Today in African History

Shajar al-Durr was an exceptional woman who rose from slavery to become one of the few women in Muslim history to rule as a sultana. Her life was filled with daring exploits and remarkable achievements.

Born as a Turkish slave, she arrived in Egypt and caught the attention of the sultan, Salih II Ayyub, who fell in love with her and made her his wife. When Salih II was away on a military campaign in Damascus, Shajar acted as regent of Egypt. When Ayyub died, she successfully kept his death a secret until the heir to the sultanate, her stepson Turan, returned from Syria to take power.
But her greatest triumph came during the Seventh Crusade when the French king Louis IX captured the port city of Damietta in June 1249. Shajar organized the Egyptian army against the Crusaders and, along with Turan, successfully defended Cairo against Louis, capturing the king himself. Louis was eventually ransomed and had to surrender Damietta.
After Turan's assassination, Shajar became the first Mamluk (Turkish) sultan of Egypt and the first female sultan to rule in her name. Despite facing opposition from the overlord of Egypt, the caliph of Baghdad, who refused to recognize her rule as legitimate, Shajar issued coins in her name and consolidated her power with the support of Egyptian military leaders.
However, her reign was short-lived. She was forced to abdicate after only a few months. The Caliph sent the Mamluk soldier Aybak to take her place, but Shajar, still ambitious for power, married Aybak. 
Together they consolidated Mamluk rule in Egypt, making a new capital at Cairo and issuing laws and statutes during their eight years of joint rule.
Sadly, her thirst for power led to her downfall as she became jealous of Aybak's bid for more power and had him assassinated. 
This caused two military factions to fight over the future of the sultanate, with Shajar's faction eventually defeated and her murder at the instigation of Aybak's son.
Despite the tragic end to her life, Shajar al-Durr's legacy lives on, and her bones were removed to a mosque named in her honour where they remain to this day.