Amina Elbendary
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789774167171
- eISBN:
- 9781617976773
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774167171.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
This chapter examines the transformations in the state structure and organization of power that occurred in Egypt and Syria in the late Mamluk period. It considers the various economic and political ...
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This chapter examines the transformations in the state structure and organization of power that occurred in Egypt and Syria in the late Mamluk period. It considers the various economic and political challenges that the Mamluk sultanate faced and the ways that the rulers dealt with them, including the recurrent waves of plague, gold shortage, and currency devaluation. It shows that the responses of the Mamluk sultans to these economic crises and challenges resulted in long-term transformations that changed the nature of the state and of the Mamluk institutions. Many of these responses have been viewed as deviations from the proper norm of rule and governance, as signs of the corruption and greed of the amirs and administrators, and as causes for the “decline” of the Mamluk state. In particular, the chapter looks at the policies adopted by Mamluk sultans and the Mamluk administration to address the economic challenges, such as trade monopolies and additional taxation.Less
This chapter examines the transformations in the state structure and organization of power that occurred in Egypt and Syria in the late Mamluk period. It considers the various economic and political challenges that the Mamluk sultanate faced and the ways that the rulers dealt with them, including the recurrent waves of plague, gold shortage, and currency devaluation. It shows that the responses of the Mamluk sultans to these economic crises and challenges resulted in long-term transformations that changed the nature of the state and of the Mamluk institutions. Many of these responses have been viewed as deviations from the proper norm of rule and governance, as signs of the corruption and greed of the amirs and administrators, and as causes for the “decline” of the Mamluk state. In particular, the chapter looks at the policies adopted by Mamluk sultans and the Mamluk administration to address the economic challenges, such as trade monopolies and additional taxation.
Amina Elbendary
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789774167171
- eISBN:
- 9781617976773
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774167171.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
During the fifteenth century, the Mamluk sultanate that had ruled Egypt and Syria since 1249–50 faced a series of sustained economic and political challenges to its rule, from the effects of ...
More
During the fifteenth century, the Mamluk sultanate that had ruled Egypt and Syria since 1249–50 faced a series of sustained economic and political challenges to its rule, from the effects of recurrent plagues to changes in international trade routes. Both these challenges and the policies and behaviors of rulers and subjects in response to them left profound impressions on Mamluk state and society, precipitating a degree of social mobility and resulting in new forms of cultural expression. These transformations were also reflected in the frequent reports of protests during this period, and led to a greater diffusion of power and the opening up of spaces for political participation by Mamluk subjects and negotiations of power between ruler and ruled. This book places the protests within the framework of long-term transformations, arguing for a more nuanced and comprehensive narrative of Mamluk state and society in late medieval Egypt and Syria. Reports of urban protest and the ways in which alliances between different groups in Mamluk society were forged allow us glimpses into how some medieval Arab societies negotiated power, showing that rather than stoically endure autocratic governments, populations often resisted and renegotiated their positions in response to threats to their interests. This book will appeal to specialists in Mamluk history, Islamic studies, and Arab history, as well as to students and scholars of Middle East politics and government and modern history.Less
During the fifteenth century, the Mamluk sultanate that had ruled Egypt and Syria since 1249–50 faced a series of sustained economic and political challenges to its rule, from the effects of recurrent plagues to changes in international trade routes. Both these challenges and the policies and behaviors of rulers and subjects in response to them left profound impressions on Mamluk state and society, precipitating a degree of social mobility and resulting in new forms of cultural expression. These transformations were also reflected in the frequent reports of protests during this period, and led to a greater diffusion of power and the opening up of spaces for political participation by Mamluk subjects and negotiations of power between ruler and ruled. This book places the protests within the framework of long-term transformations, arguing for a more nuanced and comprehensive narrative of Mamluk state and society in late medieval Egypt and Syria. Reports of urban protest and the ways in which alliances between different groups in Mamluk society were forged allow us glimpses into how some medieval Arab societies negotiated power, showing that rather than stoically endure autocratic governments, populations often resisted and renegotiated their positions in response to threats to their interests. This book will appeal to specialists in Mamluk history, Islamic studies, and Arab history, as well as to students and scholars of Middle East politics and government and modern history.
Stefan Winter
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691167787
- eISBN:
- 9781400883028
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691167787.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Middle East History
This chapter addresses what can in effect be described as the consolidation of the ʻAlawi community in a newfound “compact” form. It argues that the receding tide of Shiʻism did not expose the ...
More
This chapter addresses what can in effect be described as the consolidation of the ʻAlawi community in a newfound “compact” form. It argues that the receding tide of Shiʻism did not expose the ʻAlawis to a Sunni or Mamluk backlash, but rather permitted the community to cement both its religious leadership and identity and its position vis-à-vis the state. On the local level, the thirteenth century was witness to an intense debate over the limits of ʻAlawi orthodoxy, a debate that helped give the doctrine its final form and established the ʻulama as the community's uncontested religious authority, but in doing so also removed religion from the sphere of everyday life. Drawing on the Khayr al-Saniʻa as well as a wide range of medieval literature, the subsequent sections explore the relationship between the ʻAlawi community and the Mamluk state beyond the trope of enmity and persecution.Less
This chapter addresses what can in effect be described as the consolidation of the ʻAlawi community in a newfound “compact” form. It argues that the receding tide of Shiʻism did not expose the ʻAlawis to a Sunni or Mamluk backlash, but rather permitted the community to cement both its religious leadership and identity and its position vis-à-vis the state. On the local level, the thirteenth century was witness to an intense debate over the limits of ʻAlawi orthodoxy, a debate that helped give the doctrine its final form and established the ʻulama as the community's uncontested religious authority, but in doing so also removed religion from the sphere of everyday life. Drawing on the Khayr al-Saniʻa as well as a wide range of medieval literature, the subsequent sections explore the relationship between the ʻAlawi community and the Mamluk state beyond the trope of enmity and persecution.
