How a concubine became the ruler of Egypt - Abdallah Ewis

譯者: Camila Lin 審譯者: Amanda Zhu

The year is 1249 CE.

這是西元 1249 年，

The French King Louis IX is sailing the Nile,

法國國王路易九世 正揚帆於尼羅河之上，

threatening to overthrow the Egyptian sultan and capture Egypt.

威脅將要推翻埃及蘇丹並佔領埃及。

Egypt’s army commanders ask the sultan’s wife, Shajar Al-Durr,

埃及的軍隊指揮官要求 蘇丹之妻莎哈爾‧杜爾，

to report this news to the sultan, who has been injured in battle.

向在戰場上負傷的蘇丹轉達這一訊息。

But they don’t know the truth:

但他們並不知道事情的真相：

the sultan is already dead,

蘇丹早已死去，

and Shajar Al-Durr is secretly ruling in his stead.

莎哈爾‧杜爾秘密地代掌大權。

Born around 1220 CE, Shajar Al-Durr, whose name means “tree of pearls,”

莎哈爾‧杜爾約出生於 西元 1220 年，

她名字的意思是「珍珠之樹」，

was sold into slavery.

而她卻被販賣為奴。

This was a common fate for Christian children from Turkic countries like her.

對出生在突厥國家的基督教孩子而言， 被販為奴是常見的命運。

Enslaved boys, or mamaleek, were trained to be elite military personnel

被奴役的男孩，或稱 mamaleek， 會被訓練成軍事精英部隊，

serving the Egyptian Sultanate,

直屬於埃及的蘇丹。

while enslaved girls were forced to become concubines.

而被奴役的女孩則被迫成為後宮姬妾。

As a teenager, Shajar Al-Durr became a concubine

當她還是個青少女， 莎哈爾‧杜爾就成了

to the son of the Egyptian sultan, As-Salih Ayyub.

埃及蘇丹之子 阿薩利赫·阿尤布的妾室。

They had a son named Khalil who died in infancy,

他們有一個名為卡利爾的兒子， 但嬰兒時期便已夭折。

and As-Salih freed her so he could court her formally.

之後為了正式追求她， 阿薩利赫·阿尤布還她自由。

As-Salih became sultan, and he and Shajar Al-Durr married.

在阿薩利赫成為蘇丹後， 兩人便結了婚。

When As-Salih died in the middle of the conflict with the crusaders,

在阿薩利赫與十字軍的 衝突期間死去時，

Shajar Al-Durr knew King Louis IX had already succeeded

莎哈爾‧杜爾知道路易九世

已成功征服埃及的重要海港城市。

in conquering important Egyptian port cities.

Fearing that her husband’s death would threaten the army’s morale,

害怕丈夫之死會威脅到軍隊的士氣，

she decided to keep it a secret.

她決定保守這個秘密。

To conceal his death, she had food brought to his tent,

為了隱藏他的死訊， 她要人將食物端進他的帳篷，

and forged his signature on decrees to govern the sultanate

並在統治蘇丹領土 及指揮軍事將領的命令上，

and advise military commanders.

偽造他的簽名。

When the crusaders attacked the Egyptian city of Al-Mansurah,

當十字軍攻擊埃及的曼蘇拉城時，

Egyptian soldiers ambushed the crusaders and took the French king hostage.

埃及士兵突襲了他們， 並將法國國王擄為人質。

Meanwhile, the truth about the sultan’s death began to leak.

同時，蘇丹的死訊消息走漏。

Shajar Al-Durr invited her late husband’s son with another woman

莎哈爾‧杜爾邀請 亡夫與另一名女子所生的兒子

to claim the title of sultan.

繼承蘇丹的名號。

At first, both she and her mamaleek advisers supported

一開始，她與她的軍士顧問

支持她繼子繼承權位的正當性。

her stepson’s claim to the throne.

But then he began threatening to exile her and kill the mamaleek,

但之後，他開始威脅要流放她， 並要殺掉她的軍隊，

making wild accusations about them.

還以胡亂的罪名控訴他們。

The mamaleek had served Shajar Al-Durr’s husband before her,

在聽命於莎哈爾‧杜爾之前， 這些軍人都是已故蘇丹的手下，

and seen her capable rule so far.

也見證了她目前為止的政治手腕，

They thought she would make a better ruler than the unpredictable prince,

他們認為，她會是個比這個 陰晴不定的王子更好的統治者。

and conspired with her to assassinate him.

便與她密謀刺殺了王子。

In May of 1250, with the support of the mamaleek military,

西元 1250 年 5 月， 在其軍隊的支持下，

Shajar Al-Durr was inaugurated as Sultana of Egypt.

莎哈爾‧杜爾正式成為埃及的女蘇丹。

Days later, she negotiated the ransom of the French king and his army

在幾天後，她就法國國王 與其軍隊的贖金進行談判，

in exchange for an enormous sum of money

得到了巨額財富，

and the surrender of the occupied port city.

並取回被佔領的港口城市。

In spite of her success leading Egypt through this military crisis,

即使她成功帶領埃及 度過此一軍事危機，

she had to work to cement her credibility in the eyes of the public.

她仍然需要在群眾眼中 加強自己可信任的形象。

As a formerly enslaved person,

作為前奴隸，

her rise to power wasn’t linked to royal ancestry,

她的權力提升與王室血統無關，

while as a woman, societal restrictions prevented her

而作為一個女人，

社會的束縛使她無法參加 許多蘇丹應當出席的場合。

from participating in many of the events a sultan would typically attend.

To increase her visibility and solidify her claim to the throne,

為了提高她的能見度， 並穩固她繼承王位的正當性，

she constructed a public mausoleum for her husband,

她為丈夫建造了一個公共陵墓，

issued the currency under her name, and signed decrees as Walidat Khalil,

以自己的名義發行貨幣，

並以 Walidat Khalil 之名簽署命令，

the mother of Khalil.

意思是「卡利爾之母」。

Unfortunately, the sultanate’s premier religious authority,

不幸的是，蘇丹領土的首要宗教掌權者

the caliph of Baghdad, still objected to having a woman rule.

巴格達的哈里發， 仍拒絕讓一個女人掌權。

Under threat of revolt,

在反叛的威脅下，

Shajar Al-Durr married on the condition

莎哈爾‧杜爾在這個條件下再婚了：

that her new husband must divorce his first wife.

新的丈夫必須和其首任妻子離婚。

Shajar Al-Durr intended to maintain her status as supreme ruler.

莎哈爾‧杜爾有意維持 她作為最高統治者的地位。

Her new husband threatened to undermine her rule

她的新丈夫藉由規劃 與摩蘇爾公主的政治婚姻，

by arranging a political marriage between himself and a princess from Mosul.

來威脅削弱她的統治，

So Shajar Al-Durr ordered his assassination.

因此莎哈爾‧杜爾下令暗殺他。

The news reached his first wife,

這個消息傳到了他首任妻子的耳裡，

who successfully plotted to murder the Sultana.

而她成功地策畫這位女蘇丹的死亡。

Shajar Al-Durr’s killers threw her body from the Cairo citadel.

殺掉莎哈爾‧杜爾的殺手們 將其遺體從開羅城上丟下去。

Shajar Al-Durr left no personal writings, but her legacy was lasting.

她沒有留下任何私人書信， 但她的遺產仍永垂不朽。

Before her death, she built her own mausoleum

在她死亡之前就已建好了自己的陵墓，

with a madrasa, garden, public shower, and palace,

有著伊斯蘭教學校、花園、 公眾浴堂，還有一座宮殿，

decorated with her signature tree of pearls

都以她名字寓意的珍珠之樹作為裝飾，

to remind Egyptians who made it.

讓埃及人都記得， 她才是這個陵墓的建造者。