What did Janissaries do in the Ottoman Empire?

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 during the Ottoman Empire?

The Janissaries (from yeniçeri, meaning ‘new soldier’ in Turkish) were an elite standing force of infantrymen, first formed by the Ottoman Sultan Murad I around 1380. Legally slaves (kul ) of the sultan, they served over the centuries as bowmen, crossbowmen, and musketeers.

Who were the Janissaries for kids?

The Janissaries were originally staffed by Christian youths from the Balkan provinces, taken into the corps as children, who were converted to Islam on being drafted into the Ottoman service. They were indoctrinated to fight and die for the Ottoman sultan. They were completely loyal, reliable and efficiant.

What was daily life like in the Ottoman Empire?

Social life was often centered around the bazaars and Turkish baths. Many people owned homes so the population was reasonably stable. Sometimes people of the same ethnic group or religion lived in their own quarters. Turbans and other headgear were an indication of rank and status in the Ottoman society.

What was Janissary training like?

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. Unlike other Muslims, they were expressly forbidden to wear beards, only a moustache.

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.

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.

What kind of people lived in the Ottoman Empire?

The empire was dominated by the Turks but also included Arabs, Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and other ethnic minorities. Officially the Ottoman Empire was an Islamic Caliphate ruled by a Sultan, Mehmed V, although it also contained Christians, Jews and other religious minorities.

What were society and culture like in the Ottoman Empire?

The Ottoman Empire was organized into a very complicated social structure because it was a large, multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. Ottoman society was divided between Muslims and non-Muslims, with Muslims theoretically having a higher standing than Christians or Jews.

How were Janissary recruits chosen?

Janissary recruits were chosen from groups of boys who were taken into Ottoman service through periodic levies on Christian peasant families, predominantly those in the Balkans.

What does Janissary mean in English?

Definition of janissary 1 often capitalized : a soldier of an elite corps of Turkish troops organized in the 14th century and abolished in 1826. 2 : a member of a group of loyal or subservient troops, officials, or supporters.

What did the Janissaries do in the Ottoman Empire?

The first Ottoman rulers reserved a fifth of the young prisoners of war for a system called devshirme or blood tax. The Janissaries were the military elite of the Ottoman Empire. They formed a part of the first standing army in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire.

Were the Janissaries slaves or slaves?

They were slaves only by name. In 1804, several Janissaries formed an illegal state in what is today known as Serbia, inciting a national uprising. By 1826, the number of Janissaries skyrocketed to 135,000 members.

What happened to the Janissaries in 1622?

There were several Janissaries rebellion throughout the Ottoman Empire’s history. In 1622, Osman II, who planned to dismantle the Janissaries, closed the coffee shops they frequented and was killed by the elite soldiers. There was also Selim III who was dethroned by the Janissaries.

What weapons did the Janissaries use?

Turkish yatagan swords were the signature weapon of the Janissaries, almost a symbol of the corps. Janissaries who guarded the palace carried long-shafted axes and halberds. As mentioned before, these were the dogs of war; barking at the gates of Europe during the Siege of Vienna in 1529.