Janissary Corps in the 17th Century

Timeline

1. c. 1363–1400Edirne · ThraceThe Ottomans recruited Christian youths through the devshirme, forming the Janissaries through Islamization and military training, gradually establishing a standing infantry core independent of the feudal cavalry.
2. c. 1520–1600Istanbul · Marmara RegionThe corps expanded to tens of thousands, garrisoned by ojak units, with standardized musket and early-firearm equipment; the barracks economy and system of social privileges tended toward maturity.
3. 1640–1650Istanbul · Marmara RegionThe Janissaries assembled in the capital barracks, frequently intervening in the deposition and enthronement of sultans and palace struggles, while still performing guard and expeditionary infantry duties; they were the core force of the empire's military-political balance.
4. 1651–1826Ottoman Empire territories · Ottoman EmpireArrears of pay and the hereditary entrenchment of the barracks worsened corruption; the corps made mutiny to coerce the court routine, and was finally replaced by a modern army under Sultan Mahmud II in the early 19th century.