Baibars

Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (Arabic: الْمَلِك الظَّاهِر رُكْن الدِّين بَيْبَرْس الْبُنْدُقْدَارِيّ; 1223/1228 – 30 June 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars (بَيْبَرْس) and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (أَبُو الْفُتُوح, lit. 'Father of Conquests'), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, ruling from 1260 to 1277. He is noted for leading the vanguard of the Mamluk army that inflicted the first substantial defeat of the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut, as well as his successful campaigns against the Crusaders. Through a combination of diplomacy and military action, he ushered in an age of Mamluk dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Of Turkic Kipchak origin, Baybars was sold into slavery during the Mongol invasions and ultimately entered the service of Ayyubid sultan As-Salih Ayyub. He subsequently rose to become a prominent military leader in Egypt. In 1250, he was a commander of the Muslim forces that defeated and captured King Louis IX of France during the Seventh Crusade, and led the group of Mamluks that assassinated sultan Turanshah. Later, he played a significant role in the victory over the invading Mongol army at Ain Jalut and soon thereafter orchestrated the assassination of sultan Qutuz, seizing the throne for himself.

As sultan, Baybars set about asserting Mamluk authority in Syria. After securing the loyalty of Ayyubid emirs, he launched extensive campaigns against the Crusader states, culminating in the capture of Antioch in 1268. He continued to fend off threats from the Mongols by engaging with the Ilkhanate, while forging an alliance with the Golden Horde. In 1276, he launched an expedition into Nubia that concluded with the subjugation of Makuria.