| Shirkuh (Sherko) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 13th century European depiction of Adîd abû Muhammad and Shîrkûh (upper panel), with the arrival of Amalric at Constantinople (lower panel) | |||||
| Vizier of theFatimid Caliphate | |||||
| Reign | 18 January – 23 March 1169 | ||||
| Predecessor | Shawar | ||||
| Successor | Saladin (Vizier) | ||||
| Born | Dvin, Armenia | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Shadhi Bin Marwan(Kurdish Chief) | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Asad ad-Dīn Shīrkūh bin Shādhī (Kurdish:ئەسەدەدین شێرکۆ,romanized: Esed El-Dîn Şêrko;Arabic:أسد الدين شيركوه بن شاذي), also known asShirkuh, orŞêrko (meaning "lion of the mountains" inKurdish) (died 23 March 1169) was aKurdish Mercenary commander[1][2] in service of theZengid dynasty, then theFatimid Caliphate and uncle ofSaladin. His military and diplomatic efforts in Egypt were a key factor in establishing theAyyubid dynasty in that country.
The pronunciation and the meaning of Shirkuh is not quite clear: it could mean “the mountain lion” or possibly Shirguh (Sher-gue) inKurdish “having the lion’s ear".[3]
His Arabic honorificAsad ad-Din similarly means "the lion of faith". InLatin, his name was rendered as "Siraconus";William of Tyre, referring to the expedition of 1163, describes him as:
an able and energetic warrior, eager for glory and of wide experience in military affairs. Generous far beyond the resources of his patrimony, Shirkuh was beloved by his followers because of this munificence. He was small of stature, very stout and fat and already advanced in years. Though of lowly origin, he had become rich and risen by merit from his humble estate to the rank of prince. He was afflicted withcataract in one eye. He was a man of great endurance under hardships, one who bore hunger and thirst with an equanimity quite unusual for that time of life.[4]
He was originally from aKurdish village inArmenia near the town ofDvin. He was the son of Shadhi ibn Marwan, aKurdish chief,[5] and the brother ofNajm ad-Din Ayyub, the ancestor of theAyyubid dynasty.[6] The family was closely connected to theShaddadid dynasty, and when the last Shaddadid was deposed in Dvin in 1130, Shahdi moved the family first toBaghdad and then toTikrit, where he was appointed governor by the regional administrator Bihruz. Ayyub succeeded his father as governor of Tikrit when Shahdi died soon after. When Shirkuh killed a man who was a Christian in some versions of the story, and with whom he was quarrelling in Tikrit in 1138,[7] alternatively, Shirkuh might have killed that man due to insulting or sexual assault on a young woman,[8][9][10] the brothers were exiled (Shirkuh's nephew Yusuf, later known as Saladin, was supposedly born the night they left). They joinedNur ad-Din Zengi's army, and Shirkuh served underNur ad-Din Zengi who succeeded Zengi inMosul. Shirkuh was later givenHoms,ar-Rahba and otherappanages by Nur ad Din Zengi as his vassal.[11] Ayyub served as governor ofBaalbek and laterDamascus, and the two brothers negotiated the surrender of Damascus to Nur ad-Din in 1154.
In 1163 Nur ad-Din was asked byShawar to intervene in Egypt in a dispute between him andDirgham over theFatimidvizierate. Nur ad-Din sent Shirkuh, and this was to be the first of three ventures Shirkuh made into Egypt, nominally on Nur ad-Din's behalf. On this first occasion, his nephew Saladin accompanied him as an advisor. Shawar was restored and Dirgham was killed, but after quarrelling with Shirkuh, Shawar allied withAmalric I of Jerusalem, who marched into Egypt in 1164 and besieged Shirkuh atBilbeis[12] (seeCrusader invasion of Egypt). In response Nur ad-Din attacked theCrusader states and almost captured thePrincipality of Antioch.
Shirkuh was invited back into Egypt by the Fatimid CaliphAl-Adid in 1167, to help defeat theCrusaders who were attacking Cairo.[13] Shawar once again allied with Amalric, whobesieged Shirkuh inAlexandria until he agreed to leave; however, a Crusader garrison remained in Egypt and Amalric allied with theByzantine Empire, planning to conquer it entirely. To destroy the garrison, Shawar switched alliances, from Amalric to Shirkuh. The Muslims fought a pitched battle with the Crusaders, who did not have the resources to conquer Egypt and were forced to retreat.
Shirkuh and his associates enjoyed widespread support among the civil elite In Egypt for religious reasons. Although the Fatimid rulers were Shiite, the majority of people remained Sunni Muslims.[14] In January 1169 Shirkuh enteredCairo and had the untrustworthy Shawar executed. When he reached Cairo with his armies he was welcomed by the Fatimid CaliphAl-Adid and treated with great honour.[15] He accepted the office of vizier, but died two months later on 22 March; asBaha ad-Din ibn Shaddad describes, "it was the case that Asad ad-Din was a great eater, excessively given to partaking of rich meats. He suffered many bouts of indigestion and fromquinsy, from which he would recover after putting up with great discomfort. He was taken severely ill, afflicted with a serious quinsy, which killed him on 22Jumada II 564 [23 March 1169]."
He was succeeded as vizier by his nephewSaladin, who had served with him on his campaigns in Egypt. Saladin eventually succeeded Nur ad-Din as well, uniting Egypt and Syria, which enabled him to almost completely drive out the crusaders from Syria and Palestine. A number of historians have offered the view that Shirkuh's death was an important factor in allowing Saladin to consolidate his position as Sultan and as undisputed head of the Ayyubid family.[16]
AlthoughNur ad-Din Zengi took back the domain of Homs on Shirkuh's death, in 1179 Saladin gave Homs to Shirkuh's sonMuhammad ibn Shirkuh[17] and his descendants continued to rule in Homs thereafter until the death in 1263 of his last descendant the emir,Al-Ashraf Musa, Emir of Homs. After thisHoms was ruled directly as part of theMamluk Empire.
| Preceded by | Vizier of theFatimid Caliphate 18 January – 23 March 1169 | Succeeded by |