For other uses of the term, see Mamelukes.
Mamelukes are a type of light cavalry in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
Mamluks are fearless light horsemen, deadly when deployed against a broken or unsupported enemy.
Mounted on tireless light horses and armed with scimitars, they are commonly employed to harass an enemy force, restricting its space to manoeuvre easily. Once battle is fully joined, they will often time their charges to coincide with those of a supporting infantry unit, seeking to break the enemy quickly then wreaking havoc amongst them as they flee.
Mamluks were traditionally slave soldiers of the various caliphs and sultans of the Middle Ages, captured as children and raised in the Islamic faith to provide their master with a force of men unconnected to any other part of the hierarchy. Over time, the Mamluks accrued power of their own and even went as far as seizing control of Egypt; they founded a Mamluk Sultanate in 1250. Though the Mamluks’ strength enabled the Sultanate to repel several invasions by Christian crusaders and Mongols, it was eventually overpowered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The Mamluks so came into the service of the Sublime Porte.
General Information[]
Along with Deli Horsemen, Mamelukes are the cavalry available to the Ottomans in the early game. They are relatively light cavalry that can be useful for screening and harassment, but fare poorly in prolonged battles. They hold the advantage over some other types of light cavalry in deserts due to their resistance to heat fatigue. Unlike Deli Horsemen, they cannot use firearms; furthermore, they can only be trained in the Middle-Eastern areas of the European theatre, limiting their usage somewhat compared to the near-ubiquitously available Deli Horsemen.
The Elite Units of the East DLC unit Wallachian Boyars are superior in most respects, largely supplanting Mamelukes. However Mamelukes can still be recruited in more regions and are cheaper.
Patch History[]
- June 22, 2009--Patch 1.3: Mamelukes are added to the game.