Badr al-Din Lu'lu' ( ar, بَدْر الدِّين لُؤْلُؤ) (died 1259) (the name Lu'Lu' means 'The Pearl', indicative of his servile origins) was successor to the
Zengid emirs of Mosul
The Zengid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic origin, which ruled parts of the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuk Empire and eventually seized control of Egypt in 1169. In 1174 the Zengid state extended from Tripo ...
, where he governed in variety of capacities from 1234 to 1259 following the death of
Nasir ad-Din Mahmud. He was the first
mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
to transcend servitude and become an
emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
in his own right, anticipating the rise of the
Bahri Mamluks to the
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
ate of Egypt by twenty years. He preserved control of
al-Jazira
Jazira or Al-Jazira ( 'island'), or variants, may refer to:
Business
* Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait
Locations
* Al-Jazira, a traditional region known today as Upper Mesopotamia or the smaller region of Cizre
* Al-Jazira ...
through a series of tactical submissions to larger neighboring powers, at various times recognizing
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...
,
Rûmi Seljuq, and
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
overlords. His surrender to the Mongols spared Mosul the destruction experienced by other settlements in Mesopotamia.
Rise to power
Lu'lu' was an
Armenian convert to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, and a freed slave in the household of the Zangid ruler
Nur al-Din Arslan Shah I. Recognized for his abilities as an administrator, he rose to the rank of
atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...
and, after 1211, was appointed as atabeg for the successive child-rulers of Mosul,
Nur al-Din Arslan Shah II and his younger brother,
Nasir al-Din Mahmud. Both rulers were grandsons of
Gökböri
Gökböri (also rendered Gokbori, Kukburi and Kukuburi), or Muzaffar ad-Din Gökböri ( ar, مظفر الدين كوكبوري, full praise names: al-Malik al-Muazzam (the Exalted Prince) Muzaffar ad-Din (the Triumphant in the Faith)), was a lea ...
, Emir of
Erbil
Erbil, also called Hawler (, ar, أربيل, Arbīl; syr, ܐܲܪܒܹܝܠ, Arbel), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It lies in the Erbil Governorate. It has an estimated population of around 1,600,000.
H ...
, and this probably accounts for the animosity between him and Lu'lu'. In 1226 Gökböri, in alliance with
al-Muazzam of Damascus, attacked Mosul. As a result of this military pressure, Lu'lu' was forced to make a submission to al-Muazzam. Nasir al-Din Mahmud was the last Zengid ruler of Mosul, he disappears from the records soon after Gökböri's death. He was killed by Lu'lu', by strangulation or starvation, and his killer then formally began to rule in Mosul in his own right.
Ruler of Mosul
In 1234 Lu'lu' minted the first coins in his own name. Following his usurpation his new position as ruler of Mosul was recognised by the Abbasid Khalif,
Al-Mustansir, who bestowed upon him the praise name al-Malik al-Rahim (The Merciful King). During his reign he sided with successive
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...
rulers in his disputes with other local princes. In 1237 Lu'Lu' was defeated in battle by
the former army of the Khwarazmshah and his camp was thoroughly looted. Lu'lu' was in conflict with
Yezidi
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The ma ...
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
in his territories, he ordered the execution of one Yezidi leader, Hasan ibn Adi, and 200 of his followers in 1254. He died shortly after the definitive
invasion of Mesopotamia by the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
.
Lu'lu' built extensively in his domain, improving the fortifications of Mosul, the Sinjar Gate bearing his device survived into the 20th century, and constructing religious structures and caravanserais. He built the shrines of Imam Yahya (1239) and Awn al-Din (1248). The ruins of his palace complex, known as the
Qara Saray (1233-1259), were visible until the 1980s.
Family
*Isma'il ibn Lu'lu', the son of Badr al-Din Lu'lu, ruled Mosul for only three years (1259 - 1262) before his city was lost to the Mongols.
[Spengler and Sayles, p. 140]
*A daughter of Lu'lu' was set to marry
Aybak, as his second wife after
Shajar al-Durr
Shajar al-Durr ( ar, شجر الدر, lit=Tree of Pearls), also Shajarat al-Durr (), whose royal name was al-Malika ʿAṣmat ad-Dīn ʾUmm-Khalīl Shajar ad-Durr (; from her nickname , 'mother of Khalil'; died 28 April 1257), was a ruler of Eg ...
. However, Aybak was killed before the marriage could take place.
References
Bibliography
*Bloom, J.M. and Blair, S.S. (eds.) (2009) ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, Volume I: Abarquh to Dawlat Qatar'', Oxford University Press, Oxford
*
*Kreyenbroek, P.G. and Rashow, K.J. (2005) ''God and Sheik Adi are Perfect'', Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden
*Patton, D. (1988) ''Ibn al-Sāʿi's Account of the Last of the Zangids'', ''Zeitschrift der Deutschen, Morgenländischen Gesellschaft'', Vol. 138, No. 1, pp. 148–158, Harrassowitz Verlag Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4337773
*Spengler, W.F. and Sayles, W.G. (1992) ''Turkoman Figural Bronze Coins and Their Iconography: The Artuquids'', Clio's Cabinet, Lodi
External links
*Imam Awn al-Din Mashhad (Mosul
*Imam Yahya ibn al-Qasim Mashhad (Mosul
*Sittna Zaynab Mausoleum (Sinjar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Badr Al-Din Lulu
1259 deaths
Converts to Islam
Year of birth unknown
Mamluks
Emirs of Mosul
13th-century monarchs in the Middle East
Ethnic Armenian Muslims