14th century – 16th century
Egypt and Syria
The Burji Mamluk line was the second ruling line of the Mamluk Sultanate, established by the Circassian mamluk Barquq in 1382. Its rulers generally rejected hereditary succession, producing repeated factional struggles but also several capable sultans. The line faced Timurid invasion, Ottoman and Turkoman pressure, European piracy, fiscal crisis, commercial monopolies, currency debasement, and the long economic decline that preceded the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.
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The Story
Barquq established the Burji line after deposing the final Bahri ruler in 1382. The new ruling group was composed predominantly of Circassian mamluks, many of whom were stationed in the towers of Cairo’s citadel. The name Burji distinguished them from the Turkish Bahris, whose military recruitment networks had been weakened by plague and civil war in the South Russian steppe.
Unlike the Bahris, the Burjis were generally opposed to hereditary succession. A son of a deceased sultan might initially be raised to the throne, but he could later be removed once the actual succession had been decided. This system generated persistent conflict among rival military factions, even though it also produced several energetic and competent rulers.
The Burji state faced increasingly severe external and internal pressures. Timur devastated Syria at the beginning of the fifteenth century, while Ottoman and Turkoman powers challenged the northern frontier and European pirates attacked the coasts. Barsbay’s conquest of Cyprus in 1426 was the dynasty’s only territorial addition, but commercial monopolies and currency manipulation later accelerated fiscal and economic deterioration.
14th century – 16th century
Egypt and Syria
The Burji Mamluk line was the second ruling line of the Mamluk Sultanate, established by the Circassian mamluk Barquq in 1382. Its rulers generally rejected hereditary succession, producing repeated factional struggles but also several capable sultans. The line faced Timurid invasion, Ottoman and Turkoman pressure, European piracy, fiscal crisis, commercial monopolies, currency debasement, and the long economic decline that preceded the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.
Continue exploring
The Story
Barquq established the Burji line after deposing the final Bahri ruler in 1382. The new ruling group was composed predominantly of Circassian mamluks, many of whom were stationed in the towers of Cairo’s citadel. The name Burji distinguished them from the Turkish Bahris, whose military recruitment networks had been weakened by plague and civil war in the South Russian steppe.
Unlike the Bahris, the Burjis were generally opposed to hereditary succession. A son of a deceased sultan might initially be raised to the throne, but he could later be removed once the actual succession had been decided. This system generated persistent conflict among rival military factions, even though it also produced several energetic and competent rulers.
The Burji state faced increasingly severe external and internal pressures. Timur devastated Syria at the beginning of the fifteenth century, while Ottoman and Turkoman powers challenged the northern frontier and European pirates attacked the coasts. Barsbay’s conquest of Cyprus in 1426 was the dynasty’s only territorial addition, but commercial monopolies and currency manipulation later accelerated fiscal and economic deterioration.
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