Not needed for project.
The Ottoman ChildrenJannisaries
During the 15th century, elite military units made up of soldiers called Janissaries were created. Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful political force within the Ottoman state. 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. Subject to strict rules, including celibacy, they were organized into three unequal divisions and commanded by an ağa. In the late 16th century the celibacy rule and other restrictions were relaxed, and by the early 18th century the original method of recruitment was abandoned. The Janissaries frequently engineered palace coups in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in the early 19th century they resisted the adoption of European reforms by the army. Their end came in June 1826 in the so-called Auspicious Incident. On learning of the formation of new, westernized troops, the Janissaries revolted. Sultan Mahmud II declared war on the rebels and, on their refusal to surrender, had cannon fire directed on their barracks. Most of the Janissaries were killed, and those who were taken prisoner were executed. |
ağa → a military officer
janissary → battle troops of the sultan formed of Christian boy slaves converted to Islam devsirme → system of kidnapping children for the janissaries kuls → slave of the Ottoman Empire |
The Devsirme System
The Ottoman Ruler Orhan I (1326-1359) took advantage of a loophole in the Muslim law of ghanimat. The law allowed the sultan to take one-fifth of the plunder his soldiers collected in battle. While pillage usually meant material items, the sultan Orhan considered human captives as a part of the spoils. The sultan made an elite corps of slave-soldiers out of these captives. The elite battle troops of the sultan were called janissaries. The soldiers in these troops were considered slaves but were, in fact, treated well and paid a regular salary. They enjoyed power and privilege surpassing most other members of the Ottoman society. The Ottoman Turkish Empire made extensive use of child soldiers who were drafted from all over the empire to form the Sultan's Personal Elite Corps.
However, by the time Orhan's son Murad I (1359-1389) came into power, the empire wasn't gathering in loot. Therefore, Murad began looking for other ways to strengthen his troops. He devised a plan to raise and train children to become slaves. From a young age, he instilled in them an undying loyalty to the sultan. However, Murad didn't want to recruit ordinary Muslim children for his slave army - he believed that Muslim children would remain loyal to their own families and he would seek favours from them later. Instead, Murad sought to kidnap Christian children from previously conquered territories to be trained for the Janissary Corps. Conquered Christian communities had to surrender 20% of their male children to the state. Whenever the sultan wanted to boost his Janissary troops, he's go to one of his territories such as Greece, Austria, Albania or Serbia, to take young boys between the ages of 7 to 18 from these Christian families.
After conversion to Islam and strict military training, these children would become loyal slave-soldiers. The sultan reasoned that these converted children would grow to despise their Christian families and remain faithful to their current sultan. This system of kidnapping children, known as devsirme, lasted more than three centuries and proved incredibly successful for the Ottoman Empire. The sultan's officials conducted comprehensive examinations of the children, selecting only the children who met a certain list of strict criteria. Eventually some parents actually sought to get their children accepted into the corps.
Janissaries were considered kuls, which technically means "slaves", but was understood to signify servants or even officers. At the time, the title was even more distinguished than that of a subject. A career as a Janissary had remarkable upward mobility. Janissaries often held high administrative positions, such as provincial governorships. Some Muslim parents tried to convince authorities to consider their children for inclusion in the Janissary corps. And some Christians attempted to bribe officials to accept their sons.
Strict Muslims criticized the devsirme system because they believed that a ruler wasn't allowed to enslave his own Christian subjects. Supporters of the system argued that the sultan could take the children because they were descendants of conquered peoples who could be enslaved, according to the religious law. Another argument in favour of the system was that the sultan saved children's souls by converting them to Islam.
In order to enforce his laws, Suleiman I (1520-1566) maintained highly trained janissaries. These soldiers were trained in both military tactics, as well as in religious duties and responsibilities. This insured their loyalty to the sultan.
When authorities arrived in a village, fathers brought out their sons for inspection. To qualify, a boy had to be strong, but untrained. He also could not act spoiled - his attitude was extremely important. No orphans or only songs were accepted, and neither were boys who spoke any Turkish. Even if a boy satisfied all these prerequisites, he wasn't in unless we was handsome. Once a boy was chosen, he was transported to Istanbul for training.
Boys would usually undergo three to seven years of training in Istanbul. First, they were circumcised and converted to Islam. They were taught Turkish and, depending on how well they did in their training and education, they could be put on different tracks. The trainees who excelled were eventually enlisted to serve at the sultan's palace as members of the standing army. These soldiers received extensive education in math, theology, law, horsemanship and military strategy. The others were assigned to serve government officials or toil in the fields, while assimilating into Muslim society. No matter their post, they remained the sultan's slaves and could be recruited back to the palace at any time.
In general, these slave-soldiers adhered to a strict code of conduct, in which obedience and manners were paramount and any violation resulted in harsh punishment. In addition, they were expected to lead a celibate life, never marrying (at least until the 16th century, when some were allowed to take wives.)
The total number of young Christians kidnapped under the devsirme system isn't known for sure. Modest estimates peg the number in the hundreds of thousands. But some think as many as 5 million boys were stolen from Christian families and raised to become slaves of the sultan.
Despite being enslaved, a young boy could look forward to remarkable prospects in his life as a Janissary.
To flaunt their distinguished roles, Janissaries often sported lavish uniforms. The sultan personally gave each Janissary an embroidered cloak, and the various regiments had their own uniform colours. They also strutted around in spectacular hats, with officers getting the biggest, grandest caps complete with long plumes.
Despite their significant power and status, the Janissaries often revolted throughout history. They usually sought reforms or a greater say in who would become sultan. Finally, in 1826, in an event known as the Auspicious Incident, the Janissaries revolted for the last time. The sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839) dissolved the elite corps and turned cannons on the rebels, killing most of them.
The Ottoman Ruler Orhan I (1326-1359) took advantage of a loophole in the Muslim law of ghanimat. The law allowed the sultan to take one-fifth of the plunder his soldiers collected in battle. While pillage usually meant material items, the sultan Orhan considered human captives as a part of the spoils. The sultan made an elite corps of slave-soldiers out of these captives. The elite battle troops of the sultan were called janissaries. The soldiers in these troops were considered slaves but were, in fact, treated well and paid a regular salary. They enjoyed power and privilege surpassing most other members of the Ottoman society. The Ottoman Turkish Empire made extensive use of child soldiers who were drafted from all over the empire to form the Sultan's Personal Elite Corps.
However, by the time Orhan's son Murad I (1359-1389) came into power, the empire wasn't gathering in loot. Therefore, Murad began looking for other ways to strengthen his troops. He devised a plan to raise and train children to become slaves. From a young age, he instilled in them an undying loyalty to the sultan. However, Murad didn't want to recruit ordinary Muslim children for his slave army - he believed that Muslim children would remain loyal to their own families and he would seek favours from them later. Instead, Murad sought to kidnap Christian children from previously conquered territories to be trained for the Janissary Corps. Conquered Christian communities had to surrender 20% of their male children to the state. Whenever the sultan wanted to boost his Janissary troops, he's go to one of his territories such as Greece, Austria, Albania or Serbia, to take young boys between the ages of 7 to 18 from these Christian families.
After conversion to Islam and strict military training, these children would become loyal slave-soldiers. The sultan reasoned that these converted children would grow to despise their Christian families and remain faithful to their current sultan. This system of kidnapping children, known as devsirme, lasted more than three centuries and proved incredibly successful for the Ottoman Empire. The sultan's officials conducted comprehensive examinations of the children, selecting only the children who met a certain list of strict criteria. Eventually some parents actually sought to get their children accepted into the corps.
Janissaries were considered kuls, which technically means "slaves", but was understood to signify servants or even officers. At the time, the title was even more distinguished than that of a subject. A career as a Janissary had remarkable upward mobility. Janissaries often held high administrative positions, such as provincial governorships. Some Muslim parents tried to convince authorities to consider their children for inclusion in the Janissary corps. And some Christians attempted to bribe officials to accept their sons.
Strict Muslims criticized the devsirme system because they believed that a ruler wasn't allowed to enslave his own Christian subjects. Supporters of the system argued that the sultan could take the children because they were descendants of conquered peoples who could be enslaved, according to the religious law. Another argument in favour of the system was that the sultan saved children's souls by converting them to Islam.
In order to enforce his laws, Suleiman I (1520-1566) maintained highly trained janissaries. These soldiers were trained in both military tactics, as well as in religious duties and responsibilities. This insured their loyalty to the sultan.
When authorities arrived in a village, fathers brought out their sons for inspection. To qualify, a boy had to be strong, but untrained. He also could not act spoiled - his attitude was extremely important. No orphans or only songs were accepted, and neither were boys who spoke any Turkish. Even if a boy satisfied all these prerequisites, he wasn't in unless we was handsome. Once a boy was chosen, he was transported to Istanbul for training.
Boys would usually undergo three to seven years of training in Istanbul. First, they were circumcised and converted to Islam. They were taught Turkish and, depending on how well they did in their training and education, they could be put on different tracks. The trainees who excelled were eventually enlisted to serve at the sultan's palace as members of the standing army. These soldiers received extensive education in math, theology, law, horsemanship and military strategy. The others were assigned to serve government officials or toil in the fields, while assimilating into Muslim society. No matter their post, they remained the sultan's slaves and could be recruited back to the palace at any time.
In general, these slave-soldiers adhered to a strict code of conduct, in which obedience and manners were paramount and any violation resulted in harsh punishment. In addition, they were expected to lead a celibate life, never marrying (at least until the 16th century, when some were allowed to take wives.)
The total number of young Christians kidnapped under the devsirme system isn't known for sure. Modest estimates peg the number in the hundreds of thousands. But some think as many as 5 million boys were stolen from Christian families and raised to become slaves of the sultan.
Despite being enslaved, a young boy could look forward to remarkable prospects in his life as a Janissary.
To flaunt their distinguished roles, Janissaries often sported lavish uniforms. The sultan personally gave each Janissary an embroidered cloak, and the various regiments had their own uniform colours. They also strutted around in spectacular hats, with officers getting the biggest, grandest caps complete with long plumes.
Despite their significant power and status, the Janissaries often revolted throughout history. They usually sought reforms or a greater say in who would become sultan. Finally, in 1826, in an event known as the Auspicious Incident, the Janissaries revolted for the last time. The sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839) dissolved the elite corps and turned cannons on the rebels, killing most of them.
Bibliography
BBC - Religions - Islam: Ottoman Empire (1302-1922) (2009) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/ottomanempire_1.shtml
Cockerill, A. (2005) Child Soldiers and small weapons of mass destruction. Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.richardgilbert.ca/
Eigen, L. (2009) Child Soldiers Are Unfortunately Nothing New | Scriptamus. Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://scriptamus.wordpress.com/
HowStuffWorks "Ottoman Empire - The Period of Expansion" (n.d.) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/ottoman-empire1.htm
Janissary (Turkish military) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia (n.d.) Retrieved 29 June, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/300350/Janissary
McGrath, J. (2013) HowStuffWorks "Were people vying to become slaves in the Ottoman Empire?". Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/
McGrath, J. (2013) HowStuffWorks "The Devsirme System". Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/
McGrath, J. (2013) HowStuffWorks "The Jannisary". Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/
Mobley, V. (2008) The History of Child Soldiers. Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from https://suite.io
Renaissance for Kids: Ottoman Empire (n.d.) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.ducksters.com/history/renaissance/ottoman_empire.php
Suleiman I - World History For Kids - By KidsPast.com (n.d.) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0331-Suleiman-I.php
BBC - Religions - Islam: Ottoman Empire (1302-1922) (2009) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/ottomanempire_1.shtml
Cockerill, A. (2005) Child Soldiers and small weapons of mass destruction. Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.richardgilbert.ca/
Eigen, L. (2009) Child Soldiers Are Unfortunately Nothing New | Scriptamus. Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://scriptamus.wordpress.com/
HowStuffWorks "Ottoman Empire - The Period of Expansion" (n.d.) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/ottoman-empire1.htm
Janissary (Turkish military) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia (n.d.) Retrieved 29 June, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/300350/Janissary
McGrath, J. (2013) HowStuffWorks "Were people vying to become slaves in the Ottoman Empire?". Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/
McGrath, J. (2013) HowStuffWorks "The Devsirme System". Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/
McGrath, J. (2013) HowStuffWorks "The Jannisary". Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://history.howstuffworks.com/
Mobley, V. (2008) The History of Child Soldiers. Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from https://suite.io
Renaissance for Kids: Ottoman Empire (n.d.) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.ducksters.com/history/renaissance/ottoman_empire.php
Suleiman I - World History For Kids - By KidsPast.com (n.d.) Retrieved 26 June, 2014, from http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0331-Suleiman-I.php
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