devşirme
Quick Summary
The devşirme was a system of tribute used by the Ottoman Empire to staff its elite Janissary corps. Christian youths from the Balkan provinces were taken, converted to Islam, and trained for military or administrative service. This system was crucial in the 15th and 16th centuries, allowing the Janissaries to become a powerful force within the empire.1
The devşirme system eventually triumphed over the Turkish nobility, with many timars (land grants) being seized and transformed into private estates. This shift led to the Janissaries and artillery corps becoming the most significant segments of the Ottoman army. The devşirme system was abolished in 1826, and the Janissaries were disbanded.2314
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Islamic worldContinuation of Ottoman rule…levy and convert (through the devşirme) young male Christians to serve in the sultan’s household and army, but warriors were being pensioned off with land grants and replaced by troops more beholden to the sultan. Except for those forcibly converted, the rest of the non-Muslim population was protected for payment…
Read More…levy and convert (through the devşirme) young male Christians to serve in the sultan’s household and army, but warriors were being pensioned off with land grants and replaced by troops more beholden to the sultan. Except for those forcibly converted, the rest of the non-Muslim population was protected for payment…
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Ottoman EmpireThe triumph of the devşirmeThe mid-16th century also saw the triumph of the devşirme over the Turkish nobility, which lost almost all its power and position in the capital and returned to its old centers of power in southeastern Europe and Anatolia. In consequence, many of the timars…
Read MoreThe mid-16th century also saw the triumph of the devşirme over the Turkish nobility, which lost almost all its power and position in the capital and returned to its old centers of power in southeastern Europe and Anatolia. In consequence, many of the timars…
Read More- Rumelia
…as a reservoir of the devşirme (levy of Christian boys), who held the highest posts in the Ottoman army and government. Rumelia was also a centre of Ottoman Islāmic culture, which flourished in the religious schools (medreses) and mosques in Üsküb, İstip (Stip), Prizren, Pristina, Monastir, and Edirne. Islāmic mystic…
Read More…as a reservoir of the devşirme (levy of Christian boys), who held the highest posts in the Ottoman army and government. Rumelia was also a centre of Ottoman Islāmic culture, which flourished in the religious schools (medreses) and mosques in Üsküb, İstip (Stip), Prizren, Pristina, Monastir, and Edirne. Islāmic mystic…
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BalkansConquest and rule…required to pay included the devşirme, an occasional levy on male children who were taken from Christian households to be converted to Islam and trained as members of the administrative elite of the empire, including the military Janissary corps. Despite the horrors of such separation, there is evidence that children…
Read More…required to pay included the devşirme, an occasional levy on male children who were taken from Christian households to be converted to Islam and trained as members of the administrative elite of the empire, including the military Janissary corps. Despite the horrors of such separation, there is evidence that children…
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Bosnia and HerzegovinaOttoman Bosnia…was the notorious system called devşirme, under which Christian boys aged 10 and above were taken off for training in the imperial administration and the Janissary corps, an elite army division. In all these respects, conditions in Bosnia were similar to those in the other conquered areas of Europe.
Read More…was the notorious system called devşirme, under which Christian boys aged 10 and above were taken off for training in the imperial administration and the Janissary corps, an elite army division. In all these respects, conditions in Bosnia were similar to those in the other conquered areas of Europe.
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North MacedoniaThe Ottoman EmpireBy the system known as devşirme (the notorious “blood tax”), numbers of Christian children were periodically recruited into the Turkish army and administration, where they were Islamized and assigned to wherever their services were required. For all these reasons, many Balkan towns acquired a cosmopolitan atmosphere. This was particularly the…
Read MoreBy the system known as devşirme (the notorious “blood tax”), numbers of Christian children were periodically recruited into the Turkish army and administration, where they were Islamized and assigned to wherever their services were required. For all these reasons, many Balkan towns acquired a cosmopolitan atmosphere. This was particularly the…
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SerbiaLife in the Ottoman period…advancement was the system of devşirme, which involved the periodic conscription of Christian boys between the ages of 10 and 20. The boys were taken to Constantinople, converted to Islam, and employed in a variety of posts. The most able would be trained for administrative positions, while the others joined…
Read More…advancement was the system of devşirme, which involved the periodic conscription of Christian boys between the ages of 10 and 20. The boys were taken to Constantinople, converted to Islam, and employed in a variety of posts. The most able would be trained for administrative positions, while the others joined…
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- Murad I
… corps (elite forces) and the devşirme (child-levy) system through which the Janissaries were recruited are also traced to Murad’s reign.
Read More… corps (elite forces) and the devşirme (child-levy) system through which the Janissaries were recruited are also traced to Murad’s reign.
Read More - Ottoman EmpireMehmed I and Murad II
…sort, he developed the famous devşirme system, by which Christian youths were drafted from the Balkan provinces for conversion to Islam and life service to the sultan.
Read More…sort, he developed the famous devşirme system, by which Christian youths were drafted from the Balkan provinces for conversion to Islam and life service to the sultan.
Read More - Ottoman EmpireMilitary organization
…new force, Murad developed the devşirme system of recruiting the best Christian youths from southeastern Europe.
Read More…new force, Murad developed the devşirme system of recruiting the best Christian youths from southeastern Europe.
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