The advantage and disadvantage of slave soldiers

[Lesly]

Cities such as Volantis have their slave soldiers " tigers", Tyrion described them as fiercely proud of their status... but what if someone wants to free them?

[Ser Lepus]

I dunno. GRRM's slave soldiers aren't like real world slave soldiers at all. In real life slave soldiers (Janissaries, Mamluks, Saqalibah, Ghilman...etc.) were indoctrinated and rewarded so they wouldn't see themselves as slaves anymore, but as highly paid elite soldiers. Most of them didn't consider themselves slaves and weren't treated as such (even if they technically were still slaves).

And even then, they tended to be dangerous to the regime that employed them in large numbers: The Mamluks seized power in Egypt, the Janissaries and the Ghilman became kingmakes that had to be constantly appeased, the Saqalibah seized the city of Denia and made a kingdom for themselves...etc.

By contrast, Essossi slaves fall into three categories: Yunkish useless crap soldiers, Astapori robot Unsullied, and Volantene Tiger Warriors, which are kind of real life Janissaries and Mamluks in their professionalism and pride, but unlike them they apparently are treated as slaves during all their lives and despite that they won't rebel and seize power (like the Mamluk did).

[Lesly]

Those slaves who became tiger warriors may be proud. But still... I doubt that everyone of them wanted that position, I wonder how the Volantenes pound those loyalty into their heads

[Cayrouse]

 Those slaves who became tiger warriors may be proud. But still... I doubt that everyone of them wanted that position, I wonder how the Volantenes pound   those loyalty into their heads

 

Take/destroy everything they had that connects them to an old life ( family, home, routine) and break them emotionally until the only thing they know for certain is that if they kill who the Triarch's tell them to  kill they will get food and they will get sleep.  Then brand them with a tattoo to remind them of the permanence of their situation (Tiger stripes).

Make them so dependent on you that they will force themselves to take pride in the only thing they know how to do. Then feed them some fabled stories to give them some sort of illusionary dignity to keep them doing what they're good at for you and not against you. Much like the unsullied training if I'm honest.

[marsyao]

I dunno. GRRM's slave soldiers aren't like real world slave soldiers at all. In real life slave soldiers (Janissaries, Mamluks, Saqalibah, Ghilman...etc.) were indoctrinated and rewarded so they wouldn't see themselves as slaves anymore, but as highly paid elite soldiers. Most of them didn't consider themselves slaves and weren't treated as such (even if they technically were still slaves).

 

And even then, they tended to be dangerous to the regime that employed them in large numbers: The Mamluks seized power in Egypt, the Janissaries and the Ghilman became kingmakes that had to be constantly appeased, the Saqalibah seized the city of Denia and made a kingdom for themselves...etc.

 

By contrast, Essossi slaves fall into three categories: Yunkish useless crap soldiers, Astapori robot Unsullied, and Volantene Tiger Warriors, which are kind of real life Janissaries and Mamluks in their professionalism and pride, but unlike them they apparently are treated as slaves during all their lives and despite that they won't rebel and seize power (like the Mamluk did).

 

Mamluks was no "slave", they were freed after the finished their training and were accepted into their Lord's service, their relationship with their Lord was more like a benefice and his clients, a Mamluks did not swear an oath of fealty to the country, not even to his Lord's house, his loyalty was only to his Lord

[hodorisfaclessman]

 Those slaves who became tiger warriors may be proud. But still... I doubt that everyone of them wanted that position, I wonder how the Volantenes pound   those loyalty into their heads

Maybe they are taken from birth/young age or maybe they are proud of their station and look down on regualr slaves and citizens due to being virtualy the military and police of their city .........maybe a mix of those things

we do know the powerful in volantis would have used them to supress the recent stirrings amongst the slaves if not for half of them being ardent fire worshipers hinting they are very reliable for slave supression normally  and have a degree of freedom with aspects of their personal lives as they have clearly been free to wander into fire worshiping temples on their free time and convert.