Rulers · a Light

A former slave ruled Egypt with coins in her own name

When the sultan al-Salih Ayyub died in 1249 with a French army in the Nile delta, his widow Shajar al-Durr, who had been bought as a slave, concealed his death, kept issuing orders in his name, and held the campaign together until his son arrived. The son was killed by the army months later, and in 1250 the commanders made her sultan. Coins were struck in her name and the Friday sermon was said for her, the two public marks of sovereignty. Her rule lasted about three months before pressure from Baghdad forced her to marry her commander Aybak and rule beside him. Her reign is generally taken as the start of the Mamluk state in Egypt.

Shajar al-Durr · Cairo, 1250 CE