Shams al-Mulk Isma'il
Ruler of Damascus (r. 1133–1135)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shams al-Mulk Isma'il (1113 – February 1, 1135) was the Burid atabeg (or Seljuk ruler) of the Emirate of Damascus from 1132 to 1135.
| Shams al-Mulk Isma'il | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atabeg of Damascus | |||||
| Reign | 1133 – 1135 | ||||
| Predecessor | Taj al-Muluk Buri | ||||
| Successor | Shihab al-Din Mahmud | ||||
| Born | 1113 | ||||
| Died | 1 February 1135 (aged 21–22) Damascus | ||||
| |||||
| House | Burid | ||||
| Father | Taj al-Muluk Buri | ||||
| Mother | Zumurrud | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Early life
Shams al-Mulk Isma'il, born in 1113,[1] was the son of Taj al-Muluk Buri, the atabeg of Damascus, and his wife Zumurrud.[2][3] Two Assassins wounded Buri in the stomach in May 1132 in revenge for the massacre of their fellows in Damascus.[4][5] Buri suffered for 13 months before he died in June 1133.[4][5] Ismail succeeded his father and decided to seize Banias, which had previously been taken by Baldwin II of Jerusalem with the Assassins' assistance.[6] Ismail attacked Banias and captured it on 11 December 1132.[4][5]
Ailba, a female slave of Ismail's grandfather, Toghtekin, made an attempt on Ismail's life in 1134.[1] After being captured, she listed the names of many peoples who desired Ismail's death because of his tyrannical acts.[7] He ordered the arrest of the alleged conspirators, including his half-brother, Sawinj, who starved to death in the prison.[8] Fearing for his life, Ismail left Damascus and settled in the fortress of Salkhad.[7] He also sent envoys to his father's old enemy, Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Aleppo and Mosul, seeking his protection in exchange for Damascus.[7]
Ismail was murdered on February 1, 1135.[9] The author of the contemporaneous Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades accused Ismail's mother of ordering his servants to kill him, because Ismail also wanted to kill her lover.[7] She appointed her younger son Shihab al-Din Mahmud to rule Damascus.[7]