Ardos al-Halambri

Ardos Al-Halambri (615 - 683), also known as Ardos the Mercenary, was a Sharaffi nobleman, the Sheikh of Diyaha and head of House al-Halambri during the 7th Century. During his later life he was a major player in Sharaffi politics, and served as Marshal of the Sultan during the Kiban Intervention.
Ardos is known to have been skeptical of the quality of levied forces, and argued in the favour of establishing a Sharaffi standing army to defend it during the tumultuous later stages of the Vardano-Reman Religious Wars. When the Sultan rejected this plea, Ardos used the money in his own coffers to better train his levies and hire mercenary units for the defence of his sheikhdom.
Ardos personally knew the commanders of several mercenary units - the Bows of Ashar and the Horses of Balad in particular. Through this, it was rumoured that he was a former mercenary himself, his past before Sharaf being murky. This gave rise to his nickname, though it has never been confirmed whether he was actually a mercenary.
Category:People
Category:Sharaf