devshirme system

E410788

The devshirme system was an Ottoman practice of periodically conscripting Christian boys from the empire’s European provinces, converting and training them to serve as elite soldiers (Janissaries) and administrators loyal to the sultan.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
devshirme system canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Ottoman institution ⓘ
child conscription system ⓘ
forced levy ⓘ
abolishedInCentury 18th century ⓘ
ageRange approximately 8 to 18 years ⓘ
appliedInRegion Anatolia ⓘ
Balkans ⓘ
European provinces of the Ottoman Empire ⓘ
Rumelia ⓘ
linked to: Rumelia Eyalet
appliedTo Christian boys ⓘ
associatedWith Enderun School ⓘ
Janissary corps ⓘ
linked to: Janissaries

Ottoman palace school ⓘ
beganInCentury 14th century ⓘ
characterizedAs form of slavery ⓘ
form of taxation in human form ⓘ
declinedInCentury 17th century ⓘ
excludedGroup Jews ⓘ
Muslims ⓘ
implementedBy Ottoman officials ⓘ
linked to: Ottoman authorities

local Christian leaders under Ottoman authority ⓘ
influenced Ottoman administrative elite composition ⓘ
Ottoman military power ⓘ
involvedProcess bureaucratic education ⓘ
forced conversion to Islam ⓘ
military training ⓘ
periodic collection of boys ⓘ
languageOfInstruction Ottoman Turkish ⓘ
legalBasis sultanic decree ⓘ
linkedToRuler Mehmed II ⓘ
Murad I ⓘ
loyaltyDirectedTo Ottoman sultan ⓘ
purpose recruit Janissaries ⓘ
recruit administrators ⓘ
recruit palace servants ⓘ
strengthen central authority of the sultan ⓘ
religionAfterConversion Islam ⓘ
religiousTarget Christian population ⓘ
resultedIn Islamization of conscripted boys ⓘ
creation of elite infantry corps ⓘ
formation of Janissary corps ⓘ
selectionCriteria intelligence ⓘ
lack of close relatives in Ottoman service ⓘ
physical fitness ⓘ
socialImpact creation of a slave-elite class ⓘ
demographic impact on Christian communities ⓘ
upward mobility for some Christian families ⓘ
timePeriod late 14th century to 17th century ⓘ
trainingLocation Anatolian farms ⓘ
Enderun Palace School in Istanbul ⓘ
usedBy Ottoman Empire ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ottoman culture → hasInstitution → devshirme system ⓘ
Topçu Ocağı → recruitedFrom → devshirme system ⓘ