Domestic Slavery in Syria and Egypt, 1200–1500

Download or read book Domestic Slavery in Syria and Egypt, 1200–1500 written by Jan Hinrich Hagedorn and published by V&R Unipress. This book was released on 2019-12-09 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Slavery touched many aspects of Mamluk society. This volume focuses on the role of slaves within the family, from birth to purchase, liberation, and death. It investigates domestic slavery in Syrian and Egyptian society from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. Jan Hagedorn focuses on the agency of slaves in the context of master-slave relationships within households and in wider society. He argues that the ability of slaves to shape the world around them was underpinned by a constant process of negotiation within the master-slave relationship and that intermediaries such as the court system channelled the agency of slaves. The principal sources for this study are purchase contracts, listening certificates, marriage contracts, and estate inventories in combination with scribal, market inspection, and slave purchase manuals as well as chronicles.