Lu'lu' al-Kabir

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Lu'lu'
Emir of Aleppo
ReignJanuary 1002–1008/9
PredecessorSa'id al-Dawla
SuccessorMansur ibn Lu'lu'
Died1008/9
Aleppo, Syria
Names
Abu Muhammad Lu'lu' al-Kabir al-Jarrahi al-Sayfi
DynastyHamdanid (by daughter's marriage)

Abu Muhammad Lu'lu', surnamed al-Kabir ("the Elder") and al-Jarrahi al-Sayfi ("[servant] of the

Fatimid attempts to conquer it. Upon Sa'id al-Dawla's death in 1002—possibly poisoned by Lu'lu'—he became the ruler of the emirate, disinheriting Sa'id al-Dawla's sons. He ruled with wisdom until his death in 1008/9. He was succeeded by his son, Mansur
, who managed to retain the throne until deposed in 1015/16.

Early life and rise to power

Although not recorded in any historical source, his

Hamdanid ruler of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla (r. 945–967), under whom he is attested in an expedition against Mopsuestia in 965.[1] His name, meaning "pearl", was typical of the pet-names often given to the slave-soldiers and servants (ghilman, sing. ghulam) in the contemporary Muslim world.[1] According to historian Fukuzo Amabe, Lu'lu' actually seems to have been a mawla (protege) of a certain ghulam of Sayf al-Dawla named Hajraj.[2] Moreover, Amabe asserts that historian Marius Canard's identification of Hajraj with the Jarrahids "seems to be a mistake".[2]

Under Sayf al-Dawla's successor

Fatimids, who now resumed their attacks on Aleppo.[4][5] As Canard writes, "the history of [Sa'id al-Dawla's] reign is almost exclusively that of the attempts of Fatimid Egypt to gain the emirate of Aleppo, which were opposed by the Byzantine emperor".[3]

Between Byzantium and Fatimid Egypt

Encouraged by the Hamdanid defectors, the Fatimid caliph

Asia Minor in only sixteen days at the head of an army 13,000 strong. His sudden arrival caused panic in the Fatimid army, and Manjutakin burned his camp and retreated to Damascus without battle.[1][3][4][7]

Sa'id al-Dawla and Lu'lu' prostrated themselves before the emperor in person as a sign of gratitude and submission, and he in turn released the emirate from its obligation to pay an annual tribute.

Maarrat al-Nu'man rebelled and was forced to flee to the Fatimids.[1] In 998 Lu'lu' and Sa'id al-Dawla tried to seize the fortress of Apamea, but were thwarted by the new Byzantine doux, Damian Dalassenos.[1] Dalassenos' defeat and death in a battle with Bedouins shortly after caused another intervention by Basil in the next year, which stabilized the situation and strengthened Aleppo's security from Fatimid attack by placing a Byzantine garrison at Shayzar. The conflict ended with another treaty in 1001 and the conclusion of a ten-year truce.[3][9][10]

Ruler of Aleppo

In January 1002, Sa'id al-Dawla died, although according to a tradition recorded by Ibn al-Adim, he was poisoned at the behest of Lu'lu'.[1] Along with his son Mansur, Lu'lu' now assumed direct power over Aleppo, at first as ostensible guardians over Sa'id al-Dawla's sons Abu'l-Hasan Ali and Abu'l-Ma'ali Sharif, until, in 1003/4, he had them exiled to Egypt.[1][3][11] According to Yaqut al-Hamawi, Lu'lu' al-Kabir ruined the "celebrated fortress" of Kafr Rumah when he conquered Aleppo in 393 (1003).[12]

As Emir of Aleppo, Lu'lu' was a capable ruler, who was remembered for his wisdom and justice. He also managed to maintain the balance between Byzantium and the Fatimids: although he recognized Fatimid suzerainty, he continued to pay tribute to Byzantium, and imprisoned the adventurer al-Asfar, who dreamed of launching jihad against the Byzantine Empire.[1][11] Lu'lu' died in 1008/9, and was succeeded by his son Mansur. Mansur was unpopular, faced several challenges to his rule by rival factions and tribes, and quickly became subordinate to the Fatimids. In the end, he was deposed by a popular uprising in 1015/16 and forced to find refuge in Byzantine territory.[1][13][14]

According to

Mamluks of Egypt were to become on a larger scale."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Canard 1986, p. 820.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9789004315983
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Canard 1971, p. 130.
  4. ^ a b c d Stevenson 1926, p. 251.
  5. ^ Kennedy 2004, p. 281.
  6. ^ Whittow 1996, pp. 379–380.
  7. ^ a b Kennedy 2004, p. 325.
  8. ^ Whittow 1996, p. 380.
  9. ^ a b c Stevenson 1926, p. 252.
  10. ^ Whittow 1996, pp. 380–381.
  11. ^ a b Stevenson 1926, p. 254.
  12. ^ Le Strange, 1890, p. 471
  13. ^ Stevenson 1926, pp. 254–255.
  14. ^ Kennedy 2004, pp. 281–282.

Sources

Preceded by
Emir of Aleppo

1002–1008/9 		Succeeded by
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