What is the purpose of the Janissaries?

Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful political force within the Ottoman state. During peacetime they were used to garrison frontier towns and police the capital, Istanbul. They constituted the first modern standing army in Europe.

Who were the Janissaries and why were they formed?

During Turkish raids, small boys were especially coveted plunder. Turkish warriors kidnapped young Christian boys and gave them as a gift to the sultan. Sultan brainwashed them and converted them into Islam. These boys became Janissaries.

What is a janissary How did they create this group?

The Janissary corps was originally organized in the late fourteenth century when a group of prisoners of war were converted to Islam and personally attached to the sultan. The Janissaries lived together in large barracks inside the cities where they were stationed.

Who were the Janissaries and what weapons did they use?

Turkish yatagan swords were the signature weapon of the Janissaries, almost a symbol of the corps. Janissaries who guarded the palace (Zülüflü Baltacılar) carried long-shafted axes and halberds. By the early 16th century, the Janissaries were equipped with and were skilled with muskets.

How important do you think the Ottoman social system was to the success of the empire?

I think that the Ottoman’s social system was one of the things that helped them succeed in their Empire, because having a good social system can keep people together and makes them less rebellious and it is more peaceful. So it helps them inside their communities because they are more loyal to the Sultan/government.

How did the Janissaries gain power?

The meritocracy system within the Ottoman Empire enabled some Janissaries to gain vast wealth, influence and power. They became more and more aware of their role in the Empire. They demanded larger salaries, a greater percentage of the spoils of war and powerful positions in the government.

What was the highest position a Devshirme could obtain?

The most promising were sent to the palace school (Enderûn Mektebi), where they were destined for a career within the palace itself and could attain the highest office of state, Grand Vizier, the Sultan’s powerful chief minister and military deputy.

How do you become a Janissary?

The Janissaries’ first recruits were from the ranks of young Christian prisoners of war; they were converted to Islam, taught Turkish, and given a rigorous military training. At the end of the sixteenth century, the Janissary corps began to admit untrained, mostly Muslim-born, recruits.

Why did the Ottomans have curved swords?

The hilt was curved in the opposite direction to the curve in the blade to prevent the sword from slipping out of the wielder’s hand. The hilt was often the most decorated part of the sword and was made from a variety of materials.

What did the janissaries wear?

Janissaries are commonly depicted as wearing a long tunic, a cloth belt to house their powder horn and sword, a tall bork hat, while carrying a rifle in their hands.

Why were the Janissaries so successful?

The organization became an important Ottoman military force soon after it was established because the Janissaries were perceived to be the sultan’s most trustworthy soldiers as well as disciplined troops with particular small arms skill.

What made Janissaries so successful?

Janissaries are elite soldiers that belong to the Sultan serving him for life. Eventually they gained power and influence and became an important group in the Ottoman Empire. So it helps them inside their communities because they are more loyal to the Sultan/government.

What was the support system of the Janissaries?

The support system of the janissaries also set them apart from other military units. They waged war as a well organized military machine. The ottoman army had corps for preparing the roads, corps for locating and setting the tents ahead, corps that was in charge for food, etc.

How did the Janissary corps get its name?

The Janissary corps was originally staffed through devşirme, a system of tribute by which Christian youths were taken from the Balkan provinces, converted to Islam, and drafted into Ottoman service.

Who was the Supreme Commander of the Janissaries?

All ortas together made the proper Janissary corps and its organization named ocak (literally hearth). Suleiman I had 165 ortas but that number grew to 196. The sultan was the supreme commander of the Janissaries, but the corps was led by their supreme ağa (commander).

What kind of music did the Janissaries play?

Janissary music, also called Turkish music, in a narrow sense, the music of the Turkish military establishment, particularly of the Janissaries, an elite corps of royal bodyguards (disbanded 1826); in a broad sense, a particular repertory of European music the military aspect of which derives from conscious imitation…