Mamelukes

a force of cavalry famous in the history of Egypt. When Genghis Khan overran western Asia, he subjected many of the conquered people to slavery. He sold a body of 12,000, principally Circassians and Turks, to the Arabic sultan of Egypt. They were instructed in military tactics and formed into a corps of cavalry. The name is from an Arab word meaning slaves. Being superior mentally to their masters, they soon became insubordinate and, like the Roman legion, took an active part in politics. In 1254 they assassinated the sultan and appointed one of their own number his successor. They recruited their numbers by slaves brought chiefly from Circassia, and became the dominant element in Egypt for 263 years. When Napoleon invaded Egypt, the Mameluke cavalry was the most formidable force he had to deal with. In 1811 the Mamelukes were exterminated by a general massacre ordered by the Turkish pasha.