09.09.07
History of Islam - Shajar-al-Durr
In Islam: An Illustrated History by GSP Freeman-Grenville & Stuart C. Munro-Hay on page 102, there is this very brief mention of a woman:
The Mamluk system was initiated by a woman, Shajar-al-Durr (”tree of pearls”), who ruled for only 80 days before she was murdered.
Who was she and why was she murdered? At Women in World History, there is this story about her.
Shagrat al-Durr is one of the very few women in Islamic history to ascend to the throne. Her melodramatic life illustrates the fact that an ambitious woman had to depend on the good will of men to be able to lead.
Briefly: She was married to the sultan of Egypt, Salih Ayyub who died in 1250 CE. She took on the role of Sultan, after the leaders of the army who have defeated the Crusaders, plot to kill her stepson because they would rather have her on the throne. The Caliphate in Baghdad takes umbrage at placing a woman in power and appoints a man to do the job.
Here the details differ from Freeman-Grenville and Munro-Hay. Their snippet, quoted above, make it sound as though she was murdered after 80 days in power. But Women in History says that Shagrat-al-Durr married the new ruler, Aibak, a Mamluk soldier. They are married for seven years, but when Aibak proposes to take another wife, Shagrat-al-Durr kills him out of jealousy. But she is found out:
Spurred on by Aibak’s former wife, Shagrat is beaten to death by the slaves of the harem with their wooden clogs. Her half-naked body is thrown into the moat of the citadel.
The story is fascinating but she seems to be given short shrift in my books. More investigation is necessary.