Renaissance Emir: A Druze Warlord at the Court of the Medici

In this brief and lively biography, Gorton demystifies Fakhr ad-Din ibn Ma’n, an enigmatic 17th-century leader of his equally enigmatic sect, the Druze. An emir in the Shouf region of what is now Lebanon, Fakhr ad-Din presented himself to his Ottoman overlords as a devout Muslim but harbored a lifelong dream of capturing Jerusalem at the head of a Crusader army, even having the temerity to write to the Pope requesting that he require all Christians “on penalty of excommunication” to assist him in his quest. Whenever Fakhr found himself out of the Sultan’s favor, he would drop hints with his European allies that he was prepared to be baptized (though Gorton remains unconvinced by his assertions). Seeking political asylum in Tuscany, the emir and his retinue became “among the very first non-Christian Levantines to voluntarily visit the Land of the Christians for an extended period, and unique in having left us an extensive and entirely credible written record of their experiences.” Fakhr ad-Din is shown to have been an admirable, if indecisive, leader, who was remarkably tolerant towards other ethnic and religious groups. Gorton also reveals that some Lebanese consider this somewhat obscure dynastic prince to be a founding father of the nation. (Aug.)