Moses Georgios of Makuria

Moses Georgios (Ancient Greek: Μώσες Γεωργίου) was ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria. During his reign it is believed that the crown of Alodia was also under the control of Makuria.^[3] He is mostly known for his conflict with Saladin.

Moses Georgios Μώσες Γεωργίου
King of the Alodians and Makurians[a]
Mural from Faras Cathedral depicting King Moses Georgios
King of Makuria
Reign	1155–1190
Predecessor	Georgios IV
Born	Dongola, Nubia
Religion	Coptic Orthodox Christianity

Life and reign

Ruins of the Central Church of Abdallah Nirqi

In 1171, the Ayyubids overthrew the Fatimid Caliphate, whose capital was Cairo.^[4] This brought Makuria and the Ayyubids into conflict with each other. The following year,^[5] a Makurian army pillaged Aswan and advanced even further north. It is not clear if this campaign was intended to aid the Fatimids or was merely a raid^[4] exploiting the unstable situation in Egypt,^[6] although the latter seems more likely, as the Makurians apparently soon withdrew.^[7]

To deal with the Nubians, Saladin sent his brother Turan-Shah. The latter conquered Qasr Ibrim in January 1173,^[8] reportedly sacking it, taking many prisoners, pillaging the church, and converting it into a mosque.^[9] Afterward, he sent an emissary to King Moses Georgios,^[10] intending to answer a previously requested peace treaty with a pair of arrows.^[11]

Moses Georgios was a man confident in his ability to resist the Ayyubid army, stamping with hot iron a cross on the emissary's hand.^[10] Turan-Shah withdrew from Nubia but left a detachment of Kurdish troops in Qasr Ibrim, which would raid Lower Nubia for the next two years. Archaeological evidence links them with the destruction of the Faras Cathedral,^[12] the Central Church of Abdallah Nirqi,^[13] and Debeira West.^{[citation needed]}

In 1175, a Nubian army finally arrived to confront the invaders at Adindan. Before battle, however, the Kurdish commander Ibrahim al-Kurdi drowned while crossing the Nile, resulting in the retreat of Saladin's troops out of Nubia.^[12] Afterwards, there was peace for another 100 years in which Georgios had independence over Nubia while Aswan was reoccupied by the Ayyubids and a garrison of Kurdish soldiers was stationed there.^[4]

Notes

1. His full imperial titulature is attested in a 1186 letter (DBMNT 610) as Μώσες Γεωργίου εὐσεβέστατος, φιλόχριστος, φιλεκκλήσιος, φιλόπτωχος, φιλάνθρωπος, φιλόξενος, ἀγαθός, πρᾶος, εὔσπλαγχνος, μεταδότης, ἀνδράγαθος, τροφεύς, φοβερότατος πάντων τῶν βαρβάρων βασιλεύς Ἀρουαδία καί Μακουρτία καί Νοβαδίον καί Δαμαλτία καί Ἁξιώμα καί αὐτοκράτωρος τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν τω Κυρίω ("Moses Georgios, the most pious, Christ-loving, Church-loving, loving the poor, lover of men, lover of strangers, good, mild, kind, generous, one who behaves uprightly, foster-father, the most fear-ful towards all barbarians, emperor of the Alodians, Makurians, Nobadians Ptolemais and Aksumites and autocrat of the people in the Lord).^[1][2]