| Sayf al-Din Qutuz | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Victorious King Sword of the Faith Qutuz | |||||
 Bust in Cairo portraying Qutuz | |||||
| Sultan of Egypt | |||||
| Reign | November 1259 – 24 October 1260 | ||||
| Predecessor | Al-Mansur Ali | ||||
| Successor | Baibars | ||||
| Sultan of Syria | |||||
| Reign | September 1260 – 24 October 1260 | ||||
| Successor | Baibars | ||||
| Born | 2 November 1221 Khwarazmian Empire | ||||
| Died | 24 October 1260 (aged 38) Salihiyah, Egypt | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Gulńar | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Mamluk | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Sayf al-Din Qutuz (Arabic: سيف الدين قطز; died 24 October 1260), also romanized as Kutuz or Kotuz[1] and fully al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Sayf ad-Dīn Quṭuz (الملك المظفر سيف الدين قطز lit. 'The Victorious King, Sword of the Faith Qutuz'), was the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt.[2][3][4] He reigned as Sultan for less than a year, from 1259 until his assassination in 1260, but served as the de facto ruler for two decades.
Sold into slavery in Egypt, he rose to become vice-sultan for more than 20 years, becoming the power behind the throne. He was prominent in defeating the Seventh Crusade, which invaded Egypt in 1249–1250. When Egypt was threatened by the Mongols in 1259, he took control of the military and deposed the reigning sultan, 15-year-old Sultan Al-Mansur Ali. The Mongols conquered the centers of Islamic power in Syria and Baghdad, and the center of the Islamic Empire moved to Egypt, which became their next target. Qutuz led an Egyptian Mamluk army north to confront the Mongols, who had made a pact with Egypt's long-time enemy, the Crusaders.
The Battle of Ain Jalut was fought on 3 September 1260 in southeastern Galilee between the Egyptian Mamluk army and the Mongols. In what has been considered a historical turning point, the Mongols were crushingly defeated by Qutuz's forces. Qutuz was assassinated by a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars, on the triumphant return journey to Cairo. Although Qutuz's reign was short, he is one of the most popular Mamluk sultans in the Islamic world and holds a high position in Islamic history. His name Qutuz means 'Vicious beast'. He received this name because he fought like a vicious beast against other slave children.[5]