When Selim III came to the throne in 1789 an ambitious effort of military reform was launched, geared towards securing the Ottoman Empire. The sultan and those who surrounded him were conservative and desired to preserve the status quo. No one in power in the Empire had any interest in social transformation. Sultan Selim III Selim III (December 24, 1761 – July 28/29, 1808) was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1789–1807). ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Sogut (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), İstanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty...

Western military advisors were imported but their abilities to enact change were limited. A parade of French officers were brought in, and none of them could do a great deal. One example of an advisor who achieved limited success was the Baron de Tott a French officer. He did succeed in having a new foundry built to make artillery. As well he directed the construction of a new naval base. Unfortunately it was almost impossible for him to divert soldiers from the regular army into the new units. The new ships and guns that made it into service were too few to have much of an influence on the Ottoman army and de Tott returned home.

When they had requested French help, a young artillery officer by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte was to be sent to Constantinople. He did not go, for just days before he was to embark for the Near East he proved himself useful to the Directory by putting down a Parisian mob in the Whiff of Grape-Shot and was kept in France. Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français... Map of Constantinople. ...

The Janissaries

The most important change was the creation of an elite new infantry unit; the nizam-i jedid was set up with western uniforms, weapons, and training. This group offended the Janissaries, however. Once the elite forces the Janissaries had become a conservative elite using their military power to advance themselves commercially and politically. 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. ... YOUNG GREEKS AT THE MOSQUE (Jean Léon Gérôme, oil on canvas, 1865); this oil painting portrays Greek youths who converted to Islam to become the elite of the army (Turkish yeniceri, recruit) The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeni çeri, meaning new troops) comprised infantry units that...

In 1806 the Janissaries, with support of the ulema and the provincial governors revolted against the Sultan and his new force and replaced him with Mustafa IV. In 1808 he was replaced by Mahmud II-with martial law of Alemdar Mustafa Pasha who restarted the reform efforts. His first actions was to ally with the Janissaries to break the power of the provincial governors. He then turned on the Janissaries, massacring them in their barracks in Istanbul and the provincial capitals in 1826. 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Ulema is a common romanisation for the plural of Arabic ˤĀlim Scholar, namely ˤUlamā (علماء). The same word appears in Turkish as Ulema and in Persian as Olæma. ... Sultan Mustafa IV Mustafa IV (September 8, 1779 – November 15, 1808) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1807 to 1808. ... 1808 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Sultan Mahmud II Animation showing the structure of the Tughra of Mahmud II Mahmud II (in Arabic محمودالثانى ) (July 20, 1785–July 1, 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Main article: Russo-Turkish Wars

The Sultan now set himself to replace the Janissaries by other regular troops. The Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829 did not give him time to organize a new army. He fought with these young and undisciplined recruits against the veterans of the Tsar. The war was brought to a close by the disastrous treaty of Adrianople. Again these reforms were implemented mainly to improve the military. British, Prussian and French advisors were imported. Most importantly a series of schools teaching everything from math to medicine were set up to train the new officers. The Russo-Turkish Wars were a series of eleven wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Turkish-ruled Ottoman Empire during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. ...

The Nizamis

Sultan, Abdul Medjid enjoyed several years of peace, which have enabled him to form a powerful and well disciplined army, which was established at the beginning of the year 1842.

Organization

It is divided into six separate armies (tr:Ordu). Each of these consists of two services, the Active (tr:Nizamia), and the Reserve, (tr:Riyadiks). The former contains two corps, under the command of their respective lieutenant-generals (tr: ) and the latter, also two corps, commanded in time of peace by a brigadier (tr:Liva); the whole Ordu being under the orders of a field-marshal (tr:Mushir).

The general staff of each army is coinposed of a commander-in-chief, two lieutenant-generals, three brigadiers of infantry, one of whom commands the reserve, two brigadiers of cavalry, and one brigadier of artillery. In each corps there are three regiments of infantry, two of cavalry, and one of artillery, with thirty-three guns. The total strength of these twelve regiments of the active force was 30,000 men, but it was diminished in time of peace by furlough to an effective strength of about 25,000 men in three of the six armies, and of 15,000 in the other three, a consequence of the recruiting system being as yet incomplete in its application all over the Ottoman Empire. The whole establishment of this branch amounts, therefore, to 180,000 men, belonging to the active service, but its effective strength is at present 123,000.

The reserve of four of the six armies consists in eleven regiments of six of infantry, four of cavalry, and one of artillery; composing a force of 12,000 effective soldiers, while the other two armies have notvet their reserve of soldiers who have served five years. In time of war, however, the reserve would form two corps of 25,000 men in each army; giving a total of 300,000. The two services, therefore, as they now stand, form an effective force of 835,000 men; and when their full strength shall have been filled up it will amount to 480,000.

Besides these six armies there are four detached corps; These four corps raise the effective strength of the standing army to 365,000 men.

• the Island of Crete, consisting of three regiments of infantry and one of cavalry, in all 11,000 men;
• the Pashalik of Tripoli in Africa, composed of one regiment of infantry and one of cavalry, about 5,000 strong;
• the Pashalik of Tunis, composed of one regiment of infantry and one of cavalry, about 5,000 strong;
• the central artillery corps,
  • a brigade of sappers and miners with engineer officers,
  • the veteran artillery brigade,
  • the permanent artillery garrisons of the fortresses on the
    • The Hellespont,
    • The Bosphorus,
    • The Danube, in Serbia, on the Adriatic,
    • The coast of Asia Minor, in the islands of the Archipelago,
    • the southern shores of the Black Sea; in all 9,000 men.

Besides augmentation of 32,000 men by the submission of Bosnia and Northern Albania to the new system; and a further increase of 40,000 men, whom Serbia has engaged to furnish, may be calculated, as well as 18,000 men serving in Egypt, who are destined to reinforce the reserve of the fifth army.

The marines, sailors, and workmen, enrolled in brigades, amount to 34,000 men; The grand total of armed men at the disposal of Ottomans, in the event of her existing resources being called into play, may, therefore, be quoted at no less than 664,000 men, without having recourse to occasional levies, which are more easily and efficiently realized in Ottoman Empire than in any other country.

Police Force

Police force, picketed all over the Empire, is nearly 30,000 strong.

needs extension.

Footnote

• ^  Section based on the article by THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE 1855.