Almost all great powers had their own military estates, special troops. In the Ottoman Empire, these were the Janissaries, in Russia - the Cossacks. The organization of the corps of janissaries (from “yeni cheri” - “new army”) was based on two main ideas: the state took upon itself all the maintenance of the janissaries so that they could devote all the time to combat training without reducing their fighting qualities in normal times; to create a professional warrior, united in a military-religious brotherhood, like the orders of chivalry of the West. In addition, the Sultan's power needed a military support, devoted only to the supreme power and no one else.
The creation of the janissary corps became possible thanks to the successful wars of conquest waged by the Ottomans, which led to the accumulation of great wealth among the sultans. The emergence of the Janissaries is associated with the name of Murad I (1359-1389), who was the first to take the title of Sultan and made a number of major conquests in Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula, formalizing the creation of the Ottoman Empire. Under Murad, they began to form a "new army", which later became the striking force of the Turkish army and a kind of personal guard of the Ottoman sultans. The Janissaries were personally subordinate to the Sultan, received a salary from the treasury and from the very beginning became a privileged part of the Turkish army. Submission to the Sultan personally was symbolized by "burk" (aka "yuskuf") - a kind of headdress of the "new warriors", made in the form of a sleeve of the Sultan's robe - they say that the janissaries are at the sultan's hand. The commander of the janissary corps was one of the highest dignitaries of the empire.
The supply idea is visible throughout the Janissary organization. The lowest unit in the organization was a department - 10 people, united by a common cauldron and a common packhorse. 8-12 squads formed an ode (company), which had a large company cauldron. In the XIV century, there were 66 odd janissaries (5 thousand people), and then the number of “odes” increased to 200. The commander of an oda (company) was called chorbaji-bashi, that is, a soup distributor; other officers had the rank of "chief cook" (ashdshi-bashi) and "water carrier" (saka-bashi). The name of the company - an ode - meant a common barracks - a bedroom; the unit was also called "orta", that is, the herd. On Fridays, the company cauldron was sent to the Sultan's kitchen, where pilav (pilaf, a dish based on rice and meat) was prepared for the soldiers of Allah. Instead of a cockade, the janissaries stuck a wooden spoon into their white felt hat from the front. In the later period, when the corps of the janissaries had already decomposed, rallies took place around the military shrine - the company cauldron, and the refusal of the janissaries to taste the pilaf brought from the palace was considered the most dangerous rebellious sign - a demonstration.
The care of the upbringing of the spirit was entrusted to the Sufi order of dervishes "bektashi". It was founded by Haji Bektash in the 13th century. All janissaries were assigned to the order. In the 94th orta, the sheikhs (baba) of the brotherhood were symbolically enrolled. Therefore, in Turkish documents, the janissaries were often called "the Bektash partnership", and the janissary commanders were often called "agha bektashi". This order allowed certain liberties, such as drinking wine, and contained elements of non-Muslim practices. Bektashi's teachings simplified the basic tenets and requirements of Islam. For example, it made the five-time daily prayer optional. Which was quite reasonable - for an army on a campaign, and even during hostilities, when success depended on the speed of maneuver and movement, such delays could become fatal.
The barracks became a kind of monastery. The Dervish Order was the only enlightener and teacher of the Janissaries. Dervish monks in the Janissary units played the role of military chaplains, and also bore the duty of amusing the soldiers with singing and buffoonery. The Janissaries had no relatives, for them the Sultan was the only father and his order was sacred. They were obliged to engage only in military craft (during the period of decay, the situation radically changed), in life to be content with war booty, and after death to hope for paradise, the entrance to which was opened by the "holy war."
At first, the corps was formed from captured Christian adolescents and youths 12-16 years old. In addition, the Sultan's agents bought young slaves in the markets. Later, at the expense of the "blood tax" (devshirme system, that is, "recruitment of children of subjects"). It was levied on the Christian population of the Ottoman Empire. Its essence was that from the Christian community every fifth immature boy was taken as the slave of the Sultan. An interesting fact is that the Ottomans simply borrowed the experience of the Byzantine Empire. The Greek authorities, feeling a great need for soldiers, periodically carried out forced mobilization in areas inhabited by Slavs and Albanians, taking every fifth youth.
Initially, it was a very heavy and shameful tax for the Christians of the empire. After all, these boys, as their parents knew, in the future would become terrible enemies of the Christian world. Well trained and fanatical warriors who were of Christian and Slavic origin (mostly). It should be noted that the "slaves of the Sultan" had nothing to do with ordinary slaves. They were not slaves in chains doing hard and dirty work. Janissaries could reach the highest positions in the empire in the administration, in the military or police formations. At a later time, by the end of the 17th century, the janissary corps was already formed predominantly according to the hereditary, class principle. And rich Turkish families paid a lot of money so that their children were admitted to the corps, since there they could get a good education and make a career.
For several years, the children, forcibly torn away from their parental home, spent in Turkish families to make them forget their home, family, homeland, family, and learn the basics of Islam. Then the young man entered the institute of "inexperienced boys" and here he developed physically and was brought up spiritually. They served there for 7-8 years. It was a kind of mixture of the cadet corps, military "training", construction battalion and theological school. Devotion to Islam and the Sultan was the goal of this upbringing. Future soldiers of the Sultan studied theology, calligraphy, law, literature, languages, various sciences and, of course, military science. In their free time, the students were used in construction work - mainly in the construction and repair of numerous fortresses and fortifications. The Janissary did not have the right to marry (marriage was prohibited until 1566), was obliged to live in the barracks, silently obey all the orders of the elder, and if a disciplinary penalty was imposed on him, he had to kiss the hand of the person imposing the penalty as a sign of obedience.
The devshirme system arose after the formation of the Janissary corps itself. Its development was slowed down during the turmoil that followed the invasion of Tamerlane. In 1402, in the battle of Ankara, the Janissary and other divisions of the Sultan were almost completely destroyed. Murad II revived the devshirme system in 1438. Mehmed II the Conqueror increased the number of Janissaries and raised their salaries. The Janissaries became the core of the Ottoman army. In later times, many families themselves began to give children away so that they could get a good education and make a career.
For a long time, the main weapon of the Janissaries was the bow, in the possession of which they achieved great perfection. Janissaries were foot archers, excellent marksmen. In addition to the bow, they were armed with sabers and scimitars, and other edged weapons. Later, the Janissaries were armed with firearms. As a result, the Janissaries were initially light infantry, with almost no heavy weapons and armor. With a serious enemy, they preferred to conduct a defensive battle in a fortified position protected by a moat and light obstacles placed in a circle with transport carts ("tabor"). At the same time, in the initial period of development, they were distinguished by high discipline, organization and fighting spirit. In a strong position, the Janissaries were ready to confront the most serious enemy. Chalkondilus, a Greek historian of the early 15th century, being a direct witness to the actions of the Janissaries, attributed the successes of the Turks to their strict discipline, excellent supplies, and concern for maintaining communication lines. He noted the good organization of camps and support services, as well as the large number of pack animals.
Janissaries had a lot in common with other military classes, in particular, with the Cossacks. Their essence was common - active defense of their civilization, homeland. Moreover, these estates had a certain mystical orientation. For the Janissaries, this was a connection with the Sufi order of dervishes. Both the Cossacks and the Janissaries had their main "family" fighting brothers. As the Cossacks in kurens and stanitsas, so the janissaries all lived together in large monasteries-barracks. The Janissaries ate from the same cauldron. The latter was revered by them as a shrine and a symbol of their military unit. The Cossacks' cauldrons stood in the most honorable place and were always polished to a shine. They also played the role of a symbol of military unity. Initially, the Cossacks and Janissaries had a similar attitude towards women. Warriors, as in the monastic orders of the West, had no right to marry. As you know, the Cossacks did not let women into the Sich.
Militarily, the Cossacks and Janissaries were a light, mobile part of the army. They tried to take by maneuver, by surprise. In defense, both of them successfully used a circular defensive formation of carts - "tabor", dug ditches, built palisades, obstacles from stakes. Cossacks and Janissaries preferred bows, sabers, knives.
An essential feature of the Janissaries was their attitude to power. For the Janissaries, the Sultan was the undisputed leader, the father. During the creation of the Romanov empire, the Cossacks often proceeded from their corporate interests and from time to time fought against the central government. Moreover, their performances were very serious. The Cossacks opposed the center both during the Time of Troubles and during the time of Peter I. The last major uprising took place during the time of Catherine the Great. For a long time, the Cossacks retained their internal autonomy. Only in the later period did they become unconditional servants of the "king-father", including in the matter of suppressing the actions of other estates.
The Janissaries evolved in a different direction. If initially they were the most devoted servants of the Sultan, then in a later period they realized that “their shirt is closer to the body” and after that it was not the rulers who told the janissaries what to do, but vice versa. They began to resemble the Roman Praetorian Guards and shared their fate. Thus, Constantine the Great completely destroyed the Praetorian Guard, and destroyed the Praetorian camp as "a constant nest of rebellions and debauchery." The Janissary elite turned into a caste of "chosen ones", which began to displace the sultans of their own free will. The Janissaries turned into a powerful military-political force, the thunderstorm of the throne and the eternal and indispensable participants in palace coups. In addition, the Janissaries lost their military significance. They began to engage in trade and craft, forgetting about military affairs. Previously, the mighty janissary corps lost its real combat effectiveness, becoming a poorly controlled, but armed to the teeth assembly, which threatened the supreme power and defended only its corporate interests.
Therefore, in 1826 the corps was destroyed. Sultan Mahmud II began military reform, transforming the army along the European lines. In response, the capital's janissaries revolted. The uprising was suppressed, the barracks were destroyed by artillery. The instigators of the riot were executed, their property was confiscated by the Sultan, and the young janissaries were expelled or arrested, some of them entered the new army. The Sufi order, the ideological core of the Janissary organization, was also disbanded, and many of its followers were executed or expelled. The surviving janissaries took up craft and trade.
It is interesting that the Janissaries and Cossacks even outwardly resembled each other. Apparently, this was the common heritage of the military estates of the leading peoples of Eurasia (Indo-Europeans-Aryans and Turks). In addition, do not forget that the Janissaries were also primarily Slavs initially, albeit Balkan ones. The Janissaries, in contrast to the ethnic Turks, shaved their beards and grew a long mustache, like the Cossacks. Janissaries and Cossacks wore wide trousers, similar to the Janissary “Burke” and the traditional Zaporozhye hat with a slab. The Janissaries, like the Cossacks, have the same symbols of power - bunchuks and maces.
