Answer: 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 in The Auspicious Incident.
Janissaries
noun
Word Origin early 16th century: from French janissaire based on Turkish yeniçeri from yeni 'new' + çeri 'troops'.
Scrabble Points: 19
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The novel Janissaries by David Drake; Muhteşem Yüzyıl (The Magnificent Century) is a 2011–2012 Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin. The Janissaries are portrayed throughout the series as part of the Sultan's royal bodyguard.
Janissaries adopted firearms very early starting in fifteenth century. By the sixteenth century the main weapon of the Janissary was the musket. Janissaries also made extensive use of early grenades and hand cannon such as the Abus gun. The auxiliary support system of the Janissaries also set them apart from their contemporaries.
Janissary member of an elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire at first staffed by Christian-born youths drafted mainly from the Balkans. An increasingly powerful and expensive institution the Janissaries constituted the first modern standing army in Europe and were highly respected for their prowess.
The origins of the Janissaries are shrouded in myth although traditional accounts credit Orhan I an early Osman bey who reigned from 1326 to 1359 as the founder. Modern historians such as Patrick Kinross date the formation of the Janissaries to around 1365 during the rule of Orhan's son Murad I the first sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
The Janissaries (from yeniçeri meaning 'new soldier' in Turkish) were an elite standing force of infantrymen first formed by the Ottoman Sultan Murad I around 1380. Legally slaves (kul ) of the sultan they served over the centuries as bowmen crossbowmen ...