In 5th place are the
Ottoman Janissary which are next up in Skippy's history corner
Janissary means new soilder in Turkish. They were the infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans bodyguards, founded by Sultan Murat I formed by non-Muslims, especially Christians: Greeks, Albanians, Bosnians and other Balkan men.
The infantry trained under strict discipline with hard labour. They were also expected to convert to Islam. Everybody did, since Christians were not allowed to bear arms in the Ottoman Empire (until the 19th century).
For all practical purposes, Janissaries belonged to the Sultan. They were taught to consider the corps as their home and family, and the Sultan as their father. Only those who proved strong enough earned the rank of a true Janissary. The regiment inherited the property of dead Janissaries.
The full strenght of the Janissary troops varied maybe 100 to more than 200.000. They were about 1.000 in the beginning of the 14th century but estimated 40.000 in the end of that century. The Sultan was the supreme commander of the Army.
The military march music of the Janissaries was famous because of its power. They combined some Turkish instruments, close to a bass drum oboe trumpet bell among others. Janissary music influenced western classic musicians like Mozart and Beethoven. The music is still played at state, military and tourist function in modern Turkey.
As Janissaries became aware of their importance they began to desire a better life. In the middle of the 14th century they revolted for the first time, demanding higher wages, which they obtained. The stage was set for a decadent evolution, like the ones of the Praetorians of Rome, which had proved the greatest threat to Roman emperors. In that period (middle of the 14th century) the Sultan payed each Janissary a reward and a raise. Later they were allowed to marry.
In the early 18th century the Janissaries had such influence that they dominated the goverment of the Ottoman Empire. They could change Sultans as they wished by overthrowing the old one. They made themselves landholders and tradesmen. As with other soilders on that stage (like Samurai or Praetorian) their military purpose decreased. One Sultan, Selim III had tried to modernize the army but then the Janissaries killed him and made Muhmad II (not Mehmed II) the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Eventually Mahmud disbanded the Janissary infantry.
