The Lion of Egypt - P. Thorau

Contemporary and opponent of St Louis of France and Edward I of England, Sultan and Baybars I of Egypt (c. 1220-1277) began his career as a military slave but died, like his contemporaries, a conqueror, a formidable ruler and one of the dominant personalities of the 13th century world. Though little known in the west today, he was in fact a key figure in world history. He turned back the Mongol invasion force and saved Islam and Christendom alike from the hitherto-invincible successors of Genghis Khan. Baybars more than any other "Sarecen" leader, finally threw the Crusaders out of the Holy Land. He was also the true founder of the Mamluk Sultante that ruled Egypt and Syria until the Ottoman conquest in 1517.;The text is fully annotated giving precise indication of information sources and is based upon a wide range of medieval Arabic and European historical records. This is the only available English-language study of Baybars life and career.;It is aimed a graduate and undergraduate courses in Near Eastern and Islamic history and the Crusades. It should also be of interest to the general reader who has some prior knowledge of the subject.