Ottoman soldiers would take European Christian males, aged 8 to 20, from Eastern, Southern and Southeastern Europe, and relocate them to Istanbul,[16] where they would be trained. They were much easier for the sultans to control, compared to free administrators of Turkish aristocratic extraction. The primary objective of the Palace School was to train the ablest children for leadership positions, either as military leaders or as high administrators to serve the Devlet. Kouymjian, Dickran (1997). For centuries, government agents would come to Christian villages, and with the help of the priest and church birth records, they would . Legion of Honour. This page was last edited on 29 June 2023, at 03:19. There, young cadets would be selected for their talents in different areas to train as engineers, artisans, riflemen, clerics, archers, artillery, and so forth. [16] They were subjected to strict discipline, but were paid salaries and pensions upon retirement and formed their own distinctive social class. Anyone not chosen for the palace spent years being toughened by hard labor on farms in Anatolia until they were old enough for the military.[107]. Some historians argue this system contributed to the Ottoman states efforts at compulsory conversion and "islamization" of its non-Muslim populations. [50][51] In 1804, the Dahias, the Janissary junta that ruled Serbia at the time, having taken power in the 'lSanjak of Smederevo in defiance of the Sultan, feared that the Sultan would make use of the Serbs to oust them. [94] The early Ottoman emphasis on recruiting Greeks, Albanians, Bulgarians and South Slavs was a direct consequence of being centred on territories, in northwestern Anatolia and the southern Balkans, where those ethnic groups were prevalent. Think ye of the heartrending sorrow! White eunuchs were sometimes recruited from among the devshirme. In order to take the children as Janissaries. Shaw, Stanford J. [25] The practice of devshirme also involved forced conversions to Islam. How many mothers scratch out their cheeks! How many fathers beat their breast with stones! [35] By the middle of the seventeenth century, the devirme had largely been abandoned as a method of recruitment. [18][9][19] Recruits sometimes used their positions to help their family. J. J. Krner. Jan de Vries, CM (24 January 1924 - 27 May 2012) was a Dutch -born Canadian World War II paratrooper and veteran's advocate. [26] Children were kidnapped at a young age and turned into soldiers in an attempt to make the soldiers faithful to the sultan. [21][pageneeded], The Janissary corps were distinctive in a number of ways. His supporters failed to recapture power before Mustafa IV had him killed, but elevated Mahmud II to the throne in 1808. 4, art. 2 jschooltiger 8 yr. ago The problem with that source (besides bing Wikipedia) is that homosexuality as a concept simply didn't exist in the 1650s. They were part of a well-organized military machine, in which one support corps prepared the roads while others pitched tents and baked the bread. However, some Muslim families managed to smuggle their sons in anyway. In the late 16th century a sultan gave in to the pressures of the Janissary Corps and permitted Janissary children to become members of the Corps, a practice strictly forbidden for 200 years. [40] Many sources (including Paolo Giovio) mention different ways to avoid the devshirme such as: marrying the boys at the age of 12, mutilating them or have both father and son convert to Islam. When Janissaries could practically extort money from the Sultan and business and family life replaced martial fervour, their effectiveness as combat troops decreased. (1973). A s referenced above, the Janissaries were actually a slave army. The Devshirme was a sort of a tax levied on Christian communities in the Ottoman con-trolled Balkan area. Scouts were recruiting youngsters according to their talent and ability with school subjects, in addition to their personality, character and physical perfection. Armenians are also believed to have been exempt from the levy by many scholars,[f][g] although a 1997 publication that examined Armenian colophons from the 15th to the 17th centuries and foreign travelers of the time concluded that Armenians were not exempt. kapkulu), "door servants" or "slaves of the Porte", neither freemen nor ordinary slaves (kle). By 1622, the Janissaries were a "serious threat" to the stability of the Empire. That's in part because the empire was still growing until the 17th century. [84] Others argued the Muslim conqueror had the right to one fifth of war booty and could thus take the Christian boys;[85] however, Islamic law allows no such booty from communities that had submitted peacefully to conquest and certainly not from their descendants. Sleymanname, Topkapi Sarai Museum, Ms Hazine 1517, Basgoz, I. [38], Christian parents undeniably resented the forced recruitment of their children,[17][39] as a result they would beg and often seek to buy their children out of the levy. Balance: The Economics of Great Powers From Ancient Rome to Modern America. Radushev states this recruitment system can be bisected into two periods, its first, or classical period, encompassing those first two centuries of regular execution and utilization to supply recruits; and a second period which more focuses on its gradual change, decline, and ultimate abandonment, beginning in the 17th century. You can see, then, that moral degradation and humiliation are part of the training system, writes 16th century Italian diplomat Giovan Francesco Morosini (cardinal). Georgios, "Some accounts on Paedomazoma", Parnassos, vol. Nasuh, Matrakci (1588). 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. There is however evidence that Jews tried to enroll into the system. Civilians bought their way into it in order to benefit from the improved socioeconomic status it conferred upon them. In 1826 the janissaries rebel against proposed reforms. Nicolas Brenner. The Janissaries experimented with new forms of battlefield tactics, and in 1605 became one of the first armies in Europe to implement rotating lines of volley fire in battle.[40]. Halil Inalcik, "Ottoman Civilisation", p. 138, Ankara 2004. [28] While the deportation and enslavement of children was sometimes desired by their parents and earned them greater social status through the Janissary corps, the devirme could fall within the context of cultural genocide. After punishments the boys have to come to them and kiss their clothing and thank them for the cudgelings they have received. Murphey, Rhoads (1999). Jews and Gypsies were exempted from devshirme and so were all Muslims. [52], In 1807, a Janissary revolt deposed Sultan Selim III, who had tried to modernize the army along Western European lines. They formed a part of the first standing army in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire. [45] In particular, they used a massive "trench gun", firing an 80-millimetre (3.1in) ball, which was "feared by their enemies". The Balkan peasantry tried to evade the tribute collectors, with many attempting to substitute their children in Bosnia. These rules were obeyed by Janissaries, at least until the 18th century when they also began to engage in other crafts and trades, breaking another of the original rules. Such exemptions were included in the surrender terms granted to Jannina, Galata, Morea, Chios, etc. Why would anyone object to the enormous chances, the Sultan offered a Devshirme? [71] Recruits were sometimes gained through voluntary accessions, as some parents were eager to have their children enroll in the janissary service that ensured them a successful career and comfort. 4, 2 (1962), pp. Only Janissaries' own commanding officers could punish them. Had a lot of power, controlled artillery. In 1952, the Janissary military band, Mehtern, was organized again under the auspices of the Istanbul Military Museum. The Janissary, or "new soldiers," were one of the key instruments of the Ottoman Empire that enabled it to continue for over six centuries. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. While Janissaries are clearly made with this practice in mind, they have their own distinct identity owing to their context. What is the difference between devshirme and Janissaries? He went on to write that their numbers had increased to a hundred thousand but only due to a degeneration of regulations, with many of them in fact being "fake" janissaries, posing as such for tax exemptions and other social privileges. [114] As a result, by the late 16th century, the devshirme system had become increasingly abandoned for less rigid recruitment methods, which allowed Muslims to enter directly into the janissary corps. Janissaries did not constitute the main element of the Ottoman war power in the Ottoman conquests of the 14th and 15th centuries, as is believed. [22] The devshirme levy was not applied to the major cities of the empire, and children of local craftsmen in rural towns were also exempt, as it was considered that conscripting them would harm the economy. More classifications, such as the artillery and cannon corps, miners and moat diggers and even a separate cannon-wagon corps were introduced later on, but the number of people in these groups were relatively small, and they incorporated Christian elements. Sultan Selim II gave Janissaries permission to marry in 1566, undermining the exclusivity of loyalty to the dynasty. French version exists, and fragments exist in C.G. Kunst- und Buchantiquariat", "BBC Religions Islam: Slavery in Islam", () [The "Devshirme" (Child-Gathering) in the Ottoman Empire According to Turkish and Armenian Sources, "Klasik donem Osmanli egitim kurumlari Ottoman educational foundations in classical terms", http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca:1801/webclient/StreamGate?folder_id, http://fusunakarsu.com/articles/ENDERUN_ustun_yetenekliler_icin.html, "Islam and slavery: The persistence of history", "Devsirme" in "Encyclopaedia of the Orient", Website on the Ottoman empire original German version; here its Janissary page, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Devshirme&oldid=1154109419, This page was last edited on 10 May 2023, at 09:31. Initially, the grand viziers were exclusively of Turk origin, but after there were troubles between Sultan Mehmed II and the Turkish grand vizier andarl Halil Pasha the Younger, who was the first grand vizier to be executed, there was a rise of slave administrators (devshirme). to be converted to Islam) and the customs and cultures of Ottoman society. Definition: System in which selected Christian boys were converted to Islam, trained and educated to become a part of military or government. [67] They were degraded to the level of animals and showed a dog-like devotion to the sultan, writes Vasiliki Papouli. Their main method of recruitment was the abduction of children through the institution of Devshirme.. [34], The recruitment of children took place every three to four years and at times even annually, according to the needs of the Sultan. The first Janissary units were formed from prisoners of war and slaves, probably as a result of the sultan taking his traditional one-fifth share of his army's plunder in kind rather than cash; however the continuing enslaving of dhimmi constituted a continuing abuse of a subject population. Lineages of the Absolutist State. 3rd Edition." Acemi Oglani. "Comparing Warrior Traditions: How the Janissaries and Samurai Maintained Their Status and Privileges During Centuries of Peace.". However, a new system commonly known as devshirme was soon adopted. [100][pageneeded][101][pageneeded]. [97][98] Boys who were orphans or were their family's only son were exempt.[99]. [104][pageneeded] Mehmed Refik Beg mentioned that a youth with a bodily defect, no matter how slight, was never admitted into palace service,[105][pageneeded] since Turks believed that a strong soul and a good mind could be found only in a perfect body. Although eventually the concept of a modern army incorporated and surpassed most of the distinctions of the Janissaries and the corps was eventually dissolved, the image of the Janissary has remained as one of the symbols of the Ottomans in the western psyche. By the early 17th century Janissaries had such prestige and influence that they dominated the government. "[61] Their village, district and province, parentage, date of birth, and physical appearance was recorded. The devshirme collection was performed by a higher Janissary officer (who typically would themselves be of devshirme origin) who travelled from kaza (the small administrative regions in the empire) to kaza together with a secretary and soldiers. "Janissary Recruitment in the Balkans". [15] Unlike the black eunuchs, who were usually castrated in their place of origin, the devshirme were castrated at the palace. This status enabled some of the 'slaves' to become both powerful and wealthy. [51], On the other hand, since the devshirme could reach powerful positions, some Muslim families tried to have the recruiters take their sons so that they could achieve professional advancement. [54], In Epirus, a traditional folk song expressed this resentment by cursing the Sultan and admonishing against the kidnapping of boys:[55]. [52] There were cases of Albanian families offering their children voluntarily, as it offered them prospects not available to them in any other manner. [5] Many of them became administrators and scholars. Encyclopaedia of Islam (Leiden Grill, 196797), vol. [44], During the initial period of formation, Janissaries were expert archers, but they began adopting firearms as soon as such became available during the 1440s. The system produced infantry corps soldiers as well as civilian administrators and high-ranked military officials. [84], The devshirme were collected once every four or five years from rural provinces in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe and Anatolia. Since Muslim Bosnians were the only Muslim ethnic group allowed to be recruited, an armed guard was required to lead the Bosnians on their way to Istanbul to avoid any Turkish boys from being smuggled into their ranks. [9][28] An attempt to re-institute it in 1703 was resisted by its Ottoman members, who coveted the military and civilian posts. Devshirme ( Ottoman Turkish: , romanized: devirme, lit. We have discovered the Janissaries' dirty little secret. [108][105][106] They would later attend schools across Anatolia to complete their training for six to seven years to qualify as ordinary military officers. Serai Enderun; das ist inwendige beschaffenheit der trkischen Kayserl, residentz, zu Constantinopoli die newe burgk genannt sampt der ordnung und gebrauschen so von Alberto Bobivio Leopolitano. The successor to the sultan, Mahmud II, was patient but remembered the results of the uprising in 1807. Janissaries were used extensively to garrison fortresses and for siege warfare, which was becoming increasingly important for the Ottoman military. The fact that many were taken forcibly from their parents has been the subject of criticism. These differences, along with an impressive war-record, made the Janissaries a subject of interest and study by foreigners during their own time. p. 153. Consequently, the corps gradually lost its military character, undergoing a process that has been described as "civilianization". As long as I live I shall cry, [72][failed verification], The BBC notes the following regarding the devshirme system: "Although members of the devshirme class were technically slaves, they were of great importance to the Sultan because they owed him their absolute loyalty and became vital to his power. Another was Sokollu Mehmed Paa, a Bosnian Serb who became a grand vizier, served three sultans, and was the de facto ruler of the Ottoman Empire for more than 14 years. The diversity of the devshirme also served as a unifying factor for the Ottoman Empire. [23] They also served as policemen, palace guards, and firefighters during peacetime. [56], The military music of the Janissaries was noted for its powerful percussion and shrill winds combining ks (giant timpani), davul (bass drum), zurna (a loud shawm), naffir, or boru (natural trumpet), evgan bells, triangle (a borrowing from Europe), and cymbals (zil), among others. [4][5][6] Those coming from the Balkans came primarily from noble Balkan families and rayah classes. They were the heart of the Ottoman war machine . This term, which can be translated as "collecting" or . "[77] This system as explained by andarl Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha, founder of the Janissaries: "The conquered are slaves of the conquerors, to whom their goods, their women, and their children belong as lawful possession". [35], According to historian William Gervase Clarence-Smith, Christian children were taken by Ottoman officials, every four to seven years, their age ranging from 7 to 20. In Diyanet Islam ansiklopedisi (Vol. [citation needed] In Albania and Epirus the practice lead to a Christian revolt where the inhabitants killed the recruiting officials in the year 1565. That's how the Ottomans won all their battles against Serbs, Hungarians, Frenchies, Germans etc. Fine The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey pdf, Nasuh, Matrakci (1588). Unlike other Muslims, they were expressly forbidden to wear beards, only a moustache. [83] James L. Gelvin explains that Ottoman jurists were able to get around that injunction with an extraordinarily-creative legal manoeuvre by arguing that although Islamic tradition forbade the enslavement of Christians, Balkan Christians were different because they had converted to Christianity after the advent of Islam. The northern borders of the Ottoman Empire slowly began to shrink southwards after the second Battle of Vienna in 1683. "[75] Accordingly, Papoulia agrees with Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb and Harold Bowen, authors of Islamic Society and the West, that the devshirme was a penalization imposed on the Balkan peoples since their ancestors had resisted the Ottoman invasion. This "blood tax" came in the form of military officers of the Ottoman Empire ranging afield to take boys, ages eight to 18, from their families to be raised as soldiers. [11], From the 1380s to 1648, the Janissaries were gathered through the devirme system, which was abolished in 1648. After Ottoman Sultan Murad II took eight Christian youths into his service, they made a pact to assassinate him by night, saying If we kill this Turkish dog, then all of Christendom will be freed [from Ottoman tyranny]; but if we are caught, then we will become martyrs before God with the others. When their plot was exposed, and Murad inquired what caused them to dare attempt this, they responded, None other than our great sorrow for our fathers and dear friends. He had the children slowly tortured over the course of a year before beheading them. Only a very few would reach the Palace School. They were initially created as a counterbalance to the tribal, ethnic and favoured interests the Qizilbash gave, which make a system imbalanced. [88][89] What is certain is that devshirme were primarily recruited from Christians living in the Balkans, particularly Serbs and Bosnians,[90][91][92][93] as well as others from the Balkans region, such as Albanians and Greeks. While they advanced their own power, the Janissaries also helped to keep the system from changing in other progressive ways, and according to some scholars the corps shared responsibility for the political stagnation of Istanbul.[12]. Because Muslims were also recruited instead of Christians. [114], In 1632, the janissaries attempted an unsuccessful coup against Murad IV, who then imposed a loyalty oath on them. p 151. Janissaries also learned to follow the dictates of the dervish saint Haji Bektash Veli, disciples of whom had blessed the first troops. Key things in common: . Additionally, the Janissaries found they could change Sultans as they wished through palace coups. [55] In the ensuing fight, the Janissaries' barracks were set aflame by artillery fire, resulting in 4,000 Janissary fatalities. ", Benesch, Oleg. Halil Inalcik, "Ottoman Civilisation", p138, Ankara 2004. [116] In an order sent in multiple copies to authorities throughout the European provinces in 1666, a devshirme recruitment target of between 300 and 320 was set for an area covering the whole of the central and western Balkans. in their barracks and slaughtered thousands of them. Jews were not allowed in the janissary army, and so in suspected cases, the entire batch would be sent to the Imperial Arsenal as indentured laborers. [118] The system was finally abolished in the early part of Ahmet III's reign (17031730).[119]. Outraged at becoming "subject to his own slaves", he tried to disband the Janissary corps, blaming it for the disaster during the Polish war. NY: Arno Press. The devshirme was a system of forced labor, probably begun in the late 14th century, in which Christian boys, mostly from the Balkans, were taken from their homes to serve the Ottoman government. For instance, Stephan Gerlach writes:[45]. [30] The kul were mostly prisoners from war, hostages, or slaves that were purchased by the state. World War II. Exemption from this tribute was considered a privilege and not a penalty. Basgoz, I. A Janissary, a pasha and cannon batteries at the Siege of Esztergom in 1543. [3][4][5] The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan (13241362),[3] during the Viziership of Alaeddin. Janissaries began as elite corps made up through the devirme system of child levy enslavement, by which Christian Albanians, Bulgarians, Croats, Greeks, Romanians and Serbs were taken, levied, subjected to forced circumcision and conversion to Islam, and incorporated into the Ottoman army. Be damned, O Emperor, be thrice damned Upon reaching adolescence, these children were enrolled in one of the four imperial institutions: the palace, the scribes, the Muslim clergy, and the military. Some of the most famous Janissaries include George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, an Albanian who defected and led a 25year Albanian revolt against the Ottomans. A semi-autonomous Janissary corps was permanently based in Algiers, called the Odjak of Algiers. The Ottoman Empire, beginning with Murad I, felt a need to "counteract the power of (Turkic) nobles by developing Christian vassal soldiers and converted kapkulu as his personal troops, independent of the regular army. Ottoman Warfare, 1500-1700, p. 225. The rebellion was crushed in three weeks with the massacre of 7,000 rebels, but it marked the end of the Tulip Era and the beginning of Sultan Mahmud I's reign. Better that you had died!, Stephen Gerlach gives the case of a Greek Mother from Panormus in Anatolia who had two boys and begged God every day to take them away because she would soon be forced to give up one of them. Only those who proved strong enough earned the rank of true Janissary at the age of 24 or 25. Unlike typical slaves, they were paid regular salaries. At first, the soldiers serving in these corps were selected from the slaves captured during war. The Devshirme consisted of- a tribute of christian boys in Anatolia & the Balkans at or below . Membership was opened up to free-born Muslims, both recruits hand-picked by the commander of the Janissaries, as well as the sons of current members of the Ottoman standing army. The provincial system seems absolutely worthless to me, because it causes so many extra rebel stacks or huge losses in efficiency. & Shaw, Ezel Kural (1977). [66], The children were subjected to a draconian training system: They make them drudge day and night, and they give them no bed to sleep on and very little food. They were allowed to speak to each other only when it is urgently necessary and were made to pray together without fail at four prescribed times every day. As for any little offense, they beat them cruelly with sticks, rarely hitting them less than a hundred times, and often as much as a thousand. [17] As such, they became one of the ruling classes of the Ottoman Empire, rivalling the Turkish aristocracy. However, after there were problems between sultan Mehmed II and the Turkish andarl Halil Pasha the Younger, who became the first grand vizier to be executed, there was a rise of slave administrators devshirme. 7177 ( ., , (11-15 .. The distress expressed here was motivated not only by religious considerations, but also by the low opinion the Byzantines held for Turks (whom they called barbarians). The cost of the devshirme service and their clothes were paid by their villages or communities. They gather together and one tells another of his native land and of what he heard in church or learned in school there, and they agree among themselves that Muhammad is no prophet and that the Turkish religion is false. By 1838, all Ottoman fighting corps were included and the army changed its name to the Ordered troops. and A.W. Those entrusted to find those children were scouts, who were specially-trained agents, throughout the Balkans. "[15], The Janissaries were kapkullar (sing. In September 1730, janissaries headed by Patrona Halil backed in Istanbul a rebellion by 12,000 Albanian troops which caused the abdication of Sultan Ahmed III and the death of the Grand Vizier Damad Ibrahim. "Janissary Recruitment in the Balkans". [112][113], According to the historian Cemal Kafadar, one of the main reasons for the decline of the devshirme system was that the size of the janissary corps had to be expanded to compensate for the decline in the importance of the sipahi cavalry forces, which itself was a result of changes in early modern warfare such as the introduction of firearms and increased importance of infantry. The largest loss of children coincided with the peak of Ottoman expansion in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries under the rule of Selim I and Suleiman the Magnificent. [48], As Janissaries became aware of their own importance, they began to desire a better life. Janissary troops were always led to the battle by the Sultan himself, and always had a share of the loot. Harvard Middle Eastern and Islamic Review, vol. From the very beginning, the Turcoman were a danger that undermined the Sultan's creation of a strong state. Ottoman sources also consider this from another perspective. [14] According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "in early days, all Christians were enrolled indiscriminately. [10], The formation of the Janissaries has been dated to the reign of Murad I (r. 13621389), the third ruler of the Ottoman Empire. They could leave the unit only to assume command of another. Balance: The Economics of Great Powers From Ancient Rome to Modern America. What is the difference between Devshirme and Janissaries? A force of soldiers trained to be loyal to the sultan only. [24][9][19] David Nicolle writes that enslavement of Christian boys violates the dhimmi protections guaranteed in Islam,[25] but Halil nalck argues that the devshirme were not slaves once converted to Islam. Others, like Sofu Hadm Ali Pasha, Hadm ehabeddin, Hadm Yakup Pasha of Bosnia, Hadm Ali Pasha of Buda, Hadm Suleiman Pasha and his namesake Hadm Suleiman Pasha, became prominent admirals and generals. [26], In response to foreign threats, the Ottoman government chose to rapidly expand the size of the corps after the 1570s. [15] A considerable number of eunuchs of devshirme origin went on to hold important positions in the government and the military, and many of them became grand vizier, like Hadm Ali Pasha, Sinan Borovini, Hadm Hasan Pasha, Hadim Mesih Pasha and Hadm Mehmed Pasha. The elite battle troops of the Sultan were called Janissaries. [38] In Naousa, after killing the recruiting officials the parents fled to the mountains but were later caught and executed in 1705.