The Janissaries Essay

2914 Words12 Pages
Ottoman Empire, which was one of the most powerful and longest lasting empires in the world, was a concrete example of how a frontier power became a world power in terms of not only political but also of economic affairs. Ottoman Empire, in 1350’s, was just a uc beglig. However, it became one of the most significant powers in the world, in later times. Its success can be attributed to many reasons, but it is an unquestionable fact that one of the most crucial reasons for its success was its military organization. Ottoman Empire was founded on the basis of gaza and cihad. Therefore, it was a requirement for this empire to have a powerful army. Ottoman army had a complicated structure. There were certain branches in the army. The Janissaries were one of the branches of this complicated structure. The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of Janissaries in the administration and political issues. The Janissaries, which means new soldiers, were infantry units. These infantry units constituted Ottoman sultan’s household troops, they were the protectors of the sultan. Aşıkpaşazade Derviş Ahmed Aşiki declared the obligation of Janissaries clearly: Gereklidir Yeniçeri kapuda Ki Han’ı gözliyeler her tapuda There were Kapıkulu soldiers in Seljuk Dynasty. They were infantry soldiers and they were given weapons when it was necessary. These Kapıkulu soldiers in Seljuk Dynasty resembles to the Janissaries in Ottoman Empire. Hence, it may be argued that the Janissary system in Ottoman Empire was based on Kapıkulu soldier system in Seljuk Dynasty. Certain perspectives argued that the foundation of Janissary Ocak was a requirement owing to the fact that there were increasing conquests in Rumeli, in the first fifty years of the Ottoman Empire. Those conquests brought about a need for new soldiers and a new soldier unity which had to be in charge permanently.
Open Document