Аль-Адиль I: Эмир и султан Египта и Сирии из династии Айюбидов

Ayyubid sultan of Egypt (r. 1200–1218)

Al Adil I (العادل, in full al Malik al Adil Sayf ad Din Abu Bakr Ahmed ibn Najm ad Din Ayyub, الملك العادل سيف الدين أبو بكر بن أيوب,‎ "Ahmed, son of Najm ad Din Ayyub, father of Bakr, the Just King, Sword of the Faith"; 1145 – 31 August 1218) was the fourth Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and brother of Saladin, who founded both the Sultanate of Egypt, and the Ayyubid dynasty. He was known to the Crusaders as Saphadin (derived from his laqab or honorific title Sayf ad Din, meaning "Sword of Faith"), a name by which he is still known in the Western world. A gifted and effective administrator and organizer, Al Adil provided crucial military and civilian support for the great campaigns of Saladin (an early example of a great minister of war). He was also a capable general and strategist in his own right, and was instrumental in the transformation of the decayed Fatimid Caliphate of Cairo into the Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt.

Al Adil was a son of Najm ad Din Ayyub, he was member of Kurdish Ayyubid family and a younger brother of Saladin. He was born in June 1145, possibly in Damascus. He first achieved distinction as an officer in Nur ad Din Zengi's army during his uncle Shirkuh's third and final campaign in Egypt (1168–1169); following Nur ad Din's death in 1174, Al Adil governed Egypt on behalf of his brother Saladin and mobilized that country's vast resources in support of his brother's campaigns in Syria and his war against the Crusaders (1175–1183). He was governor of Aleppo (1183–1186) but returned to administer Egypt during the Third Crusade (1186–1192); as governor of Saladin's northern provinces (1192–1193), he suppressed the revolt of 'Izz Al Din of Mosul following Saladin's death (March 1193). On Saladin's death he was governor of Damascus. In 1190, King Richard I of England suggested to Al Adil a marriage with his younger sister Joan of England, then his niece Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany, but both were in vain, as Al Adil showed no interest in Christianity.

The key question in the ruling Ayyubid family following the death of Saladin was whether power would remain with Saladin's own sons, or be distributed more widely among its various branches, or, indeed, be concentrated in the hands of al Adil himself. Saladin had required all the Amirs to swear loyalty to his son al Afdal Ali, but after his death some of his other sons would not accept al Afdal's overlordship. In the disputes which followed al Adil often found himself in the position of honest broker between al Afdal Ali and his brother al Aziz Uthman, trying to keep the peace. Al Aziz Uthman's death in 1198 following a riding accident reopened the dynastic struggles once again. Al Afdal Ali was invited back to Egypt to act as regent to al Aziz Uthman's twelve year old successor, al Mansur Mohammed. From this power base he joined forces with his brother az Zahir Ghazi to try and drive al Adil out of Damascus, which they besieged.

After his victory, he ruled wisely and well over both Egypt and Syria for nearly two decades, promoting trade and good relations with the Crusader states (1200–1217). For much of his reign however the effective ruler of Egypt was his son Al Kamil. The reign of al Adil was generally more one of consolidation than of expansion. He was in his late fifties by the time he consolidated his power, and by that time had been almost constantly at war for two decades. His first concern was to rebuild his treasury, which had been left almost empty by his brother's empire building, the wars with the Crusaders and the struggles within the Ayyubid dynasty itself. Al Adil introduced reforms both to the currency and to the taxation system. Al Adil also undertook a major programme of refortification throughout his domains, and the massive citadel of Damascus was one of his most notable achievements in this respect. He took Ahlat in 1207 and brought to an end the rule of the Ahlatshahs.

One of the main objects of al Adil's foreign policy was to avoid provoking the launching of a new Crusade. However, in September 1217 (Jumada II 612) a new crusader army disembarked at Acre. Al Adil was totally unprepared for this assault and despite being seventy two years of age he hurriedly took his forces into Palestine to engage with them. The campaigns in Palestine did not bring him any notable success however, and in August 1218 (Jumada 1 615) he received the shocking news that a second Crusader force had landed in Egypt and were attacking Damietta. He fell ill and died while on campaign (August 1218) and was succeeded by his son Malik Al Kamil. Al Adil's rule was decisive in determining the shape of the Ayyubid realm for many years to come. After him, the succession in Egypt and to the coveted title of Sultan remained in the eldest male line of his successors. His descendants also controlled the critical border fortress of Mayyafariqin in the far northeast of the Ayyubid realm. Elsewhere, Saladin's descendants retained Aleppo, and the family of Al Adil's other brother Nur ad Din Shahanshah held Baalbek and Hama. Homs was held by the descendants of Al Adil's uncle Shirkuh. Damascus became the main focus of rivalry between different branches of the family, changing hands a number of times before Ayyubid rule came to an end.

Al Adil had 16 sons and several daughters, including Malik Al Kamil, Malik Al Ashraf Musa, Dayfa Khatun, Al Awhad Ayyub, Al Mu'azzam Isa, and Al Muzaffar Ghazi.