An inquiry into the origin and evolution of the Mamluk military title of muqaddam might shed light on its early use, by Ibn al-Qila’i and Duwayhi among others, to refer to the local chieftains of Mount Lebanon and immediately surrounding areas, whether Maronites or Muslim.
Whether all these local chieftains were appointed by the Mamluks — as was the muqaddam of Bsharray Ya’qub ibn Ayyub in 1388 — or whether they were chosen by their local constituencies and later recognized by the Mamluks is still unclear to me.
Ray Jabre Mouawad (“Lettres au Mont-Liban d’Ibn al-Qila’i”, p. 20) notes that the use of the title to refer to Maronite village chieftains goes back to the Mamluk era, and that the title Ibn al-Qila’i gave to Maronite local chieftains before the Mamluks was rayyis (“chief”).
Maronitica 