Devshirmeh (Turkish devşirme, Greek, paedomazoma) refers to the system used by the Ottoman sultans to tax newly conquered states, and build a loyal slave army and class of administrators: the Janissaries. The word devşirme means "gathering" in Ottoman Turkish. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335 - 1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (Constantinople) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... YOUNG GREEKS AT THE MOSQUE - This oil painting done by Jean Léon Gérôme portrays Greek Christian Youths who were taken from their parents and converted to Islam and given the finest training to became the elite of the army (Turkish yeniceri, “recruit”) Janissaries - oil painting on canvas... Ottoman Turkish is the variant of the Turkish language which was used as the administrative and literary language of the Ottoman Empire, containing extensive borrowings from Persian, which in turn had been permeated with Arabic borrowings. ...

The devshirmeh system was similar to a system used by earlier Islamic dynasties, such as the Abbasids who used slaves to build armies that were thought to be loyal to the ruler and thus provide a steady pool of manpower that was outside of local politics. The descendants of these slaves would form the Mamluk dynasties. Abbasid provinces during the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid Abbasid was the dynastic name generally given to the caliphs of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Muslim empire. ... An Ottoman Mamluk, from 1810 Mamluks (also Mameluks, Mamelukes) (the Arabic word usually translates as owned, singular: مملوك plural: مماليك) comprised slave soldiers used by the Muslim caliphs and the Ottoman Empire. ...

Despite the intentions of the Abbasid rulers, the Mamluks would eventually grow in power, reducing the caliph to a virtual puppet. Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam. ...

The devshirmeh was an outgrowth of this system, but it also proved to be more efficient and effective at achieving its goals. Under the Ottomans, the system was first instituted by Murad I who needed a large pool of manpower from which he could build armies to fight in seemingly never-ending wars. Sultan Murat I Murad I (1319 (or 1326) – 1389; nick-named Hüdavendigâr, the God-like one) was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389. ...

Under the Ottomans, newly conquered lands were "taxed" of their youth, with each province ordered to present a certain number of boys to the Sultan. Initially, these boys came from Christian families (mainly Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians and Albanians). The boys would not be forced to convert to Islam (however, since the vast majority of them were very young and permanently cut off from their original families, they did in the end convert), but their children would be Muslims, and thus their children would not be allowed to enter the devshirmeh. This was intended to keep the system from generating a hereditary class, such as the Mamluks. As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... Islām is described as a dīn, meaning way of life and/or guidance. Six articles of belief There are six basic beliefs shared by all Muslims: 1. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) (sometimes also spelled Moslem) is an adherent of Islam. ...

Boys were collected every year, from lands in the Balkans by a janissary. From here, they were taken to the sultan if deemed fit, or sent to other families where they would train until they reached adulthood. Upon reaching adulthood, they were sent to different units of the Janissaries. Again there were two paths open, they could end up as cavalry soldiers and eventually hope to attain the rank of an officer, or they could remain in the court of the Sultan and possibly become the grand vizier. The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of south-eastern Europe. ...

Training itself involved physical preparation in the arts of war, as well as the study of culture, such as calligraphy, theology, literature, law and languages. Despite the rigors of training, while students, the devshirmeh were not allowed to leave the palace. Calligraphy in a Latin Bible of AD 1407 on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... ... Sharia (Arabic: ; also Sharīah, Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is the Arabic word for Islamic law, also known as the Law of Allah. ...

The devshirmeh began to decline in the 17th century. This was due to a number of factors, including the inclusion of free Muslims in the system. Despite the devshirmeh being slaves, some actually considered it an honor as it would lead to a relatively prestigious position in Ottoman society, and allowed many to leave lives of poverty. For others it was forced conversion causing a great amount of grief to families who lost their children. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

See also

• Caste system
• Cantonist recruitment
• Culture of the Ottoman Empire
• Dhimmi laws
• Hammam
• Harem
• Janissary
• Jizyah tax
• Mamluk
• Millet system
• Ottoman Turkish language

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... // Cantonists in Prussia Cantonists (German: Kantonist, or a person living in a canton) were recruits in Prussia in 1733-1813, liable for draft in one of the cantons. ... Early on as the Ottoman Turks drove out the Byzantines from Anatolia and later pursued them into Europe, the pursuit was a part of the Jihad (or Holy War) against Christianity, and the first Ottoman rulers called themselves Gazi, or Holy Warriors. ... A Dhimmi, or Zimmi (Arabic ذمّي), as defined in classical Islamic legal and political literature, is a person living in a Muslim state who is a member of an officially tolerated non-Islamic religion. ... The Turkish hammam (also Turkish bath or hamam) is the Turkish variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. ... In traditional Arab culture, the harîm حريم (cf. ... YOUNG GREEKS AT THE MOSQUE - This oil painting done by Jean Léon Gérôme portrays Greek Christian Youths who were taken from their parents and converted to Islam and given the finest training to became the elite of the army (Turkish yeniceri, “recruit”) Janissaries - oil painting on canvas... In Islamic law, jizyah (Arabic: جزْية) is a per capita tax required of adult males of other faiths under Muslim rule in exchange for the protection of the Muslim community. ... An Ottoman Mamluk, from 1810 Mamluks (also Mameluks, Mamelukes) (the Arabic word usually translates as owned, singular: مملوك plural: مماليك) comprised slave soldiers used by the Muslim caliphs and the Ottoman Empire. ... Millet (stress on the e) is an Ottoman Turkish term for a legally protected religious minority. ... Ottoman Turkish is the variant of the Turkish language which was used as the administrative and literary language of the Ottoman Empire, containing extensive borrowings from Persian, which in turn had been permeated with Arabic borrowings. ...

External links

• DEVŞİRME USULÜ - ACEMİ OĞLANLAR OCAĞI MÜESSESESİ - article about devshirme method (in Turkish)