The Mamluks

[Alyssea]

One thing that I've always felt was missing in CK2 was slave-soldiers. The Ghilman/Mamluks exist only as unique merc bands that start as vassals for the Seljuks and Fatimids respectively. Whereas historically, they were prevalent throughout the Islamic world and were powerful powerholders and kingmakers in their own right.

The (usually-Turkic) Mamluks were popular with Islamic rulers as they provided an alternative for elite loyal troops that these often-foreign rulers could rely on rather than the finicky masses they ruled over. This overdependence led them to become kingmakers in a lot of places, most prominently Egypt where the Mamluks freely replaced Caliphs and Sultans they didn't like. Eventually leading to the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt where they made one of their own Sultan.

Crusader Kings 2 has barely any representation for any of this. The Mamluks are only a vassal mercenary band and there's no way to mirror the transition from 769 to 867 in-game, where the Abbasid Caliphate has collapsed with the Caliph being a puppet of his Turkic slave-soldiers and autonomous Turkic principalities exist across the Middle East. I'd like to see it rectified.

One of the things they've teased us thus far is the inclusion of knights as both interactive characters and elite troops in the battlefield. I think such a system could be used to represent the power of the Mamluks in both politics and warfare.

 

[Pied-Noir]

Yes, this is a great post - I very much agree with you. At the very least a generic event chain for a powerful Mamluk slave to try to kill his master and form some kind of rebellion would be amazing. They should definitely have more prominence in CK III.

 

[elvain]

yes, the Mamluks/Ghilman should play some role. Perhaps something like this as suggested in another thread for CK2:

Part 3 The Mamluks - slave soldiers and governors

As already mentioned at various places, one of essential differences of muslim states was the existence of Slave armies, which, since the Abbasid period, were meant as some kind of balancing power to Arab tribes and their military influence.
Therefore Mamluks/Ghulams or Slaves should be available to all islamic sedentary governments (Iqta and Mulk-which will be described later).
These slaves will be indicated by special traits

• Ghulam
• Freed ghulam

The ghulam characters can be bought at slave markets, but buying them can be done similarily to "buying" a noble, or another character in the intrigue menu. The difference is that each ghulam costs some money (originaly the ammount should be minimal, some 0.1 monthly).
They keep their original culture and with little differences in regions where they are bought, they would be recruited from following cultures:

• Turkish (or turkish group - The Karluk, the Oghuz
• Slavic (this means slavic group)
• Georgian and other caucasian cultures
• Armenian
• East and West Africans

Unlike the cultures, they will mostly not keep their original religion, but most of them will be converted to Islam. However, if they are christian, some of them (50%) may keep their original faith, but all of them will have the cynical trait. Also having the Ghulam trait (not the freed ghulam) should block the characters from getting zealous traits.
The cultural aspect may play some role, because when treating other slave characters, the culture should play important role (in relation to their owner/liberator the cultural relations should be ignored and instead there should be big relation boost in favour of the owner (at least +20 relation)

The Ghulam characters can serve as:

• concubines (female)
• military commanders (of either retinues or slave companies)
• captains of slave companies or
• slave governors (most probably this should be available only to freed ghulams)

The ghulams can be freed (and this will be rewarded with piety) either via diplomatic window, or via event - at request.
The freed ghulams can marry either slave women or even free women (according to islamic teachings they should be able to marry up to 2 women) and have children with them. Their children will, however inherit the freed slave trait.
Normal ghulams can marry only slave women (in history, they could also free, but for gameplay reasons this should IMHO be limited) and only if their owner agreed.

Slave governor
- he serves basically like a normal viceroy - normally at a duchy tier level
- having the slave governors makes the kingdom/sultanate/malikate more stable. However for every slave governor, the ruler receives malus in 'Asabiya, because the tribals consider this as weakening of their own position (and it actually is the case)
- if the governor is a normal Ghulam and not a freed one, it should also raise decadence, because islamic clerics would regard it unislamic to have a slave ruling over free muslims
- he should, however, be able to assign his own son (if he has some) to the position of local count or a military commander on his territory.
- Children of ghulams (nor freed ghulams) do not inherit claims, but when their father dies AND they are in position of captain of slave company or a count within he father's viceroyalty, they may (70% in case of commander, 60% in case of count) ask the ruler to inherit the office. (with the absence of claim, this could be treated as ambition typical for ghulam(freed ghulam) characters to inherit father's office.

Slave company
- it should work similarily to a mercenary band or holy order, but unlike them it should work as standing army - an attempt to dismiss the army will always cause discontent and may lead to revolt with territorial claim.
- the slave company will be duchy tier title and thus it will only be available to k_ or e_ titles
- the ruler can have more than one slave company employed at once
- the basic power of a company is 1000 men (with 3 regiments of 300/400/300 each with slave commander)
- they will be managed in separate section of military screen (unique for iqta and mulk governments), where the player can buy both slave companies and also new squads for already existing company (right-click at the leader -> buy troops -> a unit of 300 men with a commander from the same culture as the captain's will be added to the company).
- the ghulam company will be remarkably cheaper than mercenaries, but will cost (monthly) gold. Part (1/5-1/2?) of the expense will turn into personal wealth of the captain. After few years in service, the captain may demand his (company's) salary to rise. Refusal, obviously, reduces loyalty and if is constant, may lead to rebellion.
- if the captain is a freed ghulam (and has enough money), he should be able to buy new troops himself and make his company stronger
- the reinforcements are slower than in case of mercenaries or holy orders and are on expense of the captain.
- each leader of a ghulam company acts independently (it it isn't already obvious), like vasal dukes in feudal Europe, and at war, the company acts like mercenaries - is directly controlled by the ruler (unlike the tribal armies of other clans from the same Qabila, who work as allies)
- an experienced captain who served his master for longer than 10 years may ask for government position, most probably a governor seat. He can be promised a future seat (like unlanded princes in feudal Europe) and if another slave governor dies, the promise comes into effect as auto-assignment.

Ghulam events

• a new Ghulam appears - distinguishes himself in a battle - a young ghulam appears at the court waiting for job assignment
• internal strife within a ghulam company - especially when the company is larger (1600+ men), there can appear to be hostilities among various groups of slaves and if untreated, it may reduce the company's morale ("leave them alone -> morale is weaker for 18 months). The result could be splitting the company ("Don't let the feud weaken my ghulams, split the company -> opinion malus from captain, a new slave company emerges with one of the former's commanders as leader), other possibility is increasing the salary and last thing could be to get rid of unstable ghulams ("Kill those problematic slaves" -> 50% of 1/3 or the company, or one squad gets killed, 50% chance that a new company emerges being at war with both the original company and the ruler. Can be appeased with land-assignment or acknowledgement and employment as new ghulam company.
• Ghulam commander/captain asks for reward, solutions can be "give him money", "liberate him" -> a ghulam becomes freed ghulam, "assign him to a landed office" -> he becomes a slave governor; or lastly his request can be ignored -> opinion malus
• Ghulam wants to marry a women (can simply be accepted or refused either increasing or decreasing his opinion. Accepting the request adds piety (removes prestige) and vice versa, accepting may result in a child which may in future demand to inherit father's office.

generaly, freeing a slave is regarded as pious, but it may create prestige penalty. At the same time employing slaves as military commanders, employing slave companies or assignment of land to ghulams decreases the 'Asabiya and may result in intra-Qabila war with other clans inside the Qabila will demand more land/offices for themselves and less for slaves in order to improve the 'Asabiya.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...nd-enhanced-islam.905195/page-2#post-20617714

 

[Atalvyr]

I think the way they were modeled in CK2 was the right direction, but just not developed enough.

Having them as vassalized mercenaries rather than retinues meant that they could theoretically have interactions with their "owner". Sadly, only the Varangian Guard had any sort of events associated with it.

Oddly, they did add mechanics for vassalized holy orders. Those could break away from a ruler they didn't like and would have extensive interactions with rulers and realms.