The Knights of Islam: The Wars of the Mamluks

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 272 pages
• Published by: Greenhill Books August 15, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1853677345
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1853677342
• Book Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

Product Description


The Mamluks were, at one distinct point in history, the greatest body of fighting men in the world and the quintessence of the mounted warrior. They were slave soldiers, imported as boys into the Islamic Empire from the pagan Steppes, but they became its savior, bringing defeat to the Mongols and forming the machine of jihad that ultimately destroyed the Crusader Kingdoms of Palestine and Syria. They entered the Islamic world as unlettered automatons and through a total application to the craft of the warrior they became more than soldiers. After a bloody seizure of power from their masters, the descendants of Saladin, they developed a martial code and an honor system based on barracks brotherhood, a sophisticated military society that harnessed the state's energies for total war and produced a series of treatises on warfare that more than compare to SunZi's Art of War in their complexity, beauty of language and comprehensive coverage of the bloody business of war. Their story embraces many of the great themes of medieval military endeavor. The Crusaders and the deadly contest between Islam and Christendom, the Mongols and their vision of World Dominion, Tamerlane the Scourge of God and the rise of the Ottoman Empire whose new slave soldiers, the Janissaries, would be the Mamluks' final nemesis.

Book Description
The Mamluks were, at one distinct point in history, the greatest body of fighting men in the world and the quintessence of the mounted warrior. They were slave soldiers, imported as boys into the Islamic Empire from the pagan Steppes, but they became its savior, bringing defeat to the Mongols and forming the machine of jihad that ultimately destroyed the Crusader Kingdoms of Palestine and Syria. They entered the Islamic world as unlettered automatons and through a total application to the craft of the warrior they became more than soldiers. Their story embraces many of the great themes of medieval military endeavor. The Crusaders and the deadly contest between Islam and Christendom, the Mongols and their vision of World Dominion, and the rise of the Ottoman Empire.

Reader Reviews
Waterson's book is a good overview of the Mamluk period of Middle Eastern history. It concentrates on the earlier period 1250-1330 when the state was at its most vibrant and facing many external threats, especially the Mongols. The coverage of the later history is less complete, and almost perfunctory in places, which is a shame as the decay of empires is just as intersting as their time of strength, and in some ways at least as important. Waterson draws from many sources, especially the period manuscripts on combat (the furissiya), and avoids the Eurocentric view of history well. My main gripe, considering that he is discussing the history of a military dynasty, is that he sometimes is woefully misinformed in military facts and terminology. He does not understand the difference between a compound bow (the term he uses throughout, and which only applies to a type of bow developed in the twentieth century) and a composite bow. On page 270 he states that the muskets deployed at Waterloo had a range on only 130 metres (this should mean effective range only; the maximum range would be over 400 metres) while a light arrow could be fired up to 250 meters (which is correct). In the same paragraph he states that arrows are easily made while bullets require a developed industrial base; good arrows actually require a high skill level to make, and the drawing together of materials from many areas, while bullets are actually easier to make if the lead is available in bar form. The complexity is more in the production, storage and delivery of the powder, and the creation and maintenance of the guns. Aside from these flaws, which are relatively minor, this is a very readable book that covers the subject well, without becoming pedantic or boring.