Al-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt
Al-Nasir Ahmad was known to be a seclusive sultan, surrounding himself with his coterie of supporters from al-Karak, rarely making direct contact with the Mamluk emirs of Egypt and avoiding the public view.
Two months into his reign, he relocated to al-Karak with substantial sums from the treasury and several horses and senior administrative officials.
He ruled from the desert fortress, leaving a deputy, Emir Aqsunqur al-Salari, to oversee affairs in Egypt on his behalf.
His unorthodox rule, alleged frivolity, and his execution of loyal partisans, namely Tashtamur and Qutlubugha, led to al-Nasir Ahmad being deposed from the sultanate by his half-brother, al-Salih Isma'il.
[1] As a youth, Ahmad spent frequent bouts of time in the desert fortress of al-Karak under orders from his father.
[4] From there, they were to accompany their father to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage, but at the last minute, al-Nasir Muhammad sent Ahmad, Abu Bakr and Anuk to al-Karak under Maliktamur's care.
[5] Ahmad thus became the governor of the fortresses of al-Karak and Shawbak, although al-Nasir Muhammad appointed an ustadar (majordomo), Emir Zumurrudi, to supervise him.
"[11] Following al-Nasir Muhammad's death, In May or June 1341, Abu Bakr was proclaimed sultan, but was virtually a ceremonial ruler, with Qawsun holding the reins of power as mudabbir al-dawla (organizer of the state), in effect the strongman of Egypt.
[10] He imprisoned Abu Bakr in the Upper Egyptian city of Qus where he was executed on trumped up charges of frivolity.
[10] Ahmad was in al-Karak at the time of Abu Bakr's execution and Qawsun called on him to report to Cairo, ostensibly to assume the sultanate.
[12] The siege was commanded by the Syrian emir, Qutlubugha al-Fakhri, while Ahmad had the support of al-Karak's inhabitants and the Bedouin tribes of the vicinity.
[12] Twenty days into his siege, Qutlubugha defected from Qawsun, recognized Ahmad as sultan and promised the latter his unconditional support.
[12] Qutlubugha's recognition of Ahmad as sultan was officially an act of mutiny since it was done while al-Ashraf Kujuk technically held office.
It led to divisions among the Syrian Mamluk leadership, with the governors of Safad, Tripoli and Homs led by Altunbugha al-Salihi of Damascus supporting Qawsun, while Tashtamur, Qutlubugha, the governor of Gaza, the Al Fadl tribe of Palmyra, and a number of Damascene emirs supporting al-Nasir Ahmad.
[13] Qutlubugha prepared to strike Altunbugha, who attempted to wrest back control of Damascus, but most of his forces defected and he escaped to Cairo.
Afterward, the governors of Damascus, Safad, Gaza, Hama, and Baalbek formally recognized al-Nasir Ahmad as sultan, with apparent popular support.
[16] In Cairo, al-Nasir Ahmad did not partake in the usual royal feast and the public prayer during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
He surrounded himself with his coterie of supporters from al-Karak, refused to meet directly with the Mamluk emirs of Egypt, avoided the public view, and was generally seclusive.
[20] By the end of May, al-Nasir Ahmad decided to rule the sultanate from al-Karak, the only place he felt secure from Mamluk plots, real or perceived.
He also sought to relocate Caliph al-Hakim II to al-Karak, and managed to install him in Gaza, ostensibly as an interim headquarters.
Historian Joseph Drory argues that it was because Tashtamur and Qutlubugha compelled him to assume the sultanate and remove him from his self-imposed isolation in al-Karak that made al-Nasir Ahmad resentful toward them.
[23] In Cairo, the senior Mamluk emirs resolved to depose al-Nasir Ahmad and replace him with his half-brother al-Salih Isma'il in June 1342.
The Mamluks had difficulty gaining the key support of the local Bedouin tribes, who were allies of al-Nasir Ahmad.
[25] With this intelligence, on 4 July, the Mamluks, under the command of Emir Sanjar al-Jawli,[26] entered the fortress and captured al-Nasir Ahmad, who had been wounded and was treated with respect by his captors.
