Abstract
Alptegin (d. 352/963), a military slave commander under the later Sāmānids, is also reported to be the founder of the Ghaznavid state. In this article, narratives about him are analyzed in two parts: first, the reports about him in the earlier sources are examined, and in the second part, the focus is on the Alptegin stories in Niẓām al-Mulk's Siyāsat-nāma. The article shows that the figure in the Siyāsat-nāma is not meant to represent the “historical” Alptegin, but that the author, by telling stories about Alptegin, discusses serious problems which occurred within the relationship between a ruler and his most powerful retainers. In particular, Alptegin is represented as the typically loyal servant who stays loyal even if his lord treats him without due respect, and the stories also show that revolt in such cases was the normal reaction. Factual accuracy therefore is not on the agenda of the author, and it would be wrong to expect it.
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