Lajin

Lajin (Arabic: لاجين), full royal name al-Malik al-Mansur Hussam al-Din Lajin al-Mansuri (الملك المنصور حسام الدين لاجين المنصوري; d. January 16, 1299, Cairo) was a Mamluk sultan of Egypt from 1296 to 1299. Lajin was of possibly Circassian origin.¹

Early career

Lajin was initially a mamluk of Al-Mansur Ali, then he was bought by Al-Mansur Qalawun, whom had him to marry his daughter. He was imprisoned by Sunqur al-Ashqar in Damascus, then he became the Mamluk na'ib of Damascus in 1280, when Sunqur was defeated. He was later sacked by Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil and sentenced to death, but emir Badr ad-Din Bidra Al-Mansuri sought mercy for him.

In 1293, he participated in the assassination of Qalawun's son the Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil. He later convinced Al-Adil Kitbugha to depose Al-Nasir Muhammad to become the new sultan. He then tried assassinating the Sultan Al-Adil Kitbugha but failed, Kitbugha, fearing for his life, sent to him afterwards that he was ready to remove himself from the Sultanate for him to be the Sultan instead, Lajin agreed and became Sultan under the title Al-Mansur Hussam ad-Din, while Kitbugha was given a fief in the Levant.²

Reign

In 1297, he allowed Baibars' wife and son Khadir along with Solamish's corpse to return to Cairo from their exile in Constantinople, based on demands from his wife, Baibars' daughter. Later on, he appointed his mamluk named Mankutumur as atabeg, which displeased emirs especially Bisri who was killed by a conspiracy from Mankutumur.