The janissary

The origins of the Janissaries are shrouded in myth, although traditional accounts credit Orhan I, an early Osman be who reigned from 1326 to 1359, as the founder. Modern historians such as Patricl Kinross date the formation of the Janissaries to around 1365, during the rule of Orhan's son murad I, the first sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Janissaries became the first Ottoman standing army replacing forces that mostly consisted of tribal warriors whose loyalty and morale were not always guaranteed.

From the 1380s to 1648, the Janissaries were gathered through the devsime system which was abolished in 1638. This was the taking (enslaving) of non-Muslim boys, notably Anatolian and Balkan Christians; Jews were never subject to devşirme, nor were children from Turkic families. In early days, all Christians were enrolled indiscriminately. Later, those from Norhern Greece and Serbia were preferred.

The Janissaries were kapıkulları , "door servants" or "slaves of the Porte", neither freemen nor ordinary slaves . They were subjected to strict discipline and were the first army to wear a uniform, but were paid salaries and pensions upon retirement and formed their own distinctive social class. As such, they became one of the ruling classes of the Ottoman Empire, rivaling the Turkish aristocracy. The brightest of the Janissaries were sent to the palace institution, Enderun. Through a system of meritocracy, the Janissaries held enormous power, stopping all efforts at reform of the military.

By:Greta Palinkas