IMC 2012: Sessions
Session 230: Political Traditions and State Formation in Mamluk Egypt and Syria (1250-1517), I
Monday 9 July 2012, 14.15-15.45
| Sponsor: | Society for the Medieval Mediterranean |
|---|---|
| Organiser: | Jo Van Steenbergen, Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies / Department of Languages & Cultures: The Near East & the Islamic World, Universiteit Gent |
| Moderator/Chair: | Jo Van Steenbergen, Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies / Department of Languages & Cultures: The Near East & the Islamic World, Universiteit Gent |
| Paper 230-a | Common Rules and Personal Interest among the Mamluk Emirs under Sultan Barquq (Language: English) Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Paper 230-b | Rules of the Game: Networks and Patronage in the Struggle for the Mamluk Sultanate in the 1420s - Sultan Barsbay's Rise to Power (Language: English) Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Paper 230-c | To Act or Not to Act: How to Become a Sultan in 15th-Century Egypt (Language: English) Index terms: Islamic and Arabic Studies, Politics and Diplomacy |
| Abstract | The political history of the Mamluk sultanate (1250-1517) has been neglected for a long time, except from an institutional point of view, because of the chaotic succession of events, civil wars, and quarrels that the chroniclers describe in their annals. Nevertheless, the Mamluk political culture as well as the practice of the political quarrel shows that unwritten rules are respected as some practices are often repeated and ritualized within the context of conflict or allegiance interactions. In fact, unwritten rules are often respected: betrayal, non-respect of rules or assertion of the non-respect of rules punctuate the political life of the sultanate and are used as tools in the struggle for power by the sultan and the emirs who involve the question of legitimacy to promote their personal interests. |