The Janissaries (derives from Ottoman Turkish: يكيچرى (yeniçeri)
meaning "new soldier") comprised infantry units that formed the
Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguard. The force
originated in the 14th century; it was abolished by Sultan Mahmud II
in 1826 in The Auspicious Incident.
Origin of the
Janissaries
Sultan Murad I of the fledgling Ottoman Empire founded the units
around 1365. It was initially formed of Dhimmi (non-Muslims,
originally exempted from the military service), especially Christian
youths and prisoners of war, reminiscent of Mamelukes. Sultan Murad
may have also used futuwa groups as a model.
Such Janissaries became the first Ottoman standing army, replacing
forces that mostly comprised tribal ghazis, whose loyalty and morale
could not always be trusted.
As corps other than the infantry were added, the totality of the
Ottoman standing army corps was called Kapıkulu, however the term
Janissary, which formally refers to one of the Kapıkulu corps is
often used interchangeably (albeit incorrectly) for all of the
Ottoman Kapıkulu Corps.
Significance of the Janissaries
The Janissary corps was significant in a number of ways. The
Janissaries wore uniforms, were paid in cash as regular soldiers,
and marched to distinctive music, the mehter, similar to a modern
marching band. All of these features set the Janissaries apart from
most soldiers of the time.
The Ottomans were the first state to maintain a standing army in
Europe since the Roman Empire. The Janissaries have been likened to
the Roman Praetorian Guard and they had no equivalent in the
Christian armies of the time, where the feudal lords raised troops
during wartime.[1] A janissary regiment was effectively the
soldier's family. They lived in their barracks and served as
policemen and firefighters during peacetime.[2]
The Janissary corps was also distinctive in the regular payment of a
cash salary to the troops, and differed from the contemporary
practice of paying troops only during wartime. The Janissaries were
paid quarterly and the Sultan himself, after authorizing the payment
of the salaries, dressed as a Janissary, visited the barracks and
received his salary as a regular trooper of the First Division.[3]
The Janissary force became particularly significant when the foot
soldier carrying firearms proved more effective than the cavalry
equipped with sword and spear.[4] Janissaries adopted firearms very
early, starting in 15th century. By the 16th century, the main
weapon of the Janissary was the musket. Janissaries also made
extensive use of early grenades and hand cannon.[3]
The auxiliary support system of the Janissaries also set them apart
from their contemporaries. The Janissaries waged war as one part of
a well organized military machine. The Ottoman army had a corps to
prepare the road, a corps to pitch the tents ahead, a corps to bake
the bread. The cebeci corps carried and distributed weapons and
ammunition. The Janissary corps had its own internal medical
auxiliaries: Muslim and Jewish surgeons who would travel with the
corps during campaigns and had organized methods of moving the
wounded and the sick to traveling hospitals behind the lines.[3]
These differences, along with a war-record that was impressive, made
the Janissaries into a subject of interest and study by foreigners
in their own time. Although eventually the concept of the modern
army incorporated and surpassed most of the distinctions of the
Janissary, and the Ottoman Empire dissolved the Janissary corps, the
image of the Janissary has remained as one of the symbols of the
Ottomans in the western psyche.
In modern times, although the Janissary corps no longer exists as a
professional fighting force, the tradition of mehter music is
carried on as a cultural and tourist attraction.
Recruitment, training and status
The first Janissary units comprised war captives and slaves,
selecting one in five for enrollment in the ranks (Pencik rule).
After the 1380s Sultan Mehmet I filled their ranks with the results
of taxation in human form called devshirmeh: the Sultan’s men
conscripted a number of non-Muslim, usually Christian Balkan boys,
taken at birth at first at random, later, by strict selection – to
be trained. Initially they favoured Greeks, Armenians, Albanians
(who also supplied many gendarmes), and Bulgarians, usually
selecting about one boy from forty houses, but the numbers could be
changed to correspond with the need for soldiers. Boys aged 14-18
were preferred, though ages 8-20 could be taken. Greeks formed the
largest part of the Janissary units. Next the devshirmeh was
extended to also include Bosnians, Serbs, Croats and other Balkan
countries, later especially Ukraine and southern Russia. The
Janissaries started accepting enrollment from outside the devshirmeh
system first during the reign of Sultan Murad III (1546-1595) and
completely stopped enrolling devshirmeh in 17th century. After this
period, volunteers were enrolled, mostly of Muslim origin.[3]
Janissaries trained under strict discipline with hard labour and in
practically monastic conditions in acemi oğlan ("rookie" or "cadet")
schools, where they were expected to remain celibate. They were also
expected to convert to Islam. All did, as Christians were not
allowed to bear arms in the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century.
Unlike other Muslims, they were expressly forbidden to wear beards
(a Muslim custom), only a moustache. These rules were obeyed by
Janissaries, at least until 18th century when they also began to
engage in other crafts and trades, breaking another of the original
rules.
For all practical purposes, Janissaries belonged to the Sultan,
carrying the title kapıkulu ("door slave") indicating their
collective bond with the Sultan. Janissaries were taught to consider
the corps as their home and family, and the Sultan as their de facto
father. Only those who proved strong enough earned the rank of true
Janissary at the age of twenty-four or twenty-five. The regiment
inherited the property of dead Janissaries, thus amassing wealth
(like religious orders and foundations enjoying the 'dead hand').
Janissaries also learned to follow the dictates of the dervish saint
Hajji Bektash Wali, disciples of whom had blessed the first troops.
Bektashi served as a kind of chaplain for Janissaries. In this and
in their secluded life, Janissaries resembled Christian military
orders like the Johannites of Rhodes.
In return for their loyalty and their fervour in war, Janissaries
gained privileges and benefits. They received a cash salary,
received booty during wartime and enjoyed a high living standard and
respected social status. At first they had to live in barracks and
could not marry until retirement, or engage in any other trade but
by the mid-18th century they had taken up many trades and gained the
right to marry and enroll their children in the corps and very few
continued to live in the barracks.[2] Many of them became
administrators and scholars. Retired or discharged Janissaries
received pensions and their children were also looked after. This
evolution away from their original military vocation was the essence
of the system's demise.
The Janissary corps
Year Number of Jannisaries[5]
1514 10156
1526 7885
1567-68 12798
1609 37627
1660-61 54222
1665 49556
1669 51437
1670 49868
1680 54222
The full strength of the Janissary troops varied from maybe 100 to
more than 200,000. According to David Nicolle, the number of
Janissaries in the 14th century was 1,000, and estimated to be 6,000
in 1475, whereas the same source estimates 40,000 as the number of
Timariot, the provincial soldiers. After the defeat in 1699, the
number was reduced, but it was increased in the 18th century to
113,400 soldiers according to Ottoman, but most were not actual
soldiers and were accepted into the army through corrupt means and
were only taking salary.[citation needed]
The corps was organized in ortas (equivalent to regiment) An orta
was headed by çorbaci. All ortas together would comprise the proper
Janissary corps and its organization named ocak (literally
"hearth"). Suleiman I had 165 ortas but the number over time
increased to 196. The Sultan was the supreme commander of the Army
and the Janissaries in particular, but the corps was organized and
led by their supreme ağa (commander). The corps was divided into
three sub-corps:
* the cemaat (frontier troops; also spelled jemaat), with 101 ortas
* the beyliks or beuluks (the Sultan's own bodyguard), with 61 ortas
* the sekban or seirnen, with 34 ortas
In addition there was also 34 ortas of the ajemi (cadets).
Originally Janissaries could be promoted only through seniority and
within their own orta. They would leave the unit only to assume
command of another. Only Janissaries' own commanding officers could
punish them. The rank names were based on positions in a kitchen
staff or troop of hunters, perhaps to emphasise that Janissaries
were servants of the Sultan.
In the first centuries, Janissaries were expert archers, but they
adopted firearms as soon as such became available during the 1440s.
The siege of Vienna in 1529 confirmed the reputation of their
engineers, e.g. sapping. In melee combat they used axes and sabres.
Originally in peacetime they could carry only clubs or cutlasses,
unless they served in border troops. Local Janissaries, stationed in
a town or city for a long time, were known as yerliyyas.
The Ottoman empire used Janissaries in all its major campaigns,
including the 1453 capture of Constantinople, the defeat of the
Egyptian Mamluks and wars against Hungary and Austria. Janissary
troops were always led to the battle by the Sultan himself, and
always had a share of the booty.
Janissaries’ reputation increased to the point that by 1683, Sultan
Mehmet IV abolished the devshirmeh as increasing numbers of
originally Muslim Turkish families had already enrolled their own
sons into the force hoping for a lucrative career. Every governor
wanted to have his own Janissary troops.
The Janissary revolts
As Janissaries became aware of their own importance they began to
desire a better life. In 1449 they revolted for the first time,
demanding higher wages, which they obtained.
Janissary Music
The military march music of the Janissaries is characteristic
because of its powerful, often shrill sound combining davul (bass
drum), zurna (a loud oboe), naffir (trumpet), bells, triangle, and
cymbals (zil), among others. Janissary music influenced European
classical musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van
Beethoven, both of whom composed marches in the Turkish style
(Mozart's Piano Sonata in A major, K. 331 (c. 1783), and Beethoven's
incidental music for The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113 (1811), and the
final movement of Symphony no. 9).
In 1952, the Janissary military band, Mehter was organized again
under the auspices of the Istanbul Military Museum. They have
performances during some national holidays as well as in some
parades during days of historical importance. For more details, see
Turkish music (style) and Mehter.
