Slave-soldiers in 17th/18th C Europe?

i've more or less moved on from the Tudors as a driving force behind research as part of my ASB ATL, and have moved on to the colonial period for this TL. one interesting possibility that came to mind is the concept of slave-soldiers in use by European monarchies, at least for a brief period of time, vaguely similar to the use of Mamelukes by the Ottomans. basically, just African (or possibly Native American) slaves brought from their native homes to Europe to serve as soldiers/bodyguards more as a symbol of status than as an exceptionally effective military unit. i just thought it would be interesting as something to make the world of my TL more genuinely different from OTL. it could also raise some interesting possibilities in the future if said slave-soldiers are freed and have descendants down the line who become important figures in this alternate history
 
Top