Ottoman Janissaries in the 17th Century

Timeline

1. 1651Topkapi Palace Old Palace (Eski Palace) · ConstantinopleThe Janissaries stormed the Old Palace and strangled the regent mother Sultan Kösem, who had long controlled court affairs, transferring supreme power to Turhan Sultan, the biological mother of Sultan Mehmed IV. This act fully exposed the Janissaries' ability to decide the direction of harem politics at will, plunging the imperial government into a severe legitimacy crisis.
2. 1651–1655Constantinople · ConstantinopleAfter Kösem's killing, the Janissaries frequently replaced grand viziers through collective threats, extorted extra pay and rewards, and installed their clients in local offices. Large numbers of irregular members infiltrated the military rolls through nepotism, accelerating the decline of the corps' traditional elite character, while discipline and combat effectiveness generally deteriorated. During this period the empire cycled through several grand viziers, none of whom dared to confront the Janissaries directly.
3. 1656Constantinople · ConstantinopleKöprülü Mehmed Pasha took office as grand vizier on the condition of being granted full powers, explicitly demanding that the sultan not interfere in his decisions. He swiftly executed several Janissary officers who had incited rebellion while restoring timely payment of military wages, rebuilding the army's obedience to the center through a combination of favor and severity, and ending the five-year pattern of grand viziers being arbitrarily deposed.
4. 1659Constantinople · ConstantinopleKöprülü executed several Janissary commanders who had plotted a mutiny and used a review on the Sea of Marmara to strike hundreds of unreliable elements from the military rolls. This move initially broke the precedent of Janissary interference in politics and provided a more reliable manpower base for the outward expansion wars of the following decades. The Janissaries' political influence was visibly suppressed at this stage.