An
Explanation
ofMilitary
Slavery
91
only
couldtheybepreventedfromearning
outside
income,
but
theycouldalso
be
kept
unmarried;
surely
therulercouldnot
compelanyone
buthisownslavenotto
marry.
Inreturnforre-
ceiving
theirentireincomein
salary
fromtheruler,theslaves
servedhimallyearroundasastandingarmy.
Military
slavesfellfarmore
completely
underthecultural
influenceofthe
polity
thantheirfreerivals.In
trainingthey
learned the customs,
religion,
culture, and
language
ofthe
dynasty;
this
proved
tobe of
greatimportance,
for
unlessthey
weremadetofeelpart
ofthe
dynasty,they
could
always
turn
against
it.
Military
slavesneverdidthis;
they
hadbecomeassimi-
latedtothe
dynasty
itself.
They
were
part
ofthe
ruling
elite,not
its
lackeys.
When
they
revolted,theydidnotattack
the
polity
as
suchbuttheindividualsin
charge;
ifsuccessful,theyusurped
the
government
fromwithin. Thisacculturation did not
prevent
them,however,from
preying
onthe
populace
ofthe
polity;they
engaged
inthis
pursuit,
asdidallmembersofthe
ruling
elite.
Butacculturationmadethem
part
ofthe
government,
so
they
couldnotattackthe
polity
itself,
though
its
populace
remained
theirvictims.
The
trainingprocess
wasthe
linchpin
in
the
whole
institution
of
militaryslavery.
Itestablishedaslave’scharacter
byinstilling
military
skills,
discipline,
andan
understanding
ofcommand
structures.The
years
of
trainingdistinguished
the
military
slave
anddeterminedhisfuture
career,
Heentered
training
a
young
andisolatedboyandemergedahighly
skilled,
disciplined,
and
well-connectedsoldier.Themercenary
or
ally,
not
compelled
to
undergotraining,usually
lackedthese
importantqualities.
Military slaves received training
firstin
the martial arts.
Whereasmercenariesandalliesshowed
impatience
withthein-
troductionofnew
techniques,
slaveswouldlearnnewmethods
of
fighting,
s
Theirservilestatusandtheir
youth
combinedto
forcethemto
accept
thesechanges. Marginalareasoldiersof-
tenarrivedinthe
politybrimming
with
independentspirit
and
unfamiliarwithchainsofcommand,
yetgovernments
couldnot
- For
somedetailsonthis,seeH.Rabie,"TheTraining
oftheMamlfik
Firis."