The Crescent of the Sultan

In fact, Mamluk is a quite ancient term.

The group of people who formed the Mamluks were originally slaves and first appeared in the "Turkic Gulam" system during the Abbasid Dynasty.

Although most of them are Turks, they also include Greeks, Egyptians, Caucasians, Slavs, etc.

Most of the Mamluks came from non-Muslim youths who were kidnapped in the Caucasus and the northern Black Sea. Some were captured by slave traders and sold to the Middle East, and then organized into mercenaries by the caliphs and sultans.

Others were tribes from the east who were favored by the caliphs and sultans and became their mercenaries.

The most famous of these peoples are the Turks who were driven out of the desert by an empire in East Asia.

By the way, the current Ottoman Sultan can also be said to be a Turk, although his blood is impure.

The true identification of the Mamluks was completed in the late period of Saladin. During Saladin's rule in Egypt, he carried out considerable reforms to the original slave guard system of the Arab Empire.

In order to stabilize his family's rule, Saladin abandoned the original Gulam selection system. Instead of mixing slave soldiers with free civilian mercenaries, he completely selected strong men from private slaves for military training and then uniformly distributed them. equipment, thus gradually forming a unique military aristocratic group.

Rather than saying that the Mamluks were real "slaves", it would be better to say that they were powerful mercenaries. From the ninth to the sixteenth centuries they gradually took control of Egypt.

In January 1517, Sultan Selim I of the Ottoman Empire led the Ottoman Army and the army of Tumanbey, the last sultan of the Mamluk dynasty, to fight in a decisive battle on the outskirts of Cairo. Tumanbey's entire army was annihilated, and the Mamluk dynasty was destroyed.

But this does not mean the demise of the Mamluk group. As centipedes, the Mamluks are dead and not dead. Although they can no longer become the Sultan of Egypt, they still form the core of the army and are appointed as government officials.

During the Ottoman occupation, the Mamluks were always an important stratum of Egypt's political structure and had considerable influence on society.

Even in the decline of the empire, eight of the twenty-three governors sent by the empire were deposed by the Mamluks.

In the original time and space, taking advantage of Napoleon's opportunity to cripple the Mamluks, the new ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, massacred the Mamluks.

After this massacre, the Mamluks' power declined.

As for this era, Selim estimates that the other party will die soon.

While Selim was planning the future of the famous Egypt, Napoleon's army had arrived in Mansoura. The whole army had a total of five thousand people, three thousand private soldiers of the Janikli family, and two thousand new troops. With him was Selim. He sent a new governor, a staunch centralizer, Haji Ibrahim Pasha, and a group of officials ready to take over Egypt.

However, the Mamluks did not care about the arrival of the new governor and the army. After all, it was completely normal for an Egyptian governor to have such a small number of private soldiers.

They held the banquet as usual, expecting the new governor to give them some surprises.

In March 1789, Ottoman troops arrived in Cairo, Egypt. Haji Pasha specially organized a banquet and invited the top Mamluk generals.

As for why this group of people can be invited, I have to mention Hassan Pasha here.

In 1786, Selim's uncle Hamid I sent Admiral Hassan Pasha to lead a fleet to Alexandria to collect the Egyptian tribute that had not been paid during the period of Ali Bey and Zahab Bey. (These two are typical Mamluks. The former even declared independence from the Ottoman Empire and colluded with Arabs and Russians to fight against Turkey. He later died in civil strife.)

At this time the two Mamluk beys of Egypt, Murad and Ibrahim, tried to resist Hassan Pasha's army, but were defeated.

After Hassan Pasha ruled Egypt, he carried out a series of administrative reforms, which restricted the Egyptian Mamluks from trading in the Istanbul slave market, forcing the Mamluks to move to other areas.

But as the Russian Empire gradually expanded its influence in the Caucasus, it greatly reduced the number of slaves in the region, which in turn weakened the Mamluk military power and reimposed social restrictions on Christians and Jews.

Murad and Ibrahim Bey tried several times to expel Hassan Pasha from Egypt, but failed.

The coronation of Selim and the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War in 1787 caused Hassan Pasha to return to Istanbul, and he handed over control of Egypt to Ismail Bey.

In the original time and space, Ismail controlled Egypt until his death in 1791. After his death in 1791, Murad and Ibrahim Bey restored control of Egypt until Napoleon's invasion in 1798.

So, when Ismail opens his mouth, Murad and Ibrahim Bey will definitely come.

In Cairo, a group of Egyptian military and political dignitaries were feasting in Ismail's mansion. As for whether the new governor would be detrimental to them, this was not a question that the Mamluks considered at all.

Even if Selim I (the Ruthless) conquered Egypt, they were still the ruling class of this place. Without them, how would the Ottoman Empire rule this place?

While the banquet was in full swing, Haji Pasha walked to the center of the hall, cleared his throat and spoke loudly.

“Distinguished Bey, I am delighted to be here with you today.

As loyal subjects of the great Ottoman Sultan, I believe that everyone wants to work hard to build a great empire.

But the situation in the empire is not optimistic. Although we won the Russo-Turkish War, this only delayed the collapse of the empire.

Here, I hope to borrow something from you so that I can better promote the revival of the empire. "

At this time, a bey named Ayyub stood up. He seemed to be a little drunk, and he was swaying. He said boldly: "Whatever Haji Pasha wants to borrow, just say it."

"Then I'm not welcome. I'll lend you my head for use."

Before Haji Pasha finished speaking, he had already taken out a musket and shot Ayub Bey.

Ayub Bey, who had not yet reacted, did not even know how to dodge. He was hit by a bullet between his eyebrows and slowly fell down.

A group of Mamluks suddenly panicked. The timid ones ran out quickly, while the bold ones rushed towards the new governor, hoping to subdue him to ensure their own safety.

At this moment, a group of well-equipped soldiers poured into the hall. They belonged to Napoleon's Ottoman Army.

Haji Pasha slowly retreated behind the scenes, waiting for the final result.

Under the cover of night, explosions could be heard from time to time in the mansion with its brightly lit walls. The lights in many places had been extinguished, interspersed with shrill shouts, and a massacre had begun.

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