Historical Overview Section
The first mamluks served the Abbasid Arab caliphs at the end of the 9th century in Baghdad. The Mamluk system was an evolution of the Ghulam or Ghilman system, invented by the Caliph al-Mu'tasim, in which Turkic prisoners of war became the caliphal guard. This system ended in disaster in the 860s with the murder of four caliphs in a row, and the Mamluk system was created on its ruins. The main difference was that the Mamluks were captured as children and then trained and moulded within the Islamic world to ensure their loyalty to their masters. The Abbasids "recruited" (i.e., enslaved) them mainly from areas near the Caucasus (mainly Circassian and Georgian), and from areas north of the Black Sea.
After Saladin's death his sons fell to squabbling over the division of the Empire, and each attempted to surround himself with larger expanded mamluk retinues. By 1200 Saladin's brother Al-Adil succeeded in securing control over the whole empire by defeating and killing or imprisoning his brothers and nephews in turn. With each victory Al-Adil incorporated the defeated mamluk retinue into his own. This process was repeated at Al-Adil's death in 1218, and at his son Al-Kamil's death in 1238. The Ayyubids became increasingly dependant upon their mamluks and soon involved them in the internal court politics of the kingdom itself.
In June 1249, the Later Crusaders Seventh Crusade under Louis IX of France landed in Egypt and soon after Egyptian sultan As-Salih Ayyub died and power passed briefly to his son Turanshah and then his favorite wife Shajar Al-Durr (or Shajarat-ul-Dur). She took control with mamluk support and launched a counterattack. Troops of the Bahri commander Baibars defeated Louis's troops. The king delayed his retreat too long and was captured by the Mamluks in March 1250, and agreed to a ransom of 400,000 livres. Political pressure for a male leader made Shajar marry the mamluk commander Aybak; he was later killed in his bath, and in the power struggle that ensued vice-regent Qutuz took over. He formally founded the first Mamluk sultanate and the Bahri dynasty.
In 1258 the Egyptian Sultan Qutuz drew an invading Ilkhanid Mongol army into an ambush and using his Mamluk forces routed them at the Battle of Ain Jalut. After this great triumph, Qutuz was assassinated by conspiring Mamluks. It was said that Baibars, who seized power, was involved in the assassination. The Mamluks then defeated the Mongols a second time in Homs in 1260 and began to drive them back east. In the process they consolidated their power over Syria, fortified the area, formed mail routes, and formed diplomatic connections between the local princes. Baibars's troops attacked Acre in 1263, captured Caesaria in 1265, and massacred the inhabitants of Antioch in 1268. The Mamluk Sultanate survived until 1517, when it was conquered by the Later Ottoman Turkish Empire. The institution of the Mamluks continued under the Ottomans, although not in the same form as under the Sultanate.
Using the army in ADLG
- You can get an awful lot of Elite troops in this list, and great generals too. Makes it small, but tough
- hint 2
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Army Lists
Sample army lists for this army
USTT 2019 Winning Team : 253 Mamluk Noodler
Included Strategist
1 Royal Mamluks Included General Heavy cavalry impact bow Elite
2 Amir's Mamluks Heavy cavalry bow Elite
2 Amir's Mamluks Heavy cavalry bow ------
3 Turkomans Light cavalry bow Elite
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Included Brilliant
1 Royal Mamluks Included General Heavy cavalry impact bow Elite
2 Amir's Mamluks Heavy cavalry bow Elite
2 Amir's Mamluks Heavy cavalry bow ------
1 Turkomans Light cavalry bow Elite
==
Ordinary
2 Halqa Medium cavalry bow ------
2 Turkomans Light cavalry bow Elite
253 Mamluk Chuckleheads
Strategist
2 Light cavalry bow Elite
2 Heavy cavalry bow Elite
3 Medium cavalry bow
2 Light infantry bow
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Brilliant
2 Light cavalry bow Elite
2 Heavy cavalry bow Elite
3 Medium cavalry bow
==
Ordinary
2 Light cavalry bow Elite
2 Heavy cavalry impact bow Elite