He had bought from the Tatars a number of Turkish slaves from Kaptchak, to form a guard and marine. These he raised to the highest employments; and they became the famous MAMLÛKS, who seized the sovereignty of Egypt. 1249. Turân Shah, son of Malek. Next year he captures St. Louis, and his army of 20,000. On the 1st May 1250, Turân Shah is massacred by the Mamlûks, who assign the sceptre to his step-mother, and afterwards to a boy of the Aiubite race, which in him closed its domination over Egypt. * * * * * MAMLUKS. SECT. I. _Baharite Mamlûks._ These were so styled, from having been originally employed as _mariners_ on board the ships of the Sultan of Egypt. They were Turks. A.D. 1254. Ezz-ed-dîn Moaz Ibegh was the first sovereign of this dynasty. He was assassinated. 1255. Nûr-ed-dîn Ali, son of Sultan Ezz-ed-dîn, followed. It would be uninteresting to mark the names and short reigns of these princes, most of whom fell by assassination. The chief events alone shall be commemorated. Bibars I. who reigned from A.D. 1260 to 1277, was an active prince, and seized most of the Christian possessions in Syria. Kalîl Ascraf, who ascended the throne in 1290, took Ptolemais, and terminated the power of the Christians in Palestine. During successive reigns many contests took place in Syria, the possession of which was disputed by the Mamlûk Sultans and the Moguls. Nazr Mohammed, who died in 1341, distinguished himself by the protection which he granted to agriculture and the arts. In 1348 a pestilence appeared in Egypt, or perhaps originally in Syria, which spread over a great part of Europe. A.D. 1365. In October, Peter de Lusignan, king of Cyprus, besieged Alexandria; but he was soon constrained to abandon it, for want of provisions[20]. Shabân Ascrâf was then Sultan, and he was the first who ordered the Sherîfs, or descendants of the Prophet, to wear a green turban. SECT. II. _Borgite Mamlûks._ This race was of Circassian extract, and continued to rule Egypt till the French invasion. 1382. Barkûk-Daher, who had been Atabek in the minority of Hadgi Salah, deposed his pupil, and seized the supreme authority. Timûr invading Syria, Barkûk obtained two victories over the Moguls, and forced them to withdraw. 1399. Faradj, son of Barkûk. Few of these Sultans reigned above a year, till 1442. Bursbai, who reigned sixteen. He sent a fleet against Cyprus, which took Lymissos and Nicosia, and brought John II. and most of his nobility, captives. Syria remained almost a constant appanage to Egypt. 1461. Abu-’l-Fathe Achmed received tribute from Cyprus, and assigned the crown to James, natural son of John III. Of the succeeding Sultans we find nothing remarkable; and the Mamlûk aristocracy began to render their station more and more precarious.