Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad

This article is about the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. For the Ayyubid Emir of Hama, see Al Mansur Muhammad, Emir of Hama. For other people with the same name, see Al-Mansur Muhammad.

Al-Mansur Nasir al-Din Muhammad (Arabic: المنصور ناصر الدين محمد بن العزيز; 1189 – after 1216) was the third Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, reigning in 1198–1200.

Nasir al-Din Muhammad
Al-Mansur
Sultan of Egypt
Reign	29 November 1198 – February 1200
Predecessor	Al-Aziz Uthman
Successor	Al-Adil I
Born	1189
Died	after 1216 (Aged Older Then 27)
Dynasty	Ayyubid
Father	Al-Aziz Uthman
Religion	Islam

Biography

The grandson of the Ayyubid dynasty's founder, Saladin, al-Mansur succeeded his father al-Aziz Uthman on the latter's death in 1198, at the age of twelve. A struggle subsequently ensued between different military factions as to who should serve as his atabeg al-asakir or commander in chief, and effective regent. One faction, the Salahiyya or mamluks of Saladin, wanted Saladin's brother al-Adil to take on this role, as he was viewed as able and experienced. The other faction, the Asadiyya mamluks of Saladin's uncle Asad ad-Din Shirkuh favored Saladin's eldest son, al-Afdal.

In the struggle which followed al-Afdal had the initial advantage of being based in Egypt, while al-Adil was in Syria. Al-Afdal was duly proclaimed atabeg. War broke out between them and al-Afdal attacked Damascus, but he soon lost the advantage and in February 1200 (Rabi' II 596), al-Adil entered Cairo. Within days he had removed the name of al-Mansur in the Friday prayer khutbah and replaced it with his own, thereby deposing al-Mansur.

After his deposition al-Mansur was exiled to Aleppo in Syria. There, he lived in the court of his uncle, Emir az-Zahir Ghazi, who, in 1216, placed him in the line of succession for the emirate should his own sons predecease him. Nothing further is known of al-Mansur.