Originally a mamluk of Sultan an-Nasir Hasan (r. 1347–1351, 1354–1361), he rose through the ranks as the senior emirs Shaykhu and Sirghitmish were eliminated, becoming the amir majlis (lord of the audience, a senior administrative official), and achieving the highest military rank of amir mi'a muqaddam alf (emir of 100 mounted horsemen and commander of 1,000 soldiers).
[2] Moreover, Steenbergen believes Yalbugha was purchased by an-Nasir Hasan in 1350, when the young sultan began to establish his own mamluk power base, according to Mamluk-era historian al-Maqrizi.
[2] An-Nasir Hasan returned to the throne in October 1354 after his brother was ousted by the senior Mamluk emirs Shaykhu and Sirghitmish, who acted as strongmen and virtual regents of the sultan.
[2] He subsequently increased the power of his senior mamluks, including Yalbugha, who was promoted to the highest rank of emir of one hundred, commander of one thousand (amir mi'a muqaddam alf) and given a large and high-income iqta (fief).
[2] This promotion occurred almost concurrently with Yalbugha's assignment as amir majlis (lord of the audience) in place of an-Nasir Hasan's brother-in-law, Tankizbugha, who died in August 1358.
[8] Yalbugha's power was challenged by the Mamluk governor of Damascus, Baydamur al-Khwarizmi, who declared a rebellion against him in Syria in the summer of 1361.
[8] In response, Yalbugha led a Mamluk army from Egypt to Syria that included al-Mansur Muhammad and the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tadid I.
[8] Yalbugha likely married her in a bid to merge his household with that of the royal Qalawunids (descendants of Sultan Qalawun) whose members had acceded to the Mamluk throne since 1279.
[9] Yalbugha also proceeded to appropriate the wealth of the Qalawunid estate, using his close relationship with Ibn Qazwina, a Coptic convert to Islam and the wazir (financial vizier) of the sultan, to achieve that end.
Yalbugha instituted training and educational reforms that rolled back the permissiveness of an-Nasir Muhammad's reign and aimed to restore the discipline and organization of the mamluk regiments.
[15] In less than one year and despite the dearth of building material, Yalbugha managed to oversee the production of one hundred warships, each carrying 150 sailors and a number of mamluks.
[15] In November 1366, Yalbugha held a ceremony in the Nile River to demonstrate the size of his navy and regain the legitimacy that was lost in the aftermath of the invasion of Alexandria.
[16] Prior to the navy's reconstruction, in late February 1366, the mamluk factions of Yalbugha and Taybugha entered into major clashes in the outskirts of Cairo, ending years of peaceful cooperation between the two emirs as they competed for supremacy in the sultanate.
[17] With Taybugha out of the political scene, Yalbugha consolidated his power over the sultanate's affairs, installing his emirs, relatives and junior mamluks in important administrative and military offices.
[16] He consequently fled to his Cairo residence the next day and attempted to prevent the spread of a rebellion against him by members of his own mamluk faction supported by Sultan al-Ashraf Sha'ban.
[16] Together, the rebels attempted to cross the east bank of the Rawda Island and enter Yalbugha's camp, but they were repelled by naphtha artillery and arrows.
[23] In the latter situation, several relief caravans were sent to Mecca carrying hundreds of tons of wheat to distribute among the inhabitants to stem increasing emigration from the city.
[24] Nomadic tribesmen also launched major raids against Aswan in Upper Egypt, killing numerous inhabitants and bringing ruin to the city.