WhatIsa
MilitarySlave?
11
GovernmentSlaves
Aruler
mayusehishousehold
slavesas
politicalagents;
they
thensharethe
high
standing
of
militaryslavesbutarenot
sol-
diers.Governmentslaves
acquirepoliticalpowerifarulerneeds
trusted
agents,forashisdomestic
slaves
they
are
totallyunder
hiscontroland
servehimwith
greatloyalty.
Lackinganypower
baseother thanhis
favor,suchmen are
idealtoolsfor
their
master;andshouldhewishto
retireto
pleasanterpursuits,
they
cantakeover
the
responsibilities
of
statewithout
threatening
his
position
asruler.
Governmentslavesare
foundalloverthe
world.In
Europe,
theservi
Caesarisinthe
Roman
Empire
arethe
mostrenowned
andthebest
studied;
1
but
theyarefarfrom
unique.Onefinds
governmentslaves,for
example,intheEast
Gothic,Vandal,and
Burgundiankingdoms;
they
werecalled
ministerialesin
medieval
Germany;andin
Muscovy,
they
dominatedboth
thecentraland
provincial
governments
forseveral
centuriesuntilabout
1550.1’
10.
The
following
aresomeof
the
full-length
studiesonthe
useof
gov-
ernmental
slavesintheRoman
Empire:G.Boulvert,
Domestique
etfonctionnaire
sousle
Haut-Empireromain;idem,LesEsclaves
etles
affranchis
impkriaux(Naples,
1970);H.Chantraine,
FreigelasseneundSklavenim
Dienstderr’bmischenKaiser
(Wiesbaden,1967);LHalkin,Les
Esclaves
publics
chezles
Romans;H.Lemonnier,
Etude
historiquesurlacondition
privke
des
affranchis
auxtrois
premierssibclesdel’empire
romain
(Paris, 1887);K.Wachtel,
FreigelasseneundSkdaveninder
staatlichen
Finanzverwaltung
der(inischen
Kaiserzeit
(Berlin,1966);P.R.C.Weaver,
Familia
Caesaris:ASocial
Study
of
the
Emperors’
Freedmenand
Slaves
(Cambridge,1972);
M.
Wolf,
Untersuchungen Stellungderkaiserlichen
FreigelassenenundSklavenin
Italienund
denWestprovinzen
(Miinster,1965).
Somescholars,drunkonthe
excessesofRomanslaves
(andignorantofIslami-
cate
history),havemade
preposterousclaimsontheirbehalf:
"imperialfreed-
men
gained
an
ascendancyinthe[Roman]
Empirethelikeofwhichhas
neverin
anothernationfallen
toaseriesoflow-born
upstarts TheRoman
Empire
enjoysanunenviable
distinction.She
possesses
the
longestlistofmenials
who
roseto
guidethedestiniesofa
state"(Duff,Freedmeninthe
EarlyRoman
Empire,p.
174).
T.P.
Ionmakesanevenmore
astonishing
comparisonwithIslamdom:
"TheslavesintheIslamic
countriesnever
playeda
prominentpart,
either
inso-
cialorstateaffairs,
being
exclusively
usedfor
domesticservice.Onthe
contrary,
the
slavesinRome...were
notonlyservants,but
teachers,educators,and
above
all,soldiers."RomanLawand
Mohammedan
Jurisprudence(n.p.,n.d.),
pp.
26-27.
11.
FortheEastGothic,Vandal,
and
Burgundiankingdoms,seeD.Rotia-
enh6fer,
Untersuchungen
zurSklaverei
in den
ostgermanischenNachfolgestaaten