The sultan then ruling was Inal, and he promised to re-install James as King of Cyprus.  Meanwhile messengers arrived from the queen, offering a higher tribute, and Inal allowed himself to be persuaded by his emirs to acknowledge Charlotte as queen, and to hand James over to her ambassadors.  But as soon as the ambassadors had left the audience-chamber, a tumult arose; the people declared that the sultan had only the advantage of the Franks—­especially of Prince Louis of Savoy—­in view, and they soon took such a threatening attitude that Inal was forced to declare himself for James again and renew his former preparations.  In August, 1460, an Egyptian fleet bore James to Cyprus, and with the help of the Egyptian troops he soon obtained the island, with the exception of the fortress Cerines, which Queen Charlotte still had in her power.  The majority of the Egyptian troops now returned to Egypt, and only some hundred men remained with James.  Later, when the Genoese declared themselves on the side of Charlotte, fresh troops had to be sent out from Egypt, but, as soon as James had taken Famagosta and had no further need of them, he dismissed them (1464).

Bursbai despised no means by which he might enrich himself; he appropriated the greater part of the inheritance of the Jews and Christians; he even taxed poor pilgrims, in spite of the fact that he was a pious Moslem, prayed much, fasted, and read the Koran.  He turned Mecca into a money-market.  At the very moment when pious pilgrims were praying for the forgiveness of their sins, one of his heralds was proclaiming:  “Whoever buys wares and does not pay toll for them in Egypt has forfeited his life.”  That is to say, all wares bought in Mecca or Jiddah had to go out of their way to Egypt in order to be laid under toll in this land.

[Illustration:  071.jpg ornamental page from A Koran of the Fourteenth century]

In appointing his son Yusuf to the consulship, Bursbai counted on the devotedness of his Mamluks, and the Emir Jakmak, whom he appointed as his chief adviser, and, in fact, Yusuf’s coronation, in June, 1438, met with no resistance.  After three months, however, Jakmak, feeling himself secure, quietly assumed the sultan’s place; at first he had much resistance to put down, but soon his prudence and resolution established him safely in spite of all opposition.  As soon as the rebels in the interior had been dealt with, Yusuf, as a good Muhammedan, wished to attack the Christians, and chose the island of Rhodes as the scene of the Holy War, hoping to obtain this island as easily as Bursbai had obtained the island of Cyprus.  But the Order of St. John, to whom this island belonged, had its spies in Egypt, so that the sultan’s intentions were discovered and preparations for defence were made.  The only result of the sultan’s repeated expeditions was the devastation of some unimportant coast towns; all attempts on the capital failed, so that the siege was soon raised and peace concluded with the chief master of Rhodes (1444).