Roustam Raza (1783-7 December 1845) was an Armenian mamluk bodyguard and valet of Napoleon.
Biography[]
Roustam Raza was born in Tiflis, Kartli-Kakheti to a family of Armenian origin. He was kidnapped at age 13 and was sold into slavery in Cairo, and he was trained as a mamluk. The Sheikh of Cairo presented him to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 during his Egyptian Campaign, and Roustam became Napoleon's bodyguard for 15 years, traveling with him on all of his campaigns. He took care of Napoleon's weapons and clothing and supervised the serving of his meals, and he also slept near the emperor. In 1814, he married a Frenchwoman and left Napoleon's service before his exile to Elba, as he was concerned that Napoleon would kill himself after his Marshals turned on him and that he would be blamed for Napoleon's death. Though he offered to rejoin Napoleon during the Hundred Days, Napoleon refused to even receive him, seeing his earlier desertion as a betrayal. He died in Dourdan in 1845, and his memoirs were published in 1888.