History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 98 the Mongol invasion.

Hello again.

Last week we saw the crusader states descend into chaos following the departure of King Louis IX.

A fight between the Venetian and Genoese residents of Acre over the ownership of a monastery on a hill

spiraled out of control leading to a civil war in the crusader states and the

downfall of the doomed Latin Christian Empire of Romania,

which was established after the Fourth Crusade.

So while all this was taking place in the Latin Christian areas of the Middle East,

was it a scene of peace and tranquility in the Muslim regions? No, it was not. A couple of episodes ago we saw the last

of the Ayyubite sultans, Turanchar, assassinated by the Mamluk Warrior Beibars. The Sultan's stepmother, the very capable

Shaja Adour, then took charge of the country, becoming Queen and Sultana.

However, this move was a bit radical for its time, and Shaja was forced to give up her rule. She married the head of the

Mamluk Army, Aebek and he took over the reinss of power.

Aebec wasn't universally popular as a ruler, and some Mamluks, including Beebars, left Egypt

when he assumed power. It turned out that he soon lost popularity with his wife

also. In fact, that was an understatement.

Shaja not only quarreled with her husband, she arranged to have him killed.

The assassination was carried out on the 15th of April 1257

by the Egyptian leaders own unique personal attendance

who murdered him while he was taking his bath.

This left Egypt split in its loyalties, with some people supporting a return to power by Shaja, while others looked to find a legitimate

...