Henchman

Noun

 * 1) A loyal and trusted follower or subordinate.
 * 2) A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests.
 * 3) A member of a criminal gang.
 * 4) A page to a prince or other person of high rank.

Thesaurus
adherent, appendage, associate, attendant, bodyguard, buddy, buff, cavaliere servente, cohort, confidant, courtier, creature, crony, dangler, dependent, disciple, dummy, fan, figurehead, flunky, follower, following, gangster, gillie, goon, gunsel, hanger-on, hatchet man, heavy, heeler, homme de cour, hooligan, jackal, lackey, man, minion, myrmidon, parasite, partisan, public, puppet, pursuer, pursuivant, retainer, right-hand man, satellite, sectary, servant, shadow, sidekick, stooge, successor, supporter, sycophant, tagtail, tail, thug, torpedo, trainbearer, votary, ward heeler

Etymology
From hencheman:, henseman:, henxman:, from  *undefined:, from hengst:, hengest: (from, from ) + mann:. Cognate with Hengstmann:,  hestamaður:. More at.