Pope Athanasius III of Alexandria

Pope Athanasius III of Alexandria
76th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
Papacy began	9 October 1250 AD
Papacy ended	27 November 1261 AD
Predecessor	Cyril III
Successor	John VII
Orders
Ordination	9 October 1250 AD
Consecration	9 October 1250 AD
Personal details
Born	Egypt
Died	27 November 1261 AD Egypt
Buried	Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo
Nationality	Egyptian
Denomination	Coptic Orthodox Christian
Residence	The Hanging Church

Pope Athanasius III of Alexandria, 76th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

His episcopate lasted for eleven years, one month and 18 days from 9 October 1250 [12 Babah (Paopi) 967 AM] to 27 November 1261 AD [The first of Kiahk (Koiahk) 978 AM].

The See of St Mark remained vacant for one month and 5 days after his death and he was succeeded by Pope John VII of Alexandria. He was buried in Saint Mercurius Church in Coptic Cairo (كنيسة مرقوريوس أبو سيفين).

In his time, the Papal Residence was at the Church of The Holy Virgin Mary & St Damiana known as The Hanging Church (الكنيسة المعلقة) in Coptic Cairo.

Contemporary Rulers of Egypt During His Episcopate

The episcopate of Pope Athanasius III of Alexandria started at the time when The Ayyubid Dynasty rulers lost power to their Mamluk slave troops in Egypt and elsewhere. Thus, Egypt passed from the reign of the Ayyubids (الأيوبيون‎‎) to the reign of the Bahri (Tukric) Mamluks (Bahri dynasty) who ruled Egypt from 1250 to 1382 AD. Pope Athanasius III of Alexandria became the patriarch at the time of the reign of Al-Ashraf Musa, Sultan of Egypt (الأشرف موسى) who was the last, albeit titular, Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. Al-Ashraf Musa was the puppet of the strong Mamluk ruler Izz ad-Din Aybak.

Thus, his episcopate coincided with the following rulers: Al-Ashraf Musa, Sultan of Egypt(الأشرف موسى), Izz al-Din Aybak (عز الدين أيبك), Al-Mansur Ali ( نور الدين على بن أيبك), Qutuz (قطز), and Baibars (بيبرس).

2 May 1250–July 1250 AD (648 AH): Shajar al-Durr (شجر الدر, "Tree of Pearls") whose Royal Name was al-Malika `Aṣmat ad-Dīn Umm-Khalīl Shajar ad-Durr (الملكة عصمة الدين أم خليل شجر الدر) (nicknamed: أم خليل, Umm Khalil; mother of Khalil) (died 28 April 1257 in Cairo). She was the wife of As-Salih Ayyub (الملك الصالح نجم الدين ايوب), Egypt Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty and later Izz al-Din Aybak, Egypt Sultan of the Bahri Mamluk dynasty. Shajar al-Durr played a crucial role after the death of her first husband in Al-Mansura (22 November 1249) during the Seventh Crusade (1249–1250). She became the Sultana of Egypt on May 2, 1250, marking the end of the Ayyubid reign and the start of the Mamluk era.

July 1250 AD (five days, first Reign):Mamluk Sultan al-Muizz Izz al-Din Aybak (1250-1257 AD, 648-655 AH, Assassinated) (الملك المعز عز الدين أيبك التركماني الجاشنكير) - His official reign was from 1254-1257 AD, however, he was the de facto ruler since 1250 AD.

July 1250-1254 AD: Ayyubid Sultan (al-Malik) al-Ashraf II Muzaffar ad-Din [Musa Al-Asharf موسى الأشرف, (reign 1250-1254 AD / 648-650 AH)]. Al-Ashraf Musa (الأشرف موسى) was the last, albeit titular, Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. Al-Ashraf Musa, Sultan of Egypt, was the puppet of the strong Mamluk ruler Izz ad-Din Aybak.

1254- 1257 AD: Mamluk Sultan al-Malik al-Mu'izz Izz al-Din Aybak al-Jawshangir al-Turkmani al-Salihi (1250-1257 AD, 648-655 AH, Assassinated) (الملك المعز عز الدين أيبك التركماني الجاشنكير) - His official reign was from 1254-1257 AD, however, he was the de facto ruler since 1250 AD. Izz al-Din Aybak (عز الدين أيبك‎‎) was the first of the Mamluk sultans of Egypt in the Turkic Bahri line, if the reign of Shajar al-Durr is discounted.

1257-November 1259 AD: Mamluk Sultan Al-Malik Al-Manṣūr Nūr ad-dīn ʾAlī ibn Aybak (1257-1259 AD, 655-657 AH, Dethroned) (الملك المنصور نور الدين على بن أيبك). Al-Mansur Ali (المنصور على) (b. c. 1244, Cairo) was the second of the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt in the Turkic, or Bahri, line. Some historians, however, consider Shajar al-Durr as the first of the Mamluk Sultans; thus, Al-Mansur Ali was the third Mamluk Sultan He ruled from 1257 to 1259 after the assassination of his father Aybak during a turbulent period that witnessed the Mongols invasion of the Islamic world.

November 1259-24 October 1260 AD: The Reign of Mamluk Sultan al-Malik al-Muzafar Seif al-Din Qutuz (1259-1260 AD, Assassinated) (لملك المظفر سيف الدين قطز). (Arabic: سيف الدين قطز‎‎; d. 24 October 1260). Under his leadership, the Mamluks defeated the Mongols in the key Battle of Ain Jalut (3 September 1260). Qutuz was assassinated by a fellow Mamluk leader, Baibars, on his triumphant return journey to Cairo.

24 October 1260 - 1 July 1277 AD: The Reign of Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baibars (Baybars) I al-Bunduqdari (1260-1277 AD, 658-665 AH, died in office)(الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري) nicknamed Abu al-Futuh and Abu l-Futuhat (أبو الفتوح; "Father of Conquest", referring to his victories) — He was one of the commanders of the Muslim forces that inflicted a defeat on the Seventh Crusade (1248 to 1254) of King Louis IX of France. Louis IX was defeated by the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Muazzam Turanshah supported by the Bahariyya Mamluks led by Faris ad-Din Aktai, Baibars al-Bunduqdari, Qutuz, Aybak and Al-Mansur Qalawun and Louis IX was captured. Approximately 800,000 bezants were paid in ransom for his release. Baibars also led the vanguard of the army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked the first substantial defeat of the Mongol army and is considered a turning point in history. The reign of Baibars marked the start of the age of Mamluk dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean and solidified the durability of their military system. He managed to pave the way for the end of the Crusader presence in the Levant and reinforced the union of Egypt and Syria as the region's pre-eminent Muslim state, able to fend off threats from both Crusaders and Mongols, and even managed to subdue the kingdom of Makuria (in the Sudan), which was famous for being unconquerable by previous Muslim empire invasion attempts. This marks the start of the spread of Islam south of Egypt.