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Fatimid Army Reorganization (1120s)
In the 1120s, Fatimid caliph al-Amir pushed for the reorganization of Egypt's army, weakening the traditional Berber corps, introducing Armenian and …
Timeline
- 1121–1124Cairo · CairoAl-Amir ordered cuts to the pay and garrison privileges of Berber troops transferred from the Maghrebi, merging some of their designations into newly formed corps, provoking strong resistance from their old commanders.
- 1124–1127Cairo barracks district · CairoThe court recruited Armenian cavalry and Turkish ghulams as a personal guard, led by Armenian commanders such as Badr al-Johar, forming a new military core directly subordinate to the caliph.
- 1127–1129Cairo · CairoThe army reorganization stripped old-guard commanders of influence and intensified court intrigue. Al-Amir's centralizing attempt failed to fully control the new army, and instead the contradictions among factions erupted into a fatal crisis in 1130.
Sources
- Fatimid Caliphate https://www.britannica.com/place/Fatimid-caliphate
- The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1 — Carl F. Petry (ed.) (1998)