Mamluks: their origin & a neat reference

[Guyus Germanicus]

I was sharing on another thread of a neat book I discovered yesterday as I was snooping around a favorite bookstore. It's entitled The Knights of Islam: The Wars of the Mamluks by James Waterson and it just came out this year published by Greenhill Publishing, London.

The word Mamluk, according to the author, is Arabic for 'slave.' And I thought I would share a very interesting and moving passage from the book, pp 41-42:

"The Mamluk revolution really began with Caliph al-Mutasim (r. 833-42) and
his desire to produce a Mamluk military aristocracy. He wanted his Mamluks to be totally immersed in military culture and capable of being promoted to the highest positions in the state. He personally supervised the training and
the apprenticeship that they passed through to gain entrance to the
military caste. He had been a witness to the civil war between his older
brother al-Mamun and al-Amin who had been claiphs before him. The lesson
of this confrontation for al-Mutasim seems to have been twofold: first,
that al-Amin had lost the war and his life because he had relied on Arab
forces that were markedly inferior to the Turkish levies of al-Mamun and
secondly, that it was the fact that a good proportion of al-Mamun's
troopers were Mamluks that made all the difference. A tale that circulated
after the war may also have influenced al-Mutasim in his course of action.
The story was that Al-Amin's governor of al-Ahwaz was losing a battle and
his command was about to be overrun; he told his Mamluk bodyguard to flee
and to leave him fight alone but his men replied: 'By Allah! If we do so
we would cause you great injustice. You have taken us from slavery and
elevated us from a humble position and raised us from poverty to riches.
And after all that, how can we abandon you and leave you in such a state?
No, instead we shall advance in front of you and die under your steed. May
Allah curse this world and life altogether after your death.'

"They then dismounted and hamstrung their horses. They died, to a man, fighting around their master."

I know there are several enthusiasts within the Guild who enjoy this period in history in the Middle East. Just thought you all would appreciate the reference. Daniel Pipes has also written a book on the slave soldiers of Islam, but his book has been out of print for some time.

Comments? If anyone has some of their own references to recommend or informative tidbits, please chime in. One thing M2TW has done is to stimulate my reading in new areas. And I've gotten some good references from fellow guild members myself.

Anyway, enjoy!

[Shahed]

Excellent. Thanks !

Just wanted to mention that Middle Eastern history has a great deal of examples such as this one. To die in combat, or to die in combat in the service of your master was considered honorable, just like the Samurai way. Loyalty & self sacrifice were integral parts of the code.

I was interested well before but MTW:VI is really what got me reading, glad M2:TW has done the same for you. Knowledge is power... and is fulfilling for it's own sake.