Ottoman Janissaries

The Janissaries (from the Turkish for ‘new soldier’) were the elite infantry of the Ottoman Empire. The Janissary Corps was founded in 1383 by Sultan Murad I to provide him with well-disciplined and loyal troops for his expansionist campaigns. They were recruited from Christian vassal states of the Ottoman Empire in Europe by the ‘devsirme’ system of taking young boys aged 6-14 years and converting them to Islam. These children were indoctrinated and raised in an environment of harsh discipline and training, ideal for the creation of a fighting force.

This boxed set provides 24 metal miniatures that can represent a Janissary Orta, 12 miniatures with firearms and 12 with melee weapons, that highlight the both the uniformity and diversity of the Janissary formations.