Kudanbes
| Kudanbes | |
|---|---|
| King of Makuria | |
| First reign | 1311–1316 |
| Predecessor | Ayay |
| Successor | Abdallah Barshanbu |
| Second reign | 1323 |
| Predecessor | Kanz ad-Dawla Muhammad |
| Successor | Kanz ad-Dawla Muhammad |
| Born | 13th century |
| Died | after 1326 |
| Religion | Coptic Orthodox Christianity |
Kudanbes (Old Nubian: ⲕⲟⲩⲇⲁⲛⲡⲉⲥ), also known as Kerenbes, was king of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria from 1311 to 1316 and again briefly in 1323.
Kudanbes, like his predecessor Ayay, was a brother of king David.[1] Kudanbes reportedly seized the throne in 1311, when he killed Ayay. As Makuria was a Mamluk vassal Kudanbes travelled to Cairo in early 1312 to appease the Mamluk sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad with gifts. Despite this the latter eventually decided to replace him with Abdallah Barshanbu, a nephew of David who had converted to Islam. Kudanbes was aware of the Mamluk plan and suggested that if Al-Nasir Muhammad intended to install a Muslim king, he might as well choose Kanz ad-Dawla Muhammad, who was his nephew and ruler of the Banu Kanz tribe of Aswan. Despite this the Mamluks sent an army in late 1316 to install Abdallah Barshanbu. Kudanbes fled to the Kingdom of al-Abwab, but was detained and sent to Cairo.[2]
Kanz ad-Dawla Muhammad eventually seized control of the Makurian throne, but since the Mamluks feared his influence over the Bedouin they decided to depose him in favour of Kudanbes in 1323. As soon as the Mamluk army left the capital Dongola Kanz ad-Dawla Muhammad deposed him and expelled him to Aswan, where he still lived in 1326.[3]
Inscription from Anba Hatra
Kudanbes is also known from a long inscription in the Anba Hatra Monastery in Aswan written by a certain courtier called Kartolaos. It is composed in Nubianized Greek and commemorates a visit by king Kudanbes and his retinue in April 1322, perhaps as prelude to the Mamluk installation attempt in 1323. His retinue was described as very large, consisting of bishops, priests and civil dignitaries bearing a variety of Greek and Latin titles.[4]
See also
Citations
- ^ Seignobos 2023, p. 680.
- ^ Seignobos 2020, pp. 146–149.
- ^ Seignobos 2020, p. 153.
- ^ van der Vliet 2013, pp. 263–264.
References
- Seignobos, Robin (2020). "Émir à Assouan, souverain à Dongola: Rivalités de pouvoir et dynamiques familiales autour du règne nubien du Kanz al-Dawla Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad (1317-1331)". Médiévales. 79: 137–160. ISSN 0751-2708.
- Seignobos, Robin (2023). "Two Kings for One Throne? A problem of Late Medieval Nubian chronology (ca. 1280–1311)". In Marie Millet; Vincent Rondot (eds.). Kush. Vol. XX. Musée du Louvre. pp. 669–684. ISBN 978-2-72471-049-6.
- van der Vliet, Jacques (2013). "Contested Frontiers: Southern Egypt and Northern Nubia, AD 300–1500. The Evidence of the Inscriptions". In Gawdat Gabra, Hany Takla (ed.). Christianity and Monasticism in Aswan and Nubia Get access Arrow. American University in Cairo Press. pp. 63–78.