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Janissary
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Janissary
Inside the powerful Ottoman army
Osman II
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Janissary
Janissary Janissary, detail of a Turkish miniature from A briefe relation of the Turckes, their kings, Emperors, or Grandsigneurs; in the British Library (Ms. Add. 23880).

Janissary

Turkish military
Also known as: Janizary, Yeniçeri
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History

Janissary, member of an elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to 1826. Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful political force within the Ottoman state. During peacetime they were used to garrison frontier towns and police the capital, Istanbul. They constituted the first modern standing army in Europe. The Janissary corps was originally staffed through devşirme,...

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