The Janissaries: Elite Infantry of the Ottoman Empire

Between the mid-fourteenth century and the early nineteenth, the janissaries emerged as perhaps the greatest fighting force the world had seen since the height of the Roman Empire. Famed for their discipline, skill, and loyalty, they were instrumental in the Ottoman Empire’s military victories, serving as the Sultan’s elite infantry as well as his personal bodyguard, police force, fire service, and garrison troops.

These elite janissary soldiers were fiercely loyal to the Sultan, but as their influence steadily grew in royal and political circles, they themselves began to be viewed as a threat to the sultan’s power. In modern parlance, they got too big for their boots, and in 1826, the janissary corps was swiftly and violently disbanded.

This is the remarkable story of the janissaries, one of the world’s most famous army units.

The Ottoman Empire was founded by Osman I in approximately 1299. At its political and military zenith in the mid-sixteenth century, it ruled over more than thirty million people, and covered over five million square kilometres of eastern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Anatolia – modern-day Türkiye – the Ottoman heartland.

As Ottoman power took hold, it was probably Sultan Murad I who established the janissary corps (although debate continues, with some scholars suggesting it was Murad’s father and second Ottoman sultan, Orhan Ghazi).

From the Ottoman Turkish word yeŋiçeri, meaning ‘new soldier’, the janissaries were initially formed as a corps of infantry soldiers drawn from either prisoners of war or Christian recruits taken through the devshirme system, a form of levy or tax imposed on conquered Christian populations. These young recruits were converted to Islam, schooled in warfare and statecraft, and trained to become skilled and loyal protectors of the Sultan and the Ottoman state.

While technically slaves, elite janissary warriors were paid a regular salary and over time came to enjoy privileges the regular army soldiers could only dream of, such as a loftier societal status, a voice in political matters, and even gifts from the Sultan himself.

The bravest and most highly-regarded fighters were promoted through the ranks and some became politicians. In return for such privileges, the janissaries were expected to live a life of celibacy and to be absolutely and completely loyal to the Sultan.

The janissaries are often regarded as one of Europe’s earliest standing armies, but the claim that they were the first standing army in Europe can be debated, depending on the definition of a standing army.

While there are nuances, a standing army is usually described as a military force that consists of full-time, professional, and well-trained soldiers, maintained and salaried by a nation during both peacetime and wartime. Some historians argue that the Greek Spartans were a standing army, as were the Roman legions, particularly after the Marian reforms in the second and first centuries BC, but as to what was the first standing army as we would recognise today, that’s often attributed to the Ottoman janissary soldiers.

They were also one of the first infantry forces to adopt the use of gunpowder-based weapons, in general much earlier than the rest of Europe’s armies, (although the Chinese were experimenting with gunpowder centuries earlier). By the time of Sultan Murad II’s reign (1421–1451), the janissaries had begun to use early forms of firearms, although weapons such as matchlock muskets became more prominent later in the fifteenth century, particularly during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (1444–1446, 1451–1481).

In addition to their role as policemen, firefighters, bodyguards, and garrison troops, the janissaries were involved in some of the most significant battles in Ottoman – and indeed European – history, establishing their reputation as one of the most formidable fighting forces of their time.

The Battle of Varna (1444)

Varna was an early and significant victory for the Ottomans. Along with the wider Ottoman army of Sultan Murad II, the janissaries helped to defeat Crusader forces led by the Kingdom of Hungary. This victory consolidated Ottoman control over the Balkans and set the stage for the eventual conquest of Constantinople.

Siege of Constantinople (1453)

One of European history’s most famous battles, the fall of Constantinople is arguably the most important battle involving the janissary corps. Under Sultan Mehmed II, the Ottomans captured the Byzantine capital, and the janissaries were instrumental in breaching the city’s formidable Theodosian Walls, using their disciplined infantry tactics and gunpowder weapons, including early cannons. The capture of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and established the Ottomans as a formidable power in both Europe and Asia.

Battle of Mohács (1526)

In the Battle of Mohács, the janissaries played a pivotal role in crushing the Hungarian forces under King Louis II. The Ottoman victory, led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, resulted in the disintegration of the Kingdom of Hungary and paved the way for Ottoman dominance in Central Europe.

Other important battles in Ottoman history include the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514 where the elite janissary soldiers defeated the Safavid Empire whose traditional cavalry forces were no match for the Ottoman infantry’s firearms and cannons. This battle solidified Ottoman control over Eastern Anatolia and much of the Middle East, marking the decline of Safavid influence in the region.

The second Siege of Vienna in 1683, where the Ottomans were decisively defeated by a coalition of European forces led by Poland’s King John III Sobieski, marked a significant turning point in Ottoman history. The Janissaries’ inability to break through the Viennese defences, combined with a lack of coordination, resulted in a catastrophic loss. This battle is seen by some as the beginning of the Ottoman Empire’s decline.

As an elite fighting force, the janissary corps reached its maximum size in the late seventeenth century, with approximately 67,000 men. Numbers grew to around 100,000 by the 1820s but by this stage many were bureaucrats, merchants, or men holding positions by privilege rather than military service. It was around this time that the decline of the janissaries began, as they amassed increasing political influence, power, and wealth, deviating from their original role as a disciplined army. The contributing factors included:

A Shift From Military to Political Power

The janissaries gradually transitioned from an elite army to powerful political players. By the seventeenth century, they were involved in palace politics, even deposing and installing sultans to protect their interests. Their political influence grew so strong that they began to act independently of the Sultan, undermining his authority and contributing to the empire’s instability.

Relaxation of Recruitment Standards

Originally, these elite Ottoman soldiers were recruited through the devshirme system, which ensured their loyalty and military discipline. However, in the late sixteenth century, the system changed, permitting them to marry, pass their positions to their sons, and even allowed new recruits to buy their way in. Many joined for the social and economic privileges, leading to a decline in battlefield effectiveness.

Corruption & Wealth

Over time, the janissaries grew rich, acquiring land and businesses (despite being forbidden to engage in any type of trading), and political influence. As they gained power, some focused on personal enrichment over military service. Their new economic status gave them leverage over the bureaucracy, with greater opportunities to demand further privileges. This corruption often weakened their loyalty to the Sultan.

Resistance to Reform

Europe’s major armies modernised in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the Ottomans wanted to follow suit, but the janissary corps put up fierce resistance, fearing that a modern army would threaten their privileged position. This refusal to comply contributed to the empire’s military stagnation, as the janissaries clung to outdated methods and refused to adapt to the evolving nature of warfare, leaving the Ottomans at a disadvantage.

Revolts & Overthrows

The Janissaries frequently rebelled against the Sultan, especially when their privileges were threatened. In 1622, they assassinated Sultan Osman II, who unsuccessfully tried to curb their power and reform the military. These revolts destabilised the empire and weakened the Sultan’s authority, as the janissaries increasingly acted as a reactionary force. Their frequent interference in succession disputes and state affairs led to more political instability, contributing to the empire’s gradual decline.

Known in Ottoman Turkish as Vak’a-i Hayriyye, translated as ‘Event of Fortune’, what has become known as the Auspicious Incident was the brutal and forced disbandment of the janissaries on June 15, 1826.

As Sultan Mahmud II sought to modernise the Ottoman military, he formed a new, European-style army which the janissaries saw as a direct threat to their dominance, power, wealth, and influence. When the janissaries revolted, the Sultan decisively crushed the uprising. Thousands of janissaries were killed in the streets of Istanbul, taken prisoner, or exiled, and the corps was permanently disbanded.

Once the backbone of the Ottoman military and a symbol of its strength, the janissary corps evolved from an elite, disciplined infantry unit into a powerful political force that ultimately contributed to its own downfall. Their initial loyalty and military prowess enabled the Ottoman Empire to expand and dominate vast territories, but their growing wealth, political ambitions, corruption, and resistance to reform weakened both the empire and their effectiveness. Their final demise ended an era of military dominance and paved the way for modernisation within the Ottoman, and in time, Turkish, state.