Egyptian conscription began as a way to spare Turkish troops Sudan service
Evidence
As was said above, the first attempt at conscripting the Egyptian fellahin stemmed from the desire to relieve the Turkish soldiers in Mehmed Ali’s pay from serving in the remote and hot lands of the Sudan. The 4,000 peasants who were gathered from villages in Upper Egypt to replace them were to be conscripted for only three years at the end of which they would each be given a stamped certificate and allowed to return to their villages and resume their normal, civilian lives. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 466
Categorization
- corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 466
- XREF: connects to: Muhammad Ali valued Sudan mainly for slaves and a European-trained slave army; Punishing Egyptian rebels with Sudanese service was seen as near capital punishment; Egyptian officers earned rank through conquest of Sudan (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- Egyptian peasant conscription began as a three-year substitute for Turkish troops
#corroborates(0.95) - Sudanese slave deaths and Turkish troop distress prompted conscribing Egyptian fellahin
#expands(0.80)