ENTRY TYPE
General |
SUMMARY
Janissaries were “slaves to the sultan”. They mainly came about either from 1/5 of all prisoners, percentage which according to the holy law belonged to the sultan, or were hostages from newly-conquered areas, or were bought in slave markets, or came from the notorious devşirme. The first records on devşirme date back to the end of the 14th century; it reaches its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries, while the last reports on it are recorded in the early 18th century. |
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