Who's Who: Ottoman Empire Trivia Quiz

Answer: Janissaries

Members of a group that was believed to have been established in the 14th century, Janissaries were originally the strongest Christian boys within the Ottoman Empire who had been kidnapped. The boys, typically between the ages of 6-14, were taken from their parents to undergo an intense cultural change.

After their conversion to Islam, Janissaries, who were really classified as slaves, eventually became members of their own social class. Interestingly, even though they were classified as slaves, they were paid salaries and pensions upon their retirement; Janissaries were, however, held to a strict code of discipline and could not take an occupation other than soldiering or marry. Typically they were appointed to be the emperor's personal body of household guards, but Janissaries were also used during important campaigns. Known as excellent archers, they were also trained in the use of firearms.

A group that eventually became very powerful, Janissaries eventually abused their power and became corrupt.

In 1826, when the Janissaries were informed of the emperor's plans to disband their unit in favor of reorganizing the army, they revolted and marched on his palace. Members of the group were killed or fled into exile.

Answer: Kaliph

In the Islam religion, the kaliph is the successor to Mohammad as leader of the Sunni Muslim religious community. Beginning with Murad I in the late 1300s, the kaliphate came under Ottoman control. By the early 1500s, as the Ottoman Empire grew, the holy cities of Islam, such as Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, became part of the empire and were, consequently, under Ottoman protection. With an empire that was largely Muslim, and a claim to the kaliphate, the Ottoman rulers were considered to be the spokesmen of the Muslim part of the world.

In 1924, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the kaliphate was abolished.

Answer: Grand Vizier

Originally just one of the viziers, or political advisors to the emperor, the first to officially hold the title of grand vizier was Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha in 1364. This was done to separate the other viziers from the one who held the emperor's great seal and had the power to assemble all the others together. Throughout history, the grand vizier did have responsibilities and duties comparable to a European prime minister, such as leader of the Cabinet and speaker of the Senate, the upper house of the Ottoman General Assembly.

Answer: Kadi

Within the Ottoman Empire kadis had a huge responsibility, as their domain included the administration of religious laws, secular laws, as well as customs; each of the three domains had to be taken into consideration before any decision could be reached.

Not only did civil and criminal cases have to be heard, but the kadi was also considered to be the legal guardian of all orphans. Courts were open to all men in the empire, although it was common for Muslim men to be given a higher regard than ones who were not.

Although the emperor had absolute authority within the empire, kadis were given a certain amount of liberty in making their interpretations of the law.

Answer: Mushir

The word "mushir" is Arabic for "counselor" or "advisor". During the time of the Ottoman Empire the mushir typically gave the emperor military advice. For that reason, the title was viewed as being the highest rank in the military, and the honorary title of "Pasha" was added to the person's name. Today in some Middle Eastern countries the title Mushir is equal to Field Marshall or Admiral of the Fleet.

Answer: Beylerbey

Borrowed from the Seljuk Turks, where it was used to imply that a person was commander in chief of the army, the term "beylerbey" had different meanings throughout its usage in the Ottoman Empire. Originally it was a title given to the sons of the Ottoman ruler; later it was used to designate the official who supervised the administration of the empire's European colonies.

As the empire gained in size, a beylerbey was in charge of a province, which was called a beylerbeylik. In his domain, a beylerbey had complete control, but there were other officials who served as a check on his power and could make appeals to the emperor's government. Like many of the titles within the working of the Ottoman Empire, the one of beylerbey changed over time according to its use by the ruler.

Answer: Sipahi

Most of the Ottoman army consisted of cavalrymen; this group consisted of both palace troops and timariot, those who gave military service in exchange for a fief. The system was very similar to the feudalism of the Middle Ages in that the timariot was entitled to all of the income from the land and was expected to govern and protect it. Tribal horsemen and the akinji, unpaid raiders who formed one of the first units that engaged in battle, also served in the Ottoman army.

They lived off of whatever plunder they were allowed to take.

Answer: Divan

While the sultan was the absolute ruler of the Ottoman Empire, his power wasn't always absolute. How does that make sense? Many times he would delegate his power to others to act on his behalf, and, at least some of the time, would rely on his Divan, or assembly of advisors to aid in decision making.

In the 14th century and part of the 15th, the sultan would preside over meetings of the Divan, which sometimes occurred every day. The group would deal out justice, appoint officials, and take care of their other business in a somewhat public setting. Sometimes the sultan would not physically be at the meetings, but would listen from behind a screen; some sultans did not attend at all. Membership within the group consisted of a variety of political and military advisors, judges, treasurers, and the scribes who kept records of the meetings.

By the mid-17th century, the prime minister presided over most of the meetings and took over many of the responsibilities previously held by the group.

Answer: Padishah

The Ottoman Empire eventually encompassed a large territory of land that contained many ethnic groups. Consequently, the ruler was known by different names by different people, including "sultan" (Arabic), "khan" (Turkish), and "padishah" (Persian). This particular title was adopted by some as it insinuated the ancient Persian idea of a "Great King", and was used by many different peoples as the title of their ruler, including the Ottoman Emperors, Shāhanshāh of Iran, and Mughal Emperors.

It appears that Ottoman rulers used this title when dealing with leaders in other areas; for example, in 1774 the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca specified that the current Czarina of Russia, Catherine II, would be addressed by the title of Padishah, and regarded as an equal to the Ottoman ruler.

Answer: Valide Sultan

The word "vlaide" in Ottoman Turkish literally means "mother". Many times the title "sultan", meaning "authority", was used along with the name of members of the ruling family, even the princes and princesses. The Valide Sultan is believed by many historians to have been second in power in the Ottoman Empire to the sultan himself, making her the most powerful woman in the land.

The first Valide Sultan was Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. She is known for initiating the Mesir Festival in the town of Manisa, which was where she lived with her son, the crown prince, from 1513-1520. Like many of the future Valide Sultans, Hafsa Sultan used state funds for building projects, including a mosque and college.