Holzschnitt nach Melchior Lorch, 1646. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris Woodcut by Melchior Lorch, 1646. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

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Descprition

Feudal cavalryman of the Ottoman Empire whose status resembled that of the medieval European knight. The spahi was holder of a fief (timar; Turkish: timar) granted directly by the Ottoman sultan and was entitled to all of the income from it in return for military service. The peasants on the land were subsequently attached to the land. The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (Ottoman Turkish for the Eternal State) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Constantinople (Ä°stanbul) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A silver statue of an armoured knight, created as a trophy in 1850 For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings muslim monarch ruling under the terms of shariah The title carries moral weight and religious authority, as the rulers role was defined in the Quran. ...

Etymology and termynology

Spahis (also spelled as Sipahis, Sepahis or Spakh, in Turkish sipahi) were an elite mounted force within the Six Divisions of Cavalry of the Ottoman Empire. The word Spahi is taken from Persian سپاهی Sepâhi meaning "soldier". The Six Divisions of Cavalry (Altı Bölük) was a corps of mounted elite soldiers in the Ottoman army. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (Ottoman Turkish for the Eternal State) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Constantinople (Ä°stanbul) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... Persian (فارسی / پارسی), (local name in Iran/Persia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan: ‘Fârsi’), ‘Pârsi’ (older local name, but still used by some speakers), Tajik (a Central Asian dialect) or Dari (another local name in Tajikistan and Afghanistan), is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, western Pakistan, Bahrain, and elsewhere. ...

History

Their duties included, among others, to ride with the sultan on parades and as a mounted bodyguard. In times of peace they were also responsible for collecting taxes. The Spahis was the largest division of the six and was the mounted counterpart to the Janissaries, which always fought on foot. The Sipahis were probably founded during the reign of Mehmed II. The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ... Mehmed II Mehmed II, also known as Muhammed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481; also known as el-Fatih, the Conqueror) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ...

Spahis had an important part in The Auspicious Incident, subjugating the last rebellion of Janissaries in 1826. However, two years later, sultan Mahmud II revoked also their privileges and dismissed them in favor of the more modern army structure. The Auspicious Incident (in Turkish Vaka-i Hayriye) was the forced disbandment of the centuries old Janissary corps by Ottoman sultan Mahmud II. By the early 17th century, the Janissary corps had ceased to function as an elite military unit. ... The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Sultan Mahmud II Mahmud II (July 20, 1785–July 1, 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death. ...

In the French army certain Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan cavalry units were also called Spahis. Persian equivalent term was sepahi, which also shares its derivation with sepoy. Persian (فارسی / پارسی), (local name in Iran/Persia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan: ‘Fârsi’), ‘Pârsi’ (older local name, but still used by some speakers), Tajik (a Central Asian dialect) or Dari (another local name in Tajikistan and Afghanistan), is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, western Pakistan, Bahrain, and elsewhere. ... A sepoy (from Persian سپاهی Sepâhi meaning soldier) was a native of India employed as a soldier in the service of a European power, usually of the United Kingdom. ...

Sometimes mixed up with Timariots, an irregular cavalry organized according to a feudal system. Sipahis and Timariots had very few things in common and this is probably a simple misinterpretation among Western historians. Timar was the smallest land owned by a sipahi, and would give a yearly revenue of no more than 10,000 akçe, which would be 2- 4 times what a teacher earned. Ziamet yielded up to 100,000 akçe and were owned by sipahiyin with officers rank. Hass gave revenues of more than 100,000 akçe and were only for the highest ranking in the military. A timar sipahi were obliged to provide the army with up to 5 soldiers, a ziamet with up to 20, and a hass with far more than 20. 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. ... Irregular soldiers in Beauharnois, Quebec, 19th century Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ...

Many of the sipahiyin were actual slaves under the sultan, as collected through the devsirme system. By this relationship, the sultan could hope for loyalty and cooperation. Devshirmeh (Turkish devÅŸirme) 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. ...

From the middle of the 16th century, the Janissaries troops had started to be the most important part of the army. But still the sipahi represented an important factor in the empire's economy and politics. As late as in the 17th century, the sipahiyin were, together with their enemies the Janissaries, the actual rulers in the early years of sultan Murad IV's reign. The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ... Sultan Murad IV Murad IV (June 16, 1612 – February 9, 1640) (nicknamed Cruel, in Turkish Zalim) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. ...