2. Sultan Al-Malik al-Mansur Sayf ad-Din Abu Bakr reigned as the Mamluk Sultan for 49 days before being deposed and later executed
Al-Malik al-Mansur Sayf ad-Din Abu Bakr, more commonly referred to as simply al-Mansur Abu Bakr, reigned as the Mamluk Sultan in 1341 CE. Born in or around 1321, the son of Sultan an-Nasir Muhammad (r. 1310-1341), Abu Bakr was the eldest of three brothers begat from his concubine mother, Narijis. Limited information is available concerning his early childhood, with the first recorded mention of the future sultan from 1332 at which time Abu Bakr had been sent to the fortress of al-Karak for military training and later joined his father to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
Recalled to Cairo in 1335 and elevated to the rank of emir, Abu Bakr returned to al-Karak in 1339 to replace his half-brother, Ahmed, as regional governor and who had fallen out of favor for succession. In 1340, an-Nasir Muhammad had his emirs swear oaths of allegiance to Abu Bakr as their crown prince and future monarch. On June 4, 1341, the ailing an-Nasir Muhammad summoned his emirs to recognize the transfer of the sultanate and personally coronated his son as “al-Malik al-Mansur”. This transition formally occurred upon the death of an-Nasir Muhammad on June 7. On August 5, 1341, Qawsun had Abu Bakr arrested on charges of frivolity and, along with six of his brothers, was imprisoned in Qus in Upper Egypt. This arrest was followed by execution in November, whereupon Abu Bakr’s infant half-brother, Kujuk, was installed as the sultan with Qawsun serving as his regent. However, victory was short-lived for Qawsun, facing a rebellion by Abu Bakr’s half-brother Ahmad who successfully defeated the regent. Both Qawsun and the governor of Qus were executed in early 1342 for their treasonous actions.