Political and Economic Relations between the Ayyūbids and the Baḥrī Mamlūks and the Ashraf of Ḥijāz, 567–784 A.H./1171–1382 A.D.

This thesis sheds light on the history of political and economic relations between the Ayyūbids and Baḥrī Mamlūks and the Ashraf of Ḥijāz (567–784 A.H./1171–1382 A.D.). It discusses rule legitimation in Sunnī jurisprudence and its development by some of the most prominent Sunnī jurists. The study examines legitimacy and its importance in the Ayyūbid and Mamlūk sultans’ political and economic policy towards the Ashraf of Ḥijāz. The study also focuses on political relations between the Ayyūbid and Mamlūk regimes in Egypt and the Ashraf of Mecca and conflict with other regional powers for hegemony over Ḥijāz. It also focuses on economic relations between the Ayyūbids and Mamlūks and the Ashraf of Ḥijāz, and the role of the economy in strengthening their overall relations through religious occasions and trade activities. The thesis comprises an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. The first chapter analyzes the background of the three main protagonists, the Ayyūbids, Baḥrī Mamlūks and the Ashraf of Ḥijāz. This chapter discusses the emergence of the three regimes and their military systems, and the challenges that faced them at the beginning of their period of rule. The second chapter examines legitimation according to Sunnī jurisprudence and some Sunnī jurists’ views on rule. The third chapter discusses political relations between the Ayyūbids and Baḥrī Mamlūks and the Ashraf of Ḥijāz. This chapter studies the agencies and mechanisms of control and hegemony in Ḥijāz during the Ayyūbid and Baḥrī Mamlūk eras. The fourth chapter discusses economic relations between the Ayyūbids and Baḥrī Mamlūks and the Ashraf of Ḥijāz through religious and trading activities in Ḥijāz.