ndered necessary partly by the growth of the
metropolis, but also by the repeated sieges which it had undergone since
the commencement of Fatimite rule. The time of Mostansir is otherwise
memorable for the rise of the Assassins (q.v.), who at the first
supported the claims of his eldest son Nizar to the succession against
the youngest Ahmed, who was favoured by the family of Badr. When Badr
died in 1094 his influence was inherited by his son al-Afdal Shahinshah,
and this, at the death of Mostansir in the same year, was thrown in
favour of _Ahmed_, who succeeded to the caliphate with the title
_al-Mosta'li billah_.

The Crusades.

Mosta'li's succession was not carried through without an attempt on the
part of Nizar to obtain his rights, the title which he chose being
_al-Mostafa lidin allah_; for a time he maintained himself in
Alexandria, but the energetic measures of his brother soon brought the
civil war to an end. The beginning of this reign coincided with the
beginning of the Crusades, and al-Afdal made the fatal mistake of
helping the Franks by rescuing Jerusalem from the Ortokids, thereby
facilitating its conquest by the Franks in 1099. He endeavoured to
retrieve his error by himself advancing into Palestine, but he was
defeated in the neighbourhood of Ascalon, and compelled to retire to
Egypt. Many of the Palestinian possessions of the Fatimites then
successively fell into the hands of the Franks. After a reign of seven
years Mosta'li died and the caliphate was given by al-Afdal to an infant
son, aged five years at the time, who was placed on the throne with the
title _al-Amir biahkam allah_, and for twenty years was under the
tutelage of al-Afdal. He made repeated attempts to recover the Syrian
and Palestinian cities from the Franks, but with poor success. In 1118
Egypt was invaded by Baldwin I., who burned the gates and the mosques of
Farama, and advanced to Tinnis, whence illness compelled him to retreat.
In August 1121 al-Afdal was assassinated in a street of Cairo, it is
said, with the connivance of the caliph, who immediately began the
plunder of his house, where fabulous treasures were said to be amassed.
The vizier's offices were given to one of the caliph's creatures,
Mahommed b. Fatik al-Bata'ihi, who took the title _al-Ma'mun_. His
external policy was not more fortunate than that of his predecessor, as
he lost Tyre to the Franks, and a fleet equipped by him was defeated by
the Venetians. On the 4