WhatIsa
MilitarySlave?
23
ment
andaretoo
deeplyinvolvedinits
politics
and
society
to
rebel
against itor to
establish their own
government. And
whereas
mercenaries
might deserttheir
employer
to return
home,
militaryslaveshave
nowhereto
go.Theycannot
leave,
for
theyhave
become
indigenous;theyare
part
of
the
rulingelite,
nor
justitspaid
employees.Unlike
mercenaries,
they
can
neither
plunder
nor
leave.
Instead,
they
usurp
the
government
from
within.Sometimes
they
control
theruler from
behind the
scenes witlaout
lro
claiming
their
power;atother
times
they
take
overinnametoo.
Menofslave
origins
directed
Islamicate
governmentsmore
than
fiftytimesand
womenofslave
origins,
twice.
9
Although
the
"slave-king"phenomenon
puzzlestherestofthe
world,it
repre-
sentsthe
logicalculminationof
military
slavery(ifnotitsin-
tended
result)andmarksthe
final
step
inthe
transformationof
the
military
slave
fromtrue
slavetomaster.
The
military
slave
thusdiffersfrom
otherslaves
innumerous
ways:
he
aloneis
carefullyselected,
purposelyacquiredas a
youth,
trainedand
indoctrinated,then
employed
asa
profes-
sionalsoldier.He
joinsthe
rulingeliteand
belongstoa
corps
of
soldierswhichcan
seize
powerunderthe
rightcircumstances.
Yet,
despite
these
many
differences
betweenhim and
other
kinds
ofslaves, he
remainsatrueslave
as
long
ashis
master
controls
him.Onemustnot
dismisshis
slavery
as
a
formality
or
as
legal
fiction.
Hisdistinct
qualitiesdelineated
andhis
slavery
established,wecan
moveontothe
question:
whenand
where
didthe
military
slave
exist?
29.Thetwo
femalerulersofslave
originsweretheMamluk
ShajaradoDurr
andthe
NajahidCAlam.