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Relations severed with Europe and Martyrdom of the Patriarch<br />
A f t e r t h e d e p a r t u r e o f t h e C r u s a d e r s t h e r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n L e b a n o n a n d t h e w e s t w e r e c u r t a i l e d a n d a f t e r t h e v i c t o r y o f t h e<br />
M a m l u k s o v e r t h e p e o p l e o f K e s r w a n t h e y w e r e e v e n m o r e s o . T h e M a m l u k s , i n t i m i d a t e d b y t h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e F r e n c h s h i p s<br />
m o v i n g j u s t o f t h e c o a s t o f L e b a n o n , l e f t t h e m i n c o n t i n u a l f e a r o f a n a g g r e s s i v e a t t a c k b y t h e F r e n c h . Wi t h t h i s i n m i n d<br />
t h e y k e p t a c a r e f u l e y e o n t h e r e l a t i o n s o f t h e C h r i s t i a n s w i t h t h e c o u n t r i e s o f E u r o p e a s t h e y c o n s i d e r e d t h e m f r i e n d s o f t h e<br />
C r u s a d e r s . E v e r y a t t e m p t t o m a k e c o n t a c t w i t h E u r o p e w a s c o n s i d e r e d a s a c o n s p i r a c y a g a i n s t t h e n a t i o n a l s e c u r i t y o f t h e<br />
state, just as if it was a crime of treason 8. The Druze of Shouf and the Shiites too were treated with the same suspicion.<br />
P r o o f o f t h e i n t r a n s i g e n c e o f t h e M a m l u k S u l t a n s i n t h i s r e g a r d i s c l e a r l y e v i d e n t i n s o m e o f t h e i r o f f i c i a l d o c u m e n t s . F o r e x a m p l e<br />
i n t h e ‘ F i r m a n ’ , t h e c e r t i f i c a t e o f i n v e s t i t u r e g i v e n t o t h e M a r o n i t e P a t r i a r c h , i t i s w r i t t e n : “ Ta k e c a r e n o t t o k e e p a n y l e t t e r s e n t t o<br />
him secretly by a foreign monarch or to write to him or to be guilty of any such act. He should avoid the sea and not venture into it”<br />
I n o r d e r t o k e e p c l o s e w a t c h o n t h e C h r i s t i a n s , D r u z e a n d S h i i t e s , T h e M a m l u k s i n s t a l l e d K u r d s a n d Tu r k m e n s i n B e i r u t a n d Tr i p o l i .<br />
They were trusted because they were Sunni Muslims like the Mamluks. At the same time they demolished the fortresses of Sidon and<br />
B e i r u t a n d t h e y d i d t h e s a m e w i t h t h e h a r b o u r o f Ty r e . I n g e n e r a l t h e y w r e c k e d t h e c i t i e s a l o n g t h e c o a s t l i n e w h i c h t h e y h a d c o n t r o l o f .<br />
Sidon<br />
Tyre
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