TY  - BOOK
AU  - Gordon,Matthew
TI  - The breaking of a thousand swords: a history of the Turkish military of Samarra, A.H. 200-275/815-889 C.E. 
T2  - SUNY series in medieval Middle East history
SN  - 0791447952 (alk. paper)
AV  - DS79.9.S3 G67 2001
U1  - 956.7/4 21
PY  - 2001///
CY  - Albany
PB  - State University of New York Press
KW  - Oghuz (Turkic people)
KW  - Iraq
KW  - Sāmarrāʾ
KW  - History
KW  - Islamic Empire
KW  - Soldiers
KW  - Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq)
KW  - 750-1258
KW  - History, Military
KW  - Military history
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (p. 263-291) and index; 1; The Initial Period; The Appearance of the Guard; Al-Ma'mun: The Consolidation of Authority; Conclusion --; 2; The Settlement at Samarra; Al-Mu'tasim and the Departure from Baghdad; The Settlement at Samarra --; 3; The Samarran Political Arena; The Influence of the Turkish Leadership; The Onset of Anarchy --; 4; The Exercise of Authority; The Sources of Influence; The Reaction to Turkish Authority; Conclusion -- A Waning Presence --; App. A; Retainer Forces in Early Islamic History --; App. B; Notable Families of Turkish Origin
N2  - "The Breaking of a Thousand Swords provides a portrait of the Samarran Turks as members of a community with a specific and complex history in the early medieval Islamic world; It considers: the encounter of the Turks as rough, non-Muslim outsiders, with the sedentary, urbane world of Baghdad: the closely related encounter of the Turks with the Islamic tradition in its urban, scholarly guise; the settlement of the Turks, in Baghdad then in Samarra, through the use of land grants and appointments of office; the impact upon the affairs of the Turkish community of not only a military ranking but of a socio-political hierarchy as well; the construction by the Turkish elite of an elaborate network of patronage and support, both within urban Iraq and throughtout the provinces (Egypt in particular): and the emergence, and impact, of factionalism within the community."--Jacket
ER  -