Tales of the Janissary Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

A standing army is a permanent, typically professional, army that is never disbanded - not even during times when there is no aggression, and consequently no need for an army. Historically, the Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC) created the world's first standing army; Europe's first standing army was present in the ancient Greek polis of Sparta.

Many compare the group to the famous Praetorian Guard of the Roman Empire. In modern history, however, the Janissaries in the army of the Ottoman Empire were the first standing army. Established during the reign of Murad I, the third Ottoman Emperor, who wanted to form a group who was only loyal to himself, Janissaries were not only household guards, but also formed a unit in the army from the late 1300s until the group was disbanded in 1826.

Answer: Christian

The first Janissaries were taken as part of the devşirme system, which was also called the blood tax or tribute in blood. Practiced in regard to their Christian subjects who lived on the Balkan peninsula and the western region of modern day Turkey, the blood tax was the taking of young boys between the ages of 6-14 (ages vary according to source) from Christian families. Because 1/5 of the plunder belonged to the sultan, he could choose the strongest of the boys, who would become part of his household regiment. For approximately seven years they would be sent to live with Moslem families, who would teach them to live like Turks and indoctrinate them with the laws of the Islam religion, and work on their estates, living under a strict rule of discipline. Even though the system was used in an effort to reduce the power of Turkish nobles, some believe that the taking of the boys as a blood tax was a violation of their rights as inhabitants within the Ottoman Empire.

Others believe that Christian families who lived within the Ottoman Empire saw the blood tax as an opportunity for their sons to better themselves. Eventually the devşirme system was abolished.

It has been noted that while Christian armies at the time would typically just kill their Turkish prisoners, the Turks would enslave those who met a certain age requirement.

Answer: Married

The core of the controversy regarding the violation of Janissary rights as people who lived in the Ottoman Empire lies within the way the Janissary class was viewed. Were they slaves or not? Since they were paid salaries, many believe they were not slaves. Yet their lives were otherwise strictly regulated, so they were slaves.

They were always supervised, forced into circumcision, and could not marry (until retirement), grow a beard, or take any job other than the military. Even so, the Janissaries eventually formed their own elite class - one that others also wanted to join. Of course, as time passed, and it became necessary to enlarge the Ottoman army, membership in the group was open to others, although the new recruits were handpicked, at least in part, by the commander of the Janissary army; in addition, the strictly regulated life of a Janissary became not so strictly regulated.

By the mid 1500s, for example, the rule regarding marriage was relaxed.

Answer: Sultan

Janissaries were taught to consider their group as their family; while the Sultan owned the Janissaries who were known as "kapikulu", or "door slaves", they were also considered to be members of his family and he was their father. The main expectation of the group was to be loyal to him, and serve as his bodyguards and household troops.

Their pay was authorized by the Sultan, who, dressed as a Janissary trooper, would visit their barracks on payday, receiving his pay as well. In times of peace, Janissaries would serve as policemen, firemen, and, of course, guards of the royal palace. During wartime, they were led by the Sultan himself and, as the only infantry troops in the army, protected him during battle.

Answer: Infantry archers

After completing their seen-year period of indoctrination and service, during which time they also served as laborers for the family with whom they lived, the Janissary-in-training would be taken to a training camp. Here his skills would be assessed and he could be placed in a number of situations.

The very intelligent would be sent for further education, some who were more advanced than others might be selected for different Janissary corps, and others would have another six years of specialized training.

While training in the use of a variety of weapons was given, Janissaries initially became expert archers and the bow became their main weapon. Originally they did not comprise the largest number of fighters in the Sultan's army - that division was the cavalry unit.

It is estimated that in the 1300s about 1000 Janissaries were in the Ottoman army, and by the late 1400s the number rose to about 6,000. Of course, when firearms became available, Janissaries also became competent in their use; in fact, it didn't take as long to train a soldier to use a firearm as it did to become an excellent archer.

Other training involved learning to use swords, daggers, axes, and pole weapons. In the Ottoman army, the Cebeci formed a corps responsible for the upkeep and transport of weapons, and the Derbendjis guarded roads, mountain passes, and other important locations.

Answer: Military marching band

Considered to be the first military marching band in the world and known by a variety of terms, the existence of Janissary "mehters" was first mentioned in the 13th century. The term "mehter" is typically used to describe only one of the musicians in a group; it is believed that the first mehter was sent as a gift to Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Over time, Janissaries were the musicians who made up the band, and the music they played was known as Janissary music. Featuring drums, cymbals, bells, and horns, the band (mehterhane) even influenced European composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven.

Answer: Bork

The Janissary uniform is typically depicted as consisting of a long tunic, a cloth belt, which was used to hold the sword, and eventually the powder horn, and the börk. A tall hat, the börk usually featured some sort of ornament in the middle of the band that touched the forehead, and had a long tail that trailed down the back. There is no known explanation regarding the ornament in the front of the hat; some think that it might have been the same as the turban decoration worn by the Sultan, designating the Janissary as part of his household. It is certain that the distinctive headgear did make the Janissary corps stand out.

The kaşıklık was a place in the front of the börk that would hold a spoon, the symbol that all Janissaries were part of a brotherhood. A dolama was the colorful tunic coat that was worn, and the kılıç was a type of sword that was used.

Answer: Constantinople

It must be noted here that the number of Janissaries corps in the Ottoman army is estimated to have been about 10% of the entire army. Their position as the Sultan's personal body guards, and his position as leader of the army, dictated, however, that Janissaries would be present during battles.

After bombarding the walls of Constantinople with 1200 pound cannonballs, the Ottoman army began its final assault, beginning with Christian troops from the Empire, and continuing with azaps, or peasant troops, which paved the way for the elite Janissaries to assist in completing the conquest. Of course, Constantinople, renamed Istanbul, became the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Answer: True

It is important to note that it was strict discipline, rules, and order that made the Janissaries such an outstanding military group and turned the group into its own elite class in the Ottoman Empire. By the late 16th century, however, as the restrictions were reduced, and the Ottoman need for a larger army brought some into the Janissary ranks that were not subject to the strict indoctrination of their predecessors, the corps began to lose some of its luster.

In the following years the group noticed its political power and began to take advantage to demand more money and other rewards from the Sultan.

In 1622, after facing the defeat of his army in Poland, Osman II blamed the Janissaries and attempted to disband their group. They captured and killed him.

Many believe that after this time, the existence of the Janissary corps really kept the Ottoman army from reforming and becoming more modern, thus reducing the power of the entire Empire - as did Janissary participation in many government coups.

Answer: Auspicious Incident

Mahmud II abolished the Janissary corps on June 15, 1826, after putting an end to an unsuccessful coup. It is estimated that there were approximately 135,000 Janissaries at the time that were involved in the uprising. The Sultan was planning to update the Ottoman army along European lines, and his announcement began a full-scale mutiny of the Janissaries.

The Sipahis, or army cavalrymen, along with residents of Constantinople where the Janissaries were based, joined forces to drive the Janissaries to their barracks, which caught fire.

In addition, many were killed in street fighting and those who were not, were imprisoned or put to death. According to sources that refer to the Auspicious Incident, it does not seem likely that many members of the group survived, although it is stated that some of the younger Janissaries were exiled or escaped and took new, lower profile jobs.

The Sultan established a new bodyguard called the Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye, or The Victorious Soldiers of Muhammad.