Neale Lecture 2025: Professor Jo Van Steenbergen

In a letter written in February 1722, the Dean of Norwich, Humphrey Prideaux, explained how the rulers of the sultanate that dominated late medieval Egypt, Syria and the eastern Mediterranean ‘glorified in having been slaves, and therefore called themselves by a name, which expressed as much; for Mamaluc, in Arabic, signifies a slave’. Representations of this sultanate’s history as a state run by former military slaves (mamlūks) have shaped its historiography for centuries.

In this lecture, Professor Jo Van Steenbergen will explain why and how deconstructing this traditional paradigm has been fundamental to his research for many years. He will consider alternative interpretations and explore how, since late medieval times, such interpretations have continued to be hampered by stereotypes that have served the interests of outsiders - from rival rulers to a wide variety of Orientalists - rather than a deeper understanding of the Sultanate’s long and rich history.

Lecture in the Gustave Tuck: 18:30-19:30
Reception in the Roberts Building Foyer: 19:30-21:00

• Image 1: Horace Vernet (Paris, 1789-1863), Massacre des Mamelouks rebelle au château du Caire, le I. mars 1811. lithograph. Musée Carnavelet G.7797
• Image 2: Arnold von Harff, The Pilgrimage of Arnold von Harff, Knight, from Cologne through Italy, Syria, Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia, Nubia, Palestine, Turkey, France, and Spain, Which he Accomplished in the Years 1496 to 1499 (Oxford, MS. Bodl. 972, 1554, folio 59r)