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Baybars, naval power and Mamlūk psychological warfare against the Franks

Baybars, naval power and Mamlūk psychological warfare against the Franks This paper discusses two events relating to Mamlūk warfare under the Sultan Baybars al-Bunduqdārī (r. 658–676/1260–1277). The first is a failed naval attack on Cyprus in 669/1271 and the second is a prison break of the surviving captains in 673/1274. Although the first event is well documented in both Frankish and Mamlūk sources, the second is found only in the latter. I argue that it is likely that the prison break did occur and was connected to efforts by the sultan to simultaneously engage in psychological warfare against the neighbouring Franks while securing his own defences against an anticipated crusade. A close analysis and comparison of the contemporary and near-contemporary accounts of these events shows a brief period in which Baybars was presented as undertaking serious efforts to build his naval forces, but this did not last beyond the first chroniclers of the shipwreck and prison break. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean Taylor & Francis

Baybars, naval power and Mamlūk psychological warfare against the Franks

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Baybars, naval power and Mamlūk psychological warfare against the Franks

Abstract

This paper discusses two events relating to Mamlūk warfare under the Sultan Baybars al-Bunduqdārī (r. 658–676/1260–1277). The first is a failed naval attack on Cyprus in 669/1271 and the second is a prison break of the surviving captains in 673/1274. Although the first event is well documented in both Frankish and Mamlūk sources, the second is found only in the latter. I argue that it is likely that the prison break did occur and was connected to efforts by the...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2018 Society for the Medieval Mediterranean
ISSN
1473-348X
eISSN
0950-3110
DOI
10.1080/09503110.2018.1522918
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper discusses two events relating to Mamlūk warfare under the Sultan Baybars al-Bunduqdārī (r. 658–676/1260–1277). The first is a failed naval attack on Cyprus in 669/1271 and the second is a prison break of the surviving captains in 673/1274. Although the first event is well documented in both Frankish and Mamlūk sources, the second is found only in the latter. I argue that it is likely that the prison break did occur and was connected to efforts by the sultan to simultaneously engage in psychological warfare against the neighbouring Franks while securing his own defences against an anticipated crusade. A close analysis and comparison of the contemporary and near-contemporary accounts of these events shows a brief period in which Baybars was presented as undertaking serious efforts to build his naval forces, but this did not last beyond the first chroniclers of the shipwreck and prison break.

Journal

Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Taylor & Francis

Published: Sep 2, 2018

Keywords: Crusaders; crusader states; Mamlūks; military history; Eastern Mediterranean; shipwreck; prisons

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