Final answer:
Members of the Mamluk army opposed rule by non-mamluks due to fear of losing power and a strong belief that only those who had undergone rigorous training and enslavement were fit to rule, leading to frequent changes in rulership and political instability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The members of the Mamluk army opposed rule by non-mamluks primarily due to fear of losing power and a belief in the superiority of their own rigorous training and enslavement experience. Mamluks were scornful of individuals, namely biological sons of sultans, who did not have a similar harsh upbringing and ascendancy through merit. They deemed these individuals unworthy of rule and refused to follow them, underpinning the intense political instability within the Mamluk Sultanate. Additionally, Mamluks had loyalty to their original masters and not to other commanders or to those who ascended the throne without the army's approval, making succession to power highly uncertain.
The Mamluk system was a meritocracy, which meant skill and hard work rather than connections determined who reached positions of power. As succession did not follow family lines, and the Mamluks' power was built on military strength, this led to intense court infighting and frequent changes in rulership. The fact that the army continued to assert its right to choose and depose rulers further destabilized political succession, marking Mamluk history with repeated attempts by individual commanders to seize power.