Historical factor
Slave-soldier armies
Slave-soldier armies refers to the recurring pattern in which rulers built armies from purchased or captured slaves, trained to be loyal to the ruler rather than to tribes or nobles. Such forces could become powerful and ultimately take control of the state. Examples include the Turkic ghilman of the Abbasid Caliphate, the Mamluk Sultanate, the Ottoman Janissaries and the ghulams of the Safavid Empire.
Mentioned in 13 profiles
Abbasid CaliphateMilitary, Impact, DeclineAyyubid EmpireMilitary, Impact, Decline, SummaryDelhi SultanateFoundation, GovernanceFatimid CaliphateMilitaryIlkhanateSocioeconomy, Military, ImpactKhwarazmian EmpireMilitaryMamluk SultanateFoundation, Socioeconomy, Military, Governance, Impact, Decline, SummaryOttoman EmpireFoundation, Military, GovernancePortuguese EmpireMilitarySafavid EmpireSocioeconomy, Military, Governance, DeclineSeljuk EmpireMilitarySonghai EmpireImpactWadai EmpireMilitary
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Slave-soldier armies. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/slave-soldier-armies
- MLA
- “Slave-soldier armies.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/slave-soldier-armies. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Slave-soldier armies.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/slave-soldier-armies.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Slave-soldier armies’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/slave-soldier-armies (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻