Women were treated unfairly in the 13th century and they weren’t given important political positions or given important responsibilities because they were women. Having a woman rule land or be a noble was an embarrassment to most men. Being the Sultana of Egypt was a prestigious position and, since she was a woman, Shagrat Al-Durr did encounter many obstacles along the way, but that didn’t stop her from changing the history of the world. In Egypt during the 13th century, when women were not treated the same as men, the fearless and determined Shagrat Al-Durr rose from the ranks of slave to become the Sultana of Egypt and defeated King Louis IX during the Crusades.
Even though women weren’t treated the same as men in Egypt during the 13th century, that didn’t stop Shagrat Al-Durr from proving them wrong. In the 13th century, it was believed that women weren’t capable of handling big responsibilities and weren’t given positions as important officials. Shagrat Al-Durr on the other hand, became the Sultana of Egypt and the first leader of the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt, despite being a woman. During this time period, slaves like Shagrat Al-Dur were frequently sold and purchased. She was gifted to the Sultan of Egypt, Al-Malik Al-Sālih Ayub, who Shagrat Al-Durr soon married. He passed away while he was away on campaigns for the Crusades. Shagrat Al-Durr, determined to keep power, didn’t tell anyone about this and ruled under his name by pretending that her husband was still alive by faking his meals, denying access to Ayub’s chamber, and forging his signatures. Soon the news that the Sultan of Egypt had died got out, which was the perfect opportunity for King Louis IX to attack Cairo. He led his forces towards Cairo, but was defeated b...
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...ion helped her succeed and accomplish many things in her life. Shagrat Al-Durr was a woman who accomplished many things and changed the history of the world.
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Laura York, Shagrat Al-Durr, (Detroit: Yorkin Publications, 2002)
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Timeline 1200s-1300s, http://web.cn.edu/Kwheeler/timeline_1200.html, (accessed November 9th, 2013)
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During the time of Ancient Egypt, having strong Pharaohs was essential to the maintenance and growth of the civilization, as the Pharaohs were believed to be living Gods. Although leadership of Ancient Egypt was often male dominated, there were admirable female Pharaohs who successfully gained power and left behind a positive legacy; one woman to achieve this was Hatshepsut, meaning ‘foremost of female nobles’. Her innovation and determination allowed her to maintain her position of Pharaoh for about twenty years (1479-1458 BCE). Hatshepsut was considered to be a very successful leader because of her confidence and ambition, magnificent building projects, and establishment of a strong trading network.
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
The theme of gender oppression is greatly shown throughout the story. Making it easier for the reader to comprehend the roles that were expect of women in Egypt. This theme is greatly shown when Abboud Bey and Samia’s father are discussing wedding arrangements. Abboud asks Samia’s father “And the beautiful little girl’s still at second school? She lowered her head modestly and her father had answered:” This shows the lack of respect males have for women in their society. Viewing women merely as a pretty face, incapable of answering simple questions. This also shows that Abboud views Samia as naïve and innocent by referring to her as “little girl”. He seems to be taken by her
In the Middle East it was male-dominant, male’s had all the control in the family. Women’s rule in life was to give birth too many children to continue the family blood line and take care of them, while the men go to work and come home find something for them prepared to eat. Men were the head of the house, whatever they said, had to be obeyed. Women were limited in their rights, even in marriage they weren’t asked for their opinion, “Would you like to marry this guy?” But rather they were forced by their family members to participate in arranged marriages. In this story we see that the slave woman had no rights, this woman obeyed them without saying a word. In addition, to this she was a slave, and slaves had no rights when it came to their master’s commands. She didn’t have a choice but rather obeyed what the master said even if she didn’t agree. Women were mistreated sometimes by men. "Bring the mule’s nose-bag along with you," he added to the groom; "she has not finished her feed, I think; when we get to the palace, put the bag on her again—she can eat the rest of her fodder while I am with the caliph. “Hear and obey," said the groom "(Portland, Maine: Wheelwright, 1955, p 310-313). One can see in this quote that they placed a bag over the girl and limited to when should she eat. The woman was treated as if she was a toy, played with for a while and then placed to the side when they were
Women were treated with excellent conditions in the cultures mentioned in documents 1 & 2. The Pueblo American Indians treated women well because they considered their creators to be two women (Document 1). The Egyptians had a great treatment of women by giving them the right to participate in court sessions and other legal activities (Document 2). Egypt’s treatment of women according to legal documents is due to their influence from Sub-Saharan Africa, a matrilineal culture that had multiple impacts in Egyptian culture.
Rahman, Fazlur. Islam & Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1982. Print.
Since women technically had no power without the help of a man, she had to be sly and crafty to get what she wanted. The perfect example of this is the teller of all these stories. Shahrazad the Vizier’s eldest daughter, willingly chooses to become the King’s next bride to be. “‘Give me in marriage to this King: either I shall die and be a ransom for the daughters of Moslems, or live and be the cause of their deliverance.’”. (pg19) Shahrazad tricked the King into keeping her alive by telling him stories and stopping in the middle of it to survive another night. Her plan works and not only is she spared but thanks to her, the king realizes that women are eloquent, and that they can be trusted. She also saved the lives of other girls since the king no longer needs a new woman every night. In The Tale of Al- Haddar, the barber’s second brother is tricked into shaving his beard and dye his eyebrows by a beautiful woman. This demonstrates that one should not to conclusions, even if it is a pretty
Al-Badiya was an educated Egyptian woman who belonged to the elite social class. She argued that female confinement is preposterous. Her main claim is that women need a place in the workforce saturated by men. Al-Badiya accused men “for not allowing women to enter the professions and enjoy the freedoms that men take for granted… (684).” Part of her lecture stated that men said if women attain an education they would have to compete for work or even have jobs taken from them that god has set for the male role in society. She criticized men for being the ones who oppress the women and drive them out of work. One of her disputes was that women had been the ones who had made clothes for themselves and children but now men have created machines to spin a weave fabric forcing women out of
The woman, by definition is the nurturer of life. She labors through birth, tends to the needs of her family, and assumes unending responsibilities. And while women have given birth to the ancient and modern day male heroes we've come to glorify to this day, we must remember that some of those same women have also been tremendously influential and invaluable all throughout the depths of history. One such woman is Cleopatra, the temptress whose ambition and seduction both augmented her empire's prestige and brought about her theatrical downfall.
Ancient times are known for having ruling emperors and barbaric men. There are millions of stories and books about the conquerers and the soldiers who fought bravely in their successes. But, what about women in ancient times? Did they sit around and take care of children while they waited for their men to return home? There is one women in the ancient world who captivated the men of her time and is still admired today for her beauty. In The Search For Cleopatra, Michael Foss tells the story of Cleopatra VII. He tells us about her remarkable legacy from hundreds of years before she was born all the way to her death, as well as, the historical circumstances surrounding her life.
... Egyptian women were looked at differently than men; their role was that of the nurturer and the caregiver, the bearer of a family’s future. They were just as important to the society as the men. Ancient Egypt was a very complex world, and just as complex was the role that women played in its society. They were not free, but they also were not enslaved. They were vital, but only in terms of their husbands and their children. Egypt offered women a far more free life than the rest of the ancient world. In the end, women played a secondary role to men putting their desires for achievement aside so their husband could be king.
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.
Ibrahim, I. A.. A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam . 2nd ed. Houston: Darussalam, 1997.
Cleopatra has lead an interesting life that many historians still discuss today. Even though Cleopatra didn’t win the war, she did accomplish many things in her life. She was very clever women. Cleopatra is a great influence to women because she was the last successful Queen in Egypt.
Cleopatra is the definition of feminine power. She can very well be one of the first notable women in history. She was a very powerful woman; she knew what she wanted very early in life. Cleopatra life storey is not how powerful she became for a woman in her time, but what she did for love; the love of Egypt and the love of a man.