Editing Medieval Infantry (section)

==Slave Soldiers==
The practice of slave soldiers was a large part of several Islamic empires and Sultanates, because similar to the Varangian Guard above, they were foreigners who were ''theoretically'' alienated from political intrigue and were loyal only to their owner.

They were often taken from conquered territories and raised as slaves, but the meaning of this was complex, because though they were "owned", those that survive the brutal training would emerge as well-trained soldiers, or even as well-educated members of the bureaucracy; the [[Schola Progenium]]'s process of making Commissars and Stormtroopers are pretty close comparisons, since they were indoctrinated and trained just as hard since childhood and emerge as symbols of their liege's authority. Additionally, their Islamic commanders had the authority to execute them for cowardice and insubordination but this was a power that was rarely used while serving more as a motivator for their soldiers to fight seriously. And while the Ottoman Jannisaries were mostly infantry, the Egyptian Mamluks and Persian Ghilman were primarily cavalry, trained in the image of ''furusiyya'' or Islamic Knights.

Oddly enough the Islamic dynasties which raised slave soldiers went out of their way to treat them pretty well. Giving them good rations, nice barracks, other luxuries and a degree of respect in society (such as retirement and the ability to marry any woman from the palace harem that the Sultan didn’t want anymore). The idea was that they'd owe everything in their lives to the Sultan and see him as a father figure to whom they owed everything. For a time at least this worked, but eventually the slave soldiers developed a sense of collective identity. These guys eventually became so powerful and influential that they became kingmakers. It was serious enough that there are multiple dynasties founded by Mamluk slave-soldiers; Ottoman Jannisaries were also known to have abuse their close connections with their Sultan for personal gain.

Examples
*'''Janissonaries:''' The most infamous fighting corps in the Ottoman Empire. They were usually recruited from boys captured in the Balkans and (while originally effective) were a major source of resistance against modernization advocated by the Young Turks (and their Young Ottoman predecessors) before being defeated once the Turkish Revolution and the breakdown of the Empire occured.
*'''Unsullied:''' The Slave Soldiers and eunuchs of Game of Thrones, famous for their unbreakable morale and lack of self-identity. 

[[Category:History]]