During the fifteenth century‎,‎ the Mamluk sultanate that had ruled Egypt and Syria since 1249‎-50 faced a series of sustained economic and political challenges to its rule‎,‎ from the effects of recurrent plagues to changes in international trade routes‎.‎ Both these challenges and the policies and behaviors of rulers and subjects in response to them left profound impressions on Mamluk state and society‎,‎ precipitating a degree of social mobility and resulting in new forms of cultural expression‎.‎ These transformations were also reflected in the frequent reports of protests during this period‎,‎ and led to a greater diffusion of power and the opening up of spaces for political participation by Mamluk subjects and negotiations of power between ruler and ruled‎.‎ Rather than tell the story of this tumultuous century solely from the point of view of the Mamluk dynasty‎,‎ Crowds and Sultans places the protests within the framework of long‎-term transformations‎,‎ arguing for a more nuanced and comprehensive narrative of Mamluk state and society in late medieval Eg‎.‎‎.‎‎.‎