Nur ed-Din Mahmūd, MALEK AL-ADEL

Nur ed-Din Mahmūd, MALEK AL-ADEL, emir and sultan of Syria, was born at Damascus in 1117. His father, Ōmad ed-Din Zenghi, originally governor of Mosul and Diarbekir under the Seljuk sultans, had established his independence, and extended his authority over northern Syria. Nur ed-Din Mahmūd succeeded him in 1145, and changed the seat of government from Mosul to Aleppo. From this time onwards his life was one long duel with the Christians—the Crusaders, Hospitallers, Templars, and Knights of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. The most notable incidents in this contest may be briefly summarised. Count Joscelin, in an attempt to recover his capital, Edessa, was signally discomfited under its walls, and his army almost annihilated. This gave occasion to the second Crusade. The Crusaders were, however, foiled by Nur ed-Din before Damascus, and, being defeated in a number of conflicts, abandoned their enterprise. The emir next conquered Tripolis and Antioch, the prince of the latter territory being defeated and slain in a bloody conflict in June 1149; and before 1151 all the Christian strongholds in Syria were in Nur ed-Din's hands. He next took possession of Damascus (which till this time had been ruled by an independent Seljuk prince) in 1153. About this time a terrible earthquake devastated Syria, levelling large portions of Antioch, Tripolis, Hamath, Hems, and other towns; and Nur ed-Din devoted all his energies to repairing the damage done. In 1157 the Christian orders suffered a severe defeat near Paneas; but an illness which prostrated their enemy in 1159 enabled them to retake some of their lost territories. Recovering, Nur ed-Din soon won back what had been taken from him, and turned his attention to Egypt, then governed by the effeminate and degenerate Fatimites. In 1168 his brother, Asad al-Din Shirkoh, overran Egypt, but, dying soon afterwards, was succeeded by his nephew, the celebrated Saladin (q.v.), who completed the conquest of the country, and restored the Sunnite faith. This won for Nur ed-Din the gratitude of the calif of Bagdad, who created him sultan of Syria and Egypt. Nur ed-Din, however, grew jealous of his able young lieutenant, and was preparing to march into Egypt in person, when he died at Damascus in May 1173. This prince is one of the great heroes of Moslem history. He was not a savage conqueror, but zealously promoted the cultivation of the sciences, arts, and literature, and established a strict administration of justice throughout his dominions; he was revered by his Moslem, and greatly respected by his Christian, subjects.