Sultans and Princes Estate Legacy between Inheritance and Confiscation during the Mamluk Era

Abstract

This study aims to identify the volume of Mamluk Sultans and princes inheritance during the Mamluk Era, underlining the Sultans’ position in this regard and the subsequent impact on the course of political events at that time. The descriptive analytical method was employed for documenting, comparing and analyzing estate-relevant historical accounts. The study consists of an introduction and five chapters. Chapter one dealt with predecessor Sultans who guarded the inheritance and helped deliver it to its entitled successors. Chapter two focused on Sultans who confiscated the estate of predecessor ones. Chapter three looked at Sultans who confiscated princes’ estate. Chapter four reviewed princes who confiscated their counterpart princes’ estate. Chapter five discussed other confiscation issues of princes’ inheritance. The study revealed that the estate of deceased rulers stimulated Mamluk era rulers’ greed. Economic crises coupled with the huge size of deceased Sultans’ estate were the driving tempting force for confiscating such inheritance by successor rulers. Some Sultans protected their predecessors’ inheritance and delivered it to their entitled heirs, which reflected political and economic stability. The more stable political and economic conditions were, the less likely confiscation episodes happened, as evidenced during Prince Baybars rule.