Which system of slave soldiers became a powerful military force in the Abbasid era?

• A. The Zanj
• B. The Ghaznavids
• C. The Mamluks
• D. The Seljuks

Answer: (C)

Slave soldiers organized into a professional corps became a powerful military force because they were trained and loyal to their master, not tied to a clan or regional nobility. This system, often called the mamluk model, recruited youths, trained them in combat, and paid them as a distinct, centralized fighting force. Their loyalty came from their status as dependents of their owner, which allowed rulers to build a disciplined army that could be promoted by merit and used to defend or extend the state. Over time, this slave-soldier corps grew so influential that it could dominate military decisions and even shift political power, making it a defining feature of Abbasid-era warfare. Zanj refers to a slave rebellion rather than a formal military system; Ghaznavids and Seljuks were dynasties that used various military methods, but the specific system of slave soldiers that rose to great power is the mamluk model.