The Janissaries

by Godfrey Goodwin

From the fifteenth to the sixteenth century, the janissaries were the scourge of Europe. With their martial music, their muskets and their drilled march, it seemed that no one could withstand them. Their loyalty to their corps was infinite as the Ottomans conquered the Balkans as far as the Danube, and Syria, Egypt and Iraq. They set up semi-independent states along the North African coast and even fought at sea. Their political power was such that even sultans trembled.

Who were they? Why were they an elite? Why did they decline and what was their end? These are some of the questions which this book attempts to answer. It is the story of extraordinary personalities in both victory and defeat.

The book begins by exploring the origins of the janissary corps with the careful selection of youths from Christian families in the Balkans. It then introduces the pillars of the Ottoman state which these recruits were to serve. The Ottoman armed forces are reviewed, followed by a panoramic survey of the victorious years of this elite corps--culminating in the glorious conquest of Hungary and the establishment of the Danube frontier.

By the middle of the sixteenth century discipline among the janissaries had declined, but the real fault lay with the sultan and his ministers. The devirme (levy) system of recruitment faltered and the corps became a refuge for society's misfits.

By the end of the eighteenth century the janissaries were more interested in trade than in war. Ill-disciplined and arrogant, they turned both rulers and the ruled against them. Yet their political power was such that it took years of patient and careful planning before they could be suppressed. When their bubble finally burst, a raw army filled the void and matured into the veterans of the Crimean war.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the shock troops, administrators, Praetorian guard and power behind the rise, dominance and slow decline of the Ottoman Empire, a history all the more fascinating in that the Janissaries were, at least to start with, slave soldiers, impressed Christian boys taken in levy from conquered Christian lands, converted to Islam and made into the personal slaves of the Sultan. It is indeed a fascinating history but one that leaves unanswered the key question with such troops: how were these children, taken as slaves, so effectively turned into the slave soldiers of those who had taken them as slaves? Of course, part of the answer might lie in the eminence that could be attained by the most talented among the Janissaries, but I would still like to see a work where the psychological, physical and other measures taken to turn these boys into slave soldiers is properly examined. I suspect that there might be some parallels with the child soldiers used in some conflicts in Africa but it seems to be the great unexamined area of Ottoman scholarship, as if to investigate it would somehow be indelicate or rude. If anyone knows of such a study, please tell me!

[Anubis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book, if at times the information is a bit wrong and all over the place.

The book gives a lot of information about the Janissaries, even though sometimes the age shows and stuff written has been just copied without a critical approach. The author also seems to me a bit confused or at least has written something in a confusing matter. I know a lot about the history of the Ottoman Empire, and even then it was hard to follow some parts that seemed to contradict each other from the previous pages.

The book doesn't exclusively talk about the Janissaries either. There are some chapters dedicated just to them, but the rest is basically "Ottoman history", and in those places it is again a bit generic and with too many generalizations. The author for examples argues that Ottoman armies in the 17th century in the Balkans regularly fielded 250.000 men, which is logistically impossible and makes you wonder about the other data shown.

Overall however i haven't found some of the details mentioned in this book anywhere else, and the book is written in an accessible manner. You can also get it for very cheap, so i will recommend it for those interested in the topic.

[onejusthead · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,60

[Mehmet Besimoglu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed and interesting history of the army that followed the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire. A re-editing of Turkish names of historic figures would be very useful.

[Teoman Sipahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect.