Abul Fatah Imad ad-Din al-Malik al-Adil Zengi Ibn Mawdud (; died 1197), better known as Imad ad-Din Zengi II, was an

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

of the

Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...

-based

Zengid dynasty The Zengid or Zangid dynasty, also referred to as the Atabegate of Mosul, Aleppo and Damascus (Arabic: أتابكة الموصل وحلب ودمشق), or the Zengid State (Old Anatolian Turkish: , Modern Turkish: ; ) was initially an '' Atabegat ...

and the first son of Qutb al-Din Mawdud. He ruled from 1171 to 1197

and 1181–83

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

Life

His father died on September 6, 1170, disinheriting him and designating his second son Sayf al-Din Ghazi II as his successor. Imad ad-Din took refuge in

at the court of Nur al-Din. The latter quickly intervened against

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

, seizing

and besieging Mosul, which surrendered on January 22, 1171. Contrary to Imad ad-Din's hopes, he maintained control of the city on his own, appointing a vizier there, Gumushtekin, and left the title of the emir of Mosul to Sayf al-Din. Imad ad-Din received Sinjar in compensation. Sayf al-Din passed away on June 29, 1180, and appointed his brother Izz al-Din Mas'ud as his successor. He certainly had a son, but he was only twelve years old and the political situation demanded a strong man at the helm of the emirate.

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

, the vizier of Egypt, refused Nur al-Din's tutelage and then took advantage of the latter's death to seize

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and, while seeking to unify the Muslims of Egypt and Syria under his rule, posed a threat to Mosul and Aleppo. On December 4, 1181, his cousin As-Salih Ismail al-Malik, son of Nur al-Din, died without having a son or brother and appointed Izz al-Din Mas'ud to succeed him, against the law. opinion of his advisors who proposed Imad ad-Din. Following the affirmations of his brother Izz ad-Din, he preferred to exchange Sinjar for Aleppo with Imad ad-Din. In November 1182,

, seeking to unify Muslim Syria under his rule, laid siege to Mosul, but the Muslim princes, concerned about Saladin's ambitions, formed a coalition that forced him to lift the siege. He then turned in May 1183 against Aleppo and besieged the city. The city is said to be impregnable, its inhabitants and defenders did not hesitate to raid Saladin's army and Imad ad-Din was able to call on his brother Izz ad-Din Mas'ud or the Franks to force

to lift the siege, but he preferred to negotiate and concluded on June 12, 1183, the exchange of

for the cities of

Nisibis Nusaybin () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,079 km2, and its population is 115,586 (2022). The city is populated by Kurds of different tribal affiliation. Nusaybin is separated ...

, Al-Khabur, Ar-Raqqah, and Seruj. Imad ad-Din Zengi left the city to the boos of the Aleppo people, who had always been loyal to the

Zengids The Zengid or Zangid dynasty, also referred to as the Atabegate of Mosul, Aleppo and Damascus (Arabic: أتابكة الموصل وحلب ودمشق), or the Zengid State (Old Anatolian Turkish: , Modern Turkish: ; ) was initially an ''Atabegate ...

and who were ashamed of their emir's resignation. In June 1190, he responded with one of his nephews from

's call for

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

against the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

besieging

Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

. In 1193, taking advantage of Saladin's death, Imad ad-Din and his brother Izz ad-Din Mas'ud attempted to shake off

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...

tutelage, but Izz ad-Din Mas'ud's death soon after put an end to this attempt. Imad ad-Din died at

in the month of November or December 1197..

Legacy

Imad al-Din had a son named Qutb ad-Din Muhammad (died 1219) from his unknown wife, who succeeded him.

References

Works cited

* * {{cite book , first=René , last=Grousset , author-link=René Grousset , title=Histoire des croisades et du royaume franc de Jérusalem , trans-title=History of the Crusades and the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem , volume=III 1188-1291 L'anarchie , date=1936 , publication-date=2006 , language=fr , location=Paris Zengid rulers Zengid dynasty