live_tv
Livestream Starting Soon
00
Hours
:
00
Minutes
:
00
Seconds
Up next in 10
The Ottoman Empire is one of the most important and influential major empires in history, though it is sometimes overlooked in the West (which may have something to do with the Christianity-versus-Islam bent of Western historical education). This lack of recognition extends to the empire's elite and unique military units known as the Janissaries.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
The Ottoman Empire was one of the most important and influential major empires in history
0:05
and it was home to an elite and unique military unit known as the Janissaries
0:10
The Janissaries were a highly trained band of slave warriors, like the Unsullied from Game of Thrones
0:16
and they were as formidable as warrior groups like the Roman Legion or the Spartans
0:20
So today, we're going to take a look at the Janissaries, the ruthless army that inspired the Unsullied
0:30
The Ottoman Empire, which had nothing to do with footrests, was one of the most important
0:35
and influential empires in history. And much of that power and influence was courtesy of the
0:41
Janissaries, who were the empire's most elite military units. Formed by Sultan Murad I in 1380
0:47
CE, the Janissaries would survive nearly 500 years until 1826, when Sultan Mahmud II finally
0:55
put an end to the group. During that half-millennium run, the Janissaries
0:59
were an essential part of the Ottoman military. They were infantry troops who specialized in ranged weaponry
1:05
upgrading their tools of the trade as the centuries wore on. Initially, they were trained as bowmen
1:10
although they were also known to use javelins on occasion. With time, they upgraded to crossbows
1:15
for greater range and effectiveness. Eventually, the popularization of gunpowder led them to pick up muskets
1:21
By the late 16th century, sources indicate that all of the Janissaries carried muskets
1:27
Fear of missing out takes on a new meaning when you brought a crossbow to a gunfight
1:31
Like the Unsullied from Game of Thrones, the Janissaries were originally a fighting force
1:35
made up entirely of slaves. These slaves, known as Kul, were legally
1:40
the property of the Ottoman sultan, and were thus permanently bound to whomever held that title
1:45
no matter how big a doofus he may or may not be. In the first couple centuries of existence
1:49
the Janissaries were recruited almost entirely from Christian peasant families within the empire
1:54
These families may have given up their children freely in hopes of giving them a better life
1:59
But they were also, from the viewpoint of Islamic authorities, only loyal to the sultan, which is another way of saying
2:05
they didn't have a choice. The children would be brought back to the capital city
2:09
forcibly converted to Islam, and trained extensively for military service. The Janissaries were subject to many strict rules
2:16
including an oath of celibacy, though unlike the Unsullied, the Janissaries were not eunuchs
2:21
The Janissaries were also forbidden from marrying. Another restriction placed upon them to maintain absolute loyalty to the Sultan
2:29
Stolen during childhood thrust into a life of service in an elite group of warriors and forbidden to love Kind of sounds like an army of Anakin Skywalker But it wasn all warfare and hating sand As the ranks of the Janissaries grew the Ottoman Empire found other roles
2:43
for the fighting force to fulfill. Janissaries were posted throughout the empire
2:47
mostly in military roles, but they took on municipal duties as well in the most populated cities
2:53
For example, in bustling Ottoman metropolises, such as Istanbul, Janissaries served as firemen
2:58
putting their military training to work by stamping out blazes before they could spread throughout densely packed neighborhoods
3:04
However, history is unclear whether the Janissaries ever released smoldering beefcake calendars
3:09
like modern firefighters. Perhaps the most famous military victory in the history of the Ottoman Empire
3:14
is the Ottomans' capture of Constantinople in 1453, less than 100 years after the formation of the Janissaries
3:22
The battle saw the Ottomans take the capital city of the Byzantine Empire and change its name to Istanbul
3:27
Following its capture, Istanbul, a longtime white whale of Ottoman sultans became the focal point of the Ottoman Empire
3:35
Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks
3:39
The Janissaries played a major role in the capture of Constantinople, making up a good
3:43
percentage of the attacking army and bursting into the city wherever breaches were found
3:47
The fall of Constantinople helped spread the legend of the Janissaries early on in their history
3:52
As much as the Janissaries were feared and revered, their masters never wanted to let them forget their place
4:02
as vassals of the Ottoman Empire. For instance, the Janissary equivalent of a colonel
4:07
was known as chorbacha, which literally translates to soup cook. But chorbacha was made to carry a ladle with him
4:14
to signify his position, along with a gilded helmet and a white staff
4:17
And for being completely honest, that's a pretty cool outfit. It's hard not to wonder if enemy combatants were amused by the sight of soldiers carrying
4:25
soup ladles. But given how deadly the Janissaries were, they probably wouldn't have been amused for
4:30
very long. Pretty sure you can still kill a guy with a soup ladle. To be clear, the Chorbacha weren't actually cooking soup for anyone
4:37
The title was meant to connote their life of servitude. There was a certain amount of pride in being Chorbacha, given that men of lower military
4:45
ranks were given more demeaning names and duties, such as water carrier
4:49
Although, hopefully, they didn't make that guy drag a gilded Gatorade cooler into battle
4:57
The tradition of military bands is a long and storied one, and the Janissaries are generally credited with forming history's first military bands
5:05
The Janissary bands helped the troops maintain their unique marching pace, and they included a lot of cymbals drums and horns Picture Dick Van character from Mary Poppins marching alongside some of history most fearsome warriors And that not terribly far from the truth The bands continued to be part of Janissary culture
5:22
right up until the end of their existence. And the Janissary music would go on
5:26
to have a large influence on the Western world. Their instruments, attire, and musical styles
5:30
were all found in Europe by the mid-19th century. Well, the very first Janissaries were slaves
5:39
and prisoners of war who had surrendered to the Ottoman sultan and his service, their ranks swelled
5:44
over the centuries to include tens of thousands of men, many of whom were loyal vassals. At the
5:48
peak of their power, and long after the strict recruiting traditions had faded, the Janissaries
5:53
numbered well over 100,000 men. Not all of these members were fighters, however, as the organization
5:58
welcomed more and more non-combatants into their ranks as the years went on. In their early days
6:03
the Janissaries were subject to a strict set of rules and regulations, including, as we mentioned
6:07
celibacy. These rules were put in place to maintain control and ensure loyalty because
6:12
the Janissaries' ranks were made up of enslaved men and POWs, people who, given the choice
6:17
probably wouldn't be too keen on living a life of service to the Sultan. Initially, new recruits were limited solely to captured and converted Christian children
6:24
but over time, necessity caused the Ottomans to loosen their recruitment rules
6:28
It turns out that celibacy is a bridge too far for most volunteers, no matter how many free donuts you bring to your membership drive
6:35
Not only did this mean Janissaries could have children of their own, but it also changed the dynamics of the core entirely
6:41
Eventually, the need for greater numbers caused the membership standards to weaken even more
6:46
With any Muslim citizen welcome to join up, freeborn or not, why would you want to join
6:51
Well, many Muslims hoped to have their children enlist so they could rise up the ranks of the elite core
6:56
Also, you might get to carry a pretty sweet soup ladle. The Janissaries spent much of their history as loyal servants to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
7:08
But as the centuries passed, they gained increasing political influence, using social
7:13
and economic unrest to seize greater power. The Janissaries revolted in 1553, deposed and executed Sultan Osman II in 1622, and
7:22
continued to scheme and rebel through subsequent decades. One of the greatest periods of social unrest in the history of the Ottoman Empire was later termed the Tulip Era
7:32
Roughly spanning the 1720s, the Tulip Era saw European ideas challenging the traditional Muslim ways of the empire
7:38
The government at the time, led by Sultan Ahmed III, was weak and unstable
7:44
Paired with a sluggish economy, this made for a tense period of civil unrest
7:48
The Janissary seized this opportunity to start a popular revolt and overthrow the Sultan replacing him with one more of their liking Because the Janissaries increased political activity coincided with a decrease in their combat effectiveness they were blamed for
8:01
military defeats. And that's probably a fair criticism. It's hard to maintain an impressive
8:06
win-loss ratio when you're spending most of your time plotting against the Sultan
8:10
Despite their waning battlefield prowess, the Janissaries forced their way into greater
8:14
military responsibility, gaining naval capabilities that were often mismanaged, as in the Russo-Ottoman battles in 1770. They essentially bullied their way into the navy
8:24
like a spinach-drunk Popeye with a doctored resume. The Ottoman Empire tried to modernize
8:29
and then phase out the Janissaries, but the order wielded considerable military and financial power
8:34
which included many strong alliances, and kept their influence intact. By this point
8:39
The Janissaries had largely transformed from a servile force to a political entity all but equal to the sultan himself
8:47
In the words of one European observer, the Janissaries chiefly exercised their power
8:51
with a view to filling their purses. The Janissaries led many uprisings
8:55
against various Ottoman sultans, but one of the most notable occurred in 1807
9:00
Infuriated by orders to wear new European-style uniforms, the Janissaries revolted. They allied with auxiliary troops called Yamats
9:08
successfully deposed Sultan Salim III, and even whacked his brief successor, Mustafa IV
9:14
Man, maybe they got rid of that cool loodle. The Janissaries may have gotten their way
9:18
when it came to fashion, but this incident put them further at odds with the Ottoman government
9:23
You can only cause so much of a scene before management finally asks you to leave
9:32
Following this period of unrest, Mahmoud II became sultan in 1808. He assumed power with an understandably serious anti-janissary agenda, and he formally abolished
9:42
the Janissaries in June 1826. I'm sorry, you're fired. Get out of here. This act came to be known
9:49
as the Auspicious Incident. In the months leading up to the Auspicious Incident, Mahmoud had chipped
9:54
away at the ranks of the Janissaries, even shifting many members to new military units
9:59
The Janissaries responded by leading a mutiny in Istanbul, which in turn led to the Sultan
10:04
and bombing their barracks. The citizens of Istanbul, having finally eaten their fill of this particular brand of bull
10:10
then took up arms against the Janissaries, and somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 members of the order perished
10:17
The Janissaries who survived, either fled, were exiled, or were later eliminated as well
10:22
Two days later, the Janissaries were dissolved forever, although they still arguably got a better deal than the Unsullied