User:Alexis Ivanov/Bahriyya Mamluks

History
Al-Salih Ayyub’s army, including his elite bodyguard, the Bahriyya, was mainly composed of Qipchak Turkish mamluks. The common background of al-Salih’s mamluks and the power they accumulated during his lifetime, coupled with the personal loyalty they felt towards him rather than to the Ayyubid house, enabled Shajar al-Durr to run the kingdom upon his death in 647/1249, during the Crusader invasion led by King Louis IX of France, and to install his son Turanshah on the throne. The Bahriyya mamluks chose to put Shajar al-Durr on the throne. Normally, one of the prominent Bahriyya amirs would have filled this post, but fear of power struggles among them led them to choose Aybak al-Turkmani, a middle-ranking and non-Bahri amir, for the post.

Military
Al-Salih Ayyub’s army, including his elite bodyguard, the Bahriyya, was mainly composed of Qipchak Turkish mamluks.

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