Editing 1240 (section)

==== Africa ====
* Summer &ndash; [[As-Salih Ayyub]] becomes ruler of [[Egypt in the Middle Ages|Egypt]], after deposing his half-brother [[Al-Adil II]]. Meanwhile, other members of the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid Dynasty]] are conspiring to depose him and replace him with his uncle, [[As-Salih Ismail, Emir of Damascus|As-Salih Ismail]]. During his reign, As-Salih begins buying large numbers of [[Kipchaks|Kipchak]] slaves, to form an elite core in the Egyptian army, known as [[Mamluk]]s.<ref>Humphreys, R. Stephen (1977). ''From Saladin to the Mongols: The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193–1260'', p. 268. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. {{ISBN|0-87395-263-4}}.</ref>