Al-Ashraf Khalil

Al-Ashraf Khalil (Arabic: الأشرف خليل )(epithet: al-Malik al-Ashraf Salah al-Din Khalil Ben Qalawun)(Arabic: الملك الاشرف صلاح الدين خليل بن قلاوون)) (died 1293) was the Mamluk sultan of Egypt from 1290 until his assassination in December, 1293. He is most famous for conquering the last of the Crusader states in Palestine.

Khalil was the son of Qalawun, and was named co-sultan with his father when his older brother as-Salih Ali died in 1288. Qalawun did not trust Khalil and at first refused to acknowledge him. Qalawun conquered the County of Tripoli in 1289, and in 1290 marched on Acre, the capital of the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He died in November and was succeeded by Khalil, who continued the attack in 1291, assembling the forces of Egypt and Syria at Hisn al-Akrad in May, 1291. Acre was captured on June 17, 1291 after a bloody siege; those who were unable to flee were executed, and the city was entirely destroyed. By August Khalil had captured Tyre, Sidon, Haifa, and Beirut, and he returned to Cairo. This was a great victory; the process of conquering the crusader kingdom, begun by Saladin in 1187, was finally complete. Khalil was called a new Alexander.

In 1292 he invaded the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and captured Hromgla, the seat of the Patriarch of Armenia; this kingdom also slowly began to collapse. On the other hand, Khalil had good relations with the Kingdom of Cyprus, the Kingdom of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Sicily, who had commercial and military treaties with him.

Khalil continued his father's policy of replacing Turkish Mamluks with Circassians, which eventually led to conflict within the Mamluk ranks. He appointed the Arab Ibn al-Salus as vizier, a position that had previously declined in the 13th century, further insulting the Mamluks. Khalil was assassinated by his Turkish regent Baydara in December, 1293. Baydara claimed the sultanate but was quickly assassinated by the Circassians. Khalil was succeeded by his young brother al-Nasr Muhammad, who was overthrown by Katbugha, a former supporter of Baydara who deserted to the Circassians.