This article details the military of the Ottoman Empire. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah...

Artillery troop image on the Ottoman coat of arms

Origins

The first military of the Ottoman Empire was an army that was organized by Osman I from Turkish tribesmen inhabiting western Anatolia in the late 14th century. These horsemen became an irregular force of raiders used as shock troops, armed with simple weapons like bows and spears. They were given fiefs called timars in the conquered lands, and were later called timariots. In addition they acquired booty during campaigns. Orhan I organized a standing army paid by salary rather than booty or fiefs. The infantry were called yayas and the cavalry was known as müsellems. The force was made up by foreigner mercenaries for the most part, and only a few Turks were content to accept salaries in place of booty. Foreign mercenaries were not required to convert to Islam as long as they obeyed their Ottoman commanders. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah... Army (From Latin armata (act of arming) via Old French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... Sultan Osman I Osman I (1258–1326) (Ottoman: عثمان بن أرطغل) was born in 1258 and inherited the title bey (chief) from his father, ErtuÄŸrul, as the ruler of the village of Söğüt in 1281. ... Anatolia lies east of the Bosphorus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Anatolia (or Anatolian Peninsula) is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asiatic portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion, the Thrace. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Irregular soldiers in Beauharnois, Quebec, 19th century Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. ... A timariot (or timar holder; timarlu in Turkish) was an irregular cavalryman that served the Ottoman sultan and in return was granted a fief called a timar. ... Orhan (Turkish: also Orhan Gazi or Orkhan) (1284–1359), was the second bey (chief) of the newborn Ottoman Empire (at the time known as the Osmanli tribe) from 1326 to 1359. ... Mercenary (disambiguation). ... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ...

Istanbul - Burial of volunteers, April 26

This picture is from H. G. Dwight (1908), Constantinople. This is what it reads under this slide:
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (829x573, 371 KB)From Constantinople_settings_and_traits_(1926). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (829x573, 371 KB)From Constantinople_settings_and_traits_(1926). ...

"One officer was left, who made to the grave-diggers and spectators a speech of a moving simplicity. "Brothers," he said, "here are men of every nation - Turks, Albanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Jews; but they died together, on the same day, fighting under the same flag. Among us, too, are men of every nation, both Mohammedan and Christian; but we also have one flag and we pray to one God. Now, I am going to make a prayer, and when I pray let each one of you pray also, in his own language, in his own way."

Janissaries

Main article: Janissaries

The Janissaries comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguard. The force originated in the 14th century; it was abolished by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826. The Timar system, which organised the Janissary acquisition, was a land based system that extended through out the Empire. The first Janissary units comprised war captives and slaves. After the 1380s Sultan Mehmet I filled their ranks with the results of taxation in human form called devshirmeh: the Sultan’s men conscripted a number of non-Muslim, usually Christian, boys – at first at random, later, by strict selection – to be trained. Initially they favoured Greeks, Albanians (who also supplied many gendarmes), usually selecting about one in five boys of ages seven to fourteen but the numbers could be changed to correspond with the need for soldiers. Next the devshirmeh was extended to also include Serbs, Bosnians and other Balkan countries, later especially Ukraine and southern Russia. The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ... Timar was a form of land tenure in Ottoman Empire, consisting in grant of lands or revenues by the Ottoman Sultan to an individual in compensation for his services, especially military services. ... For information on the racehorse, see Sultan (horse) Sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. ... Mehmed I Çelebi (nicknamed Kirisci, the Executioner) (1389 – May 26, 1421) (Arabic: محمد الأول) was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire. ... Devshirmeh (Turkish devÅŸirme, 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. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Serbs (Serbian: Срби, Srbi) are a South Slavic people who live mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, to a lesser extent, in Croatia. ... ...

For all practical purposes, Janissaries belonged to the Sultan, carrying the title kapıkulu ("door slave") indicating their collective bond with the Sultan. Janissaries were taught to consider the corps as their home and family, and the Sultan as their de facto father. Only those who proved strong enough earned the rank of true Janissary at the age of twenty four or twenty five. The regiment inherited the property of dead Janissaries, thus amassing wealth (like religious orders and foundations enjoying the 'dead hand'). A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a group of battalions, usually four and commanded by a colonel. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Nizamis

Main article: Nizam-ı Cedid

The Nizamis (Nizam-ı Cedid) were the Ottoman soldiers who replaced the Janissaries. This army was established at the beginning of the year 1842. The Nizam-I Cedid (Turkish: New Order) was a series of reforms carried out by the Ottoman Empire sultan Selim III during the late eighteenth century in a drive to catch up militarily and politically with the Western Powers. ...

Military Band

Main article: Ottoman military band

An Ottoman mehterân

Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world. Though they are often known by the Persian-derived word mehter (مهتر) in the West, that word, properly speaking, refers only to a single musician in the band. Ottoman Empire Ottoman Military bands, or Mehter Takımı (in Turkish), are considered to be the oldest type of military marching band in the world. ... Image File history File links Mehterhane. ... Image File history File links Mehterhane. ...

The Kapıkulu

This regular army was commanded and paid by some important fief-holders who gained power and became a sort of noble class. The mercenaries became a tool for their rise to predominance over the sultan, who simply could not afford to hire so many mercenaries that they would outnumber his nobles'. Therefore, in the middle of the 14th century, Murad I built his own personal slave army called the kapıkulu. The new force was based on the sultan's right to a fifth of the war booty, which he interpreted to include captives taken in battle. The captive slaves were converted to Islam and trained in the sultan's personal service. The most famous branch of the kapikulu was the Janissary corps who were recruited among young Christian boys by the devshirmeh tax, but there were also several other troops types such as the Halberdier corps (Baltaçi). Their numbers increased rapidly and this force became the most important element of the Ottoman army. In order to man the force, Murad II developed the devşirme system of recruiting youths in form of taxes from Christians in the empire. Murad used the strength of the Janissaries and played them off against the nobility, forcing them to pay taxes or land so that the treasury could obtain the money it needed to maintain the kapikulu army. This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Sultan Murad I (มู้หลัดที่หนึ่ง) Murad I (nick-named Hüdavendigâr, the God-liked one) (1319 (or 1326) – 1389) was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389. ... Chamberlain of Sultan Murad IV with janissaries The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri (yeni çeri, meaning new soldier); in Greek: Γενίτσαροι; in Bulgarian: яничари; in Croatian and Bosnian: Janjičari; in Slovenian: Janjičarji; in Hungarian: Janicsárok; in Serbian :Јањичари; in Romanian: ieniceri; in Arabic: الانكشارية) comprised infantry units that formed... Murad II Murad II (1404 – February 3, 1451) (Arabic: مراد الثاني) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 (except for a period from 1444 to 1446). ... Devshirmeh (Turkish devÅŸirme, 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. ...

Conscription

In 1389 a system of conscription was introduced in the Ottoman military. In times of need every town, quarter, and village should present a fully equipped conscript at the recruiting office. The new force of irregular infantrymen was called Azabs and it was used in a number of different ways. They supported the supplies to the front-line, they dug roads and built bridges. On rare occasions they were used as cannon fodder to slow down enemy advance. A branch of the Azabs were the bashi-bazouk (başıbozuk). These were specialized in close combat and were sometimes mounted. They became notorious for being brutal and indisciplined and were recruited from homeless, vagrants and criminals. Events February 24 - Margaret I defeats Albert in battle, thus becoming ruler of Denmark, Norway and Sweden June 28 - Battle of Kosovo between Serbs and Ottomans. ... Cannon Fodder is an expression used to denote the treatment of armed forces as a worthless commodity to be expended. ... A bashi-bazouk (in Turkish başıbozuk, meaning disorganized, leaderless) was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army. ...

Elite Cavalry

An important part of the Ottoman warfare was also the Six Divisions of Cavalry (Altı Bölük), a mounted élite force. The most important of these divisions was the Spahis. A force of professional raiders called akıncıs pillaged enemy territory ahead of the regular army. They also served as scouts. The Six Divisions of Cavalry (Altı Bölük) was a corps of mounted elite soldiers in the Ottoman army. ... Holzschnitt nach Melchior Lorch, 1646. ... Akıncı (literally, raider, plural: Akıncılar) was an irregular light cavalry of the Ottoman Army and of earlier Turkic nations. ...

Introduction of Firearms

East - Hamidiye Alayi - High ranked (binbasi) - (major) soldier.

The Ottomans began using guns sometime between 1444 and 1448. Following that, other troop types began to appear, such as the regular rifle infantry (Piyade Topçu, literally "foot artillery"), regular cavalry armed with rifles (Süvari Topçu Neferi, literally "mounted artillery soldier") and bombardiers (Kumbaracı), consisting of grenadiers that threw explosives called khımbara and the soldiers that served the artillery with maintenance and powder supplies. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (297x706, 296 KB)Hamidiye alayi Kurd soldier File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (297x706, 296 KB)Hamidiye alayi Kurd soldier File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... USS Iowa (BB-61) fires a full broadside during a target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, 1 July 1984. ... Events March 2 - Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg proclaimed commander of the Albanian resistance April 16 - Truce of Tours. ... Events January 5/ 6 - Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden dies with no designated heir leaving all three kingdoms with vacant thrones. ...

Ottoman navy

The Ottomans began to develop a navy during the late 14th century following the first Ottoman in 1453 and for more than one hundred years from that point the Ottoman navy was one of the foremost naval powers in the world, effectively controlling most of the Mediterranean Sea. This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ...

The Battle of Lepanto in 1571 marked the first major victory for Christians against Ottoman forces. In terms of long-term effects, it was more symbolic than anything, for the Ottomans rebuilt their fleet the next winter to resume their command of the Mediterranean. The Ottoman navy would continue be a significant power until the introduction of newer European warships in the 18th century. Combatants Holy League: Republic of Venice Habsburg Spain Papal States Kingdom of Naples Genoa Savoy Knights of Malta Ottoman Empire Commanders Don John of Austria Ali Pasha Strength 206 galleys 6 galleasses 220-230 galleys 50-60 galliots Casualties 9,000 dead or wounded 12 galleys lost 30,000 dead... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

From the mid-19th century onward, the Sultans sought to establish a modern fleet. This grew from steam-powered ironclads in the 1860s to a force including battleships, cruisers, and destroyers by World War I. Even after this reorganization, the Ottoman Navy was underpowered in relation to its enemies and could not be compared to the might of its ally, the German Navy. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard... The German Navy (German: Deutsche Marine  ) is the navy of Germany and part of the Bundeswehr. ...

Despite this, the British and French Navies could not pass through the Strait of Gallipoli (Çanakkale Boğazı) in 1915 thanks to the heavy Turkish fortifications lining the strait and fierce resistance from the Turkish soldiers, who were well aware that they were resisting the capture of Istanbul. Had the Allies passed the strait, they would have captured İstanbul (then Constantinople), which would have changed the course of World War I. Following the war, the Ottoman Navy was reduced to a small coastal force. Map of the Dardanelles The Dardanelles (Turkish: Çanakkale BoÄŸazı, Greek: Δαρδανελλια), formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural, and economic centre. ... The location of Istanbul Province Maiden Tower and Historical Peninsula of Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul) (the former Constantinople, Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard...

External links

• History of the Ottoman Military Music
• See World War I ship list Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk.
• TheOneTree Miniatures—manufacturer of 15mm Ottoman Empire miniatures, contains wargaming information, flags, publications for the Ottoman Empire during the period 1787- 1820
• Frederick Engels (1855), The Turkish Army