Wanking Mamluks?

Historically, the mamluk sultanate existed until the ottos under selim conquered them. i was wondering of a way to wank them. any help and link to sources + TLs and about them would be nice.
 
Okay, I have nothing to add, save a bump.

I just wanted to say that the title of this thread made me snicker like a 15 year old :)
 
Well, avoiding the crises that followed Sultan Nasir's fairly successful reign would help a lot.
I can't imagine a way to butterfly away the Black Death, that took an inordinate toll out of Egypt and especially Qahira.
However, in the second half of the fourteenth century the Mamluks had a couple of massively bad rulers and a row of mediocre ones.
Of course, bad rulers happen ultimately, although their half-meritocracy was on average pretty decent at avoiding them (probably above Medieval standards).
Earlier adoption of firearms on a larger scale (they knew them, but their army wasn't geared to use them as effectively as the Ottoman's one) would also help.
Earlier PODs are possible too. The early Mamluk period had a minor intellectual renaissance which featured some extremely interesting characters with a distinctly scientific approach to stuff. A *scientific revolution is probably not in the cards, but some more major advances in tech and medicine could prove helpful (well, if they somehow figure out germ theories early enough to stave off the Black Plague, a major Mamluk wank might be in order, but this sounds far-fetched, even if they had possibly the most advanced medicine in the world at the time).
 
One of the issues was a switch of dynasty that caused rank to be favored over merit in the army, which in a state as militarily focused as the Mamluks caused a corrosion of government on all levels of life.
 
Okay, I have nothing to add, save a bump.

I just wanted to say that the title of this thread made me snicker like a 15 year old :)
cant blame you :p

One of the issues was a switch of dynasty that caused rank to be favored over merit in the army, which in a state as militarily focused as the Mamluks caused a corrosion of government on all levels of life.
the burji dynasty im guessing. anyway to prevent the fall of the previous dynasty or at least a dynasty not so plagued by infighting?
 
the burji dynasty im guessing. anyway to prevent the fall of the previous dynasty or at least a dynasty not so plagued by infighting?

One thing that might help is to take the severe pressure of the Il-Khanate off the Mamluks at their strength so they can actually develop some level of commerce and economic strength instead of spending themselves in constant wars.
 
Sultan Baibars was allied to the Byzantine Empire, wasn't he? And he had mostly unsuccessful campaigns against the Seljuks in Anatolia...the Byzantine Emperor was way too busy with rebellious nobles and containing the invasions of Charles Anjou. Let's say that doesn't happen for whatever reason, maybe the Byzantines and the Mamluks can attack the Seljuk Sultanate together which allows Baibars to seize and hold the lion's share of Anatolia.

That way we have a Mamluk Egypt near the shores of the Black Sea - almost a wank* by itself, and a good start in any case.


*snicker
 
Sultan Baibars was allied to the Byzantine, Empire wasn't he? And he had mostly unsuccessful campaigns against the Seljuks in Anatolia...the Byzantine Emperor was way too busy with rebellious nobles and containing the invasions of Charles Anjou. Let's say that doesn't happen for whatever reason, maybe the Byzantines and the Mamluks can attack the Seljuk Sultanate together which allows Baibars to seize and hold the lion's share of Anatolia.

That way we have a Mamluk Egypt near the shores of the Black Sea - almost a wank* by itself, and a good start in any case.


*snicker

This actually significantly hampers the internal stability of the state which was based around the defense of Syria as the wall against which the Il-Khans would break. Anatolia over-extends them immensely; I don't think he would have taken much.
 
One thing that might help is to take the severe pressure of the Il-Khanate off the Mamluks at their strength so they can actually develop some level of commerce and economic strength instead of spending themselves in constant wars.

what would you suggest to do to the il-khanate? a decivise defeat that causes them to infight or them being pressured by other rivals?
 
what would you suggest to do to the il-khanate? a decivise defeat that causes them to infight or them being pressured by other rivals?
There was a chance especially before the Il-Khans became Muslims.
That chance was an alliance of the muslim Mumluks and the Muslim Golden Horde against the anti-Muslim Il-Khanate. This alliance actually existed in OTL, but they lacked coordination as the Byzantines, who were afraid of the Il-Khanate, often blocked communication between Mumluk Egypt and the Golden Horde.
And the distance was too long to really achieve any positive result.
But if you really really want to wank Mamluks - make the decisive coordinated invasion of the Golden Horde and the Mumluks into IlKhanate at the same time.
And then after a few defeats of the Il-Khanate, the Chagatay Mongols smell blood and invade from the North-East to tear apart the IlKhanate.
* (that scenario was an actual nightmare of the OTL Il-Khanate; many an Il-Khan screamed at night seeing it in his bad dream).

As a result the Mumluks might get good chunk of Anatolia and Iraq.
 
There was a chance especially before the Il-Khans became Muslims.
That chance was an alliance of the muslim Mumluks and the Muslim Golden Horde against the anti-Muslim Il-Khanate. This alliance actually existed in OTL, but they lacked coordination as the Byzantines, who were afraid of the Il-Khanate, often blocked communication between Mumluk Egypt and the Golden Horde.
And the distance was too long to really achieve any positive result.
But if you really really want to wank Mamluks - make the decisive coordinated invasion of the Golden Horde and the Mumluks into IlKhanate at the same time.
And then after a few defeats of the Il-Khanate, the Chagatay Mongols smell blood and invade from the North-East to tear apart the IlKhanate.
* (that scenario was an actual nightmare of the OTL Il-Khanate; many an Il-Khan screamed at night seeing it in his bad dream).

As a result the Mumluks might get good chunk of Anatolia and Iraq.

i might do this. thanks :D
 
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