Kujuk al-Ashraf

Ala al-Din Kujuk was the second son of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and the Mongol Urdu. After the deposition and expulsion of his older brother Abu Bakr, the influential emir Kauzun and other emirs of the Mamluks decided to enthrone the seven-year-old Kujuk.

After the emir Aydagmash rejected the high post of vice sultan, Kauzun took up this position on the condition of being able to remain in the citadel of Cairo (the palace of the sultan) and not move to the sofa of the vice sultan. From now on, Kauzun became the de facto ruler of Egypt. Soon, many emirs and nobles who were loyal to the ousted sultan Abu Bakr were removed from their posts and replaced by Mamelukes, obligated by their position to Kauzun. The unpopular Kauzun has become even more unpopular. However, he was afraid of the emir Ahmad , the brother of the young sultan who lived in Kerak . He sent the emir of Tugan to Kerak to persuade Ahmad to come to Cairo, and then to capture him. Ahmad, who considered Kauzun a usurper, announced that he would return to Egypt when the leading emirs came to him to take the oath of allegiance, as well as if Kauzun would release his brothers from imprisonment. In the end, Ahmad refused to come to Cairo, and the soldiers of Kauzun were forced to return with nothing.

Kauzun demanded from the Mamluks of the Sultan that they obey him on an equal basis with the Sultan. As a result, relations between the Mamluks and Kauzun began to deteriorate until they rebelled and publicly declared that they obey only the Sultan, and not the Vice Sultan. Kauzun found out that the Mamluks were planning his assassination, and turned to the emirs for help, saying that he regrets that he accepted the post of vice sultan. The emirs assured him of their support. The Sultan's Mamluks gathered in the citadel and, with the support of the crowd, rushed to the square in front of her, shouting "Nasiriya, Nasiriya!" (in honor of the deceased Sultan al-Nasir). Kauzun immediately called for help from the emirs, and a battle broke out in the square in front of the citadel. There were many killed on both sides, and the battle ended with the defeat of the Mamluks of the Sultan and the crowd. The surviving Mamluks of the Sultan were severely punished by Kauzun.

The disturbing news came in the meantime from Damascus from the Emir of Aleppo . Ahmad left Kerak and announced his intentions to go to Egypt and be crowned. Against the will of the emirs, Kauzun sent troops under the command of the emir al-Fahri Katlubugi to Kerak to arrest Ahmad. But instead of arresting Ahmad, Katlubug swore allegiance to Ahmad and bestowed on him the royal title of al-Malik al-Nasir. Kauzun confiscated the property of Katlubugi and ordered the emir of Syria Altynbuga to punish the emir Aleppo Shatmar who supported Ahmad. Shatmar fled to Byzantine Caesarea ( Kayseri ), and Altynbug conquered Aleppo and confiscated Shatmar's property. Meanwhile, Katlubuga occupied Damascus and was preparing the return of Ahmad to Egypt as the Sultan. He sent a message to Kauzun, in which he accused him of killing Abu Bakr and ill-treatment of the other sons of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad. Deeply indignant Kauzun offered the emirs and Mamluks of the Sultan money, gifts and titles to keep them on their side. But the leading emirs, including Aydagmash, were encouraged by the success of the Katlubug. Under the leadership of Emir Aydagmash, they besieged the citadel, along with numerous Mamluks and the crowd. A street battle ensued when Aydagmash ordered people to attack and rob the stables of Kauzun. For several hours, all the horses and all the gold that was in the stables, was plundered by the crowd. After the battle, Kauzun was forced to surrender. He and his emirs were captured and sent at night in chains to Alexandria to protect them from the anger of the crowd.

The Mamluks and emirs who were arrested by Kauzun were released, and the young Kujuk was officially deposed five months later on the throne. Emir Beybars al-Ahmadi was sent to Kerak to escort the new Sultan Shihab al-Din Ahmad to Egypt. Kauzun was killed in prison, and Ala al-Din Kujuk died three years later. His remains were buried in December 1347 in the recently completed mosque of Emir Aksunkur al-Nasiri in Cairo.

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