Islam Watch

The Devshirme and the Origins of the Janissaries: Slaves of the Sultan, Soldiers of the State

The rise of the Janissary corps (Yeniçeri Ocağı, "New Corps") stands as one of the most unique and controversial developments in military history. These elite troops of the Ottoman Empire were not drawn from the traditional ranks of Muslim-born warriors or tribal levies, but rather from the children of Christian subjects, forcibly taken through a system known as devshirme (“collection”). From these captives, the Ottomans forged a military force loyal not to clan or kin, but to the Sultan himself.

The Devshirme System: State-Sanctioned Child Levy

Introduced in the late 14th century under Sultan Murad I (r. 1362–1389), the devshirme system institutionalized the practice of conscripting young Christian boys from the Balkans—particularly from Albania, Greece, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Serbia. This levy was imposed on conquered Christian populations as a form of tax, one paid not in money but in sons.

The origins of this system trace back to the Ottoman strategy of consolidating control over newly conquered territories, particularly in southeastern Europe. In order to solidify imperial rule and ensure loyalty from non-Muslim populations, the Ottomans implemented a policy that removed potentially rebellious youth from their families, religious institutions, and native cultures. This practice was both a military recruitment strategy and a tool of social engineering, aimed at producing generations of soldiers and administrators who were entirely dependent on and devoted to the Ottoman state.

The concept may have been influenced by earlier Islamic practices of using military slaves (ghilman or mamluks), as well as Byzantine and Central Asian traditions of recruiting foreign-born elite troops. However, the devshirme was unique in its scale, organization, and systematic targeting of Christian subjects within the empire.

Selection and Recruitment

Boys between the ages of approximately 8 and 18 were selected, often based on physical strength, intelligence, and potential.
Families had no choice but to surrender their sons; resisting the levy could result in severe punishment.
Officials generally avoided taking only children or boys from noble families, but exceptions occurred.
The selection process was highly organized, with officials often returning to the same villages every few years.

Conversion and Indoctrination

Upon capture, the boys were forcibly converted to Islam.
They were stripped of their names, identities, languages, and religious heritage, and systematically indoctrinated into Ottoman-Islamic culture and absolute loyalty to the Sultan.
They were often renamed with Islamic names and taught Turkish, Arabic, and Persian depending on their track.

Training and Education

Some boys were sent to Turkish villages for a period of acculturation and physical training.
The most promising were enrolled in the Enderun palace school, destined for leadership roles in administration or military command.
Others were trained as Janissaries: elite infantry known for their discipline, use of firearms, and role as the Sultan's personal guard.

The Janissaries: Professional Soldiers of the Empire

The Janissaries, as the military outcome of this system, represented a radical departure from the tribal warriors of earlier Islamic history. They were among the first standing armies in Europe since Roman times, paid regular salaries and housed in special barracks in the capital, Constantinople (Istanbul).

Ideological Purpose

The Janissaries were meant to counterbalance the power of Turkish tribal lords and other military factions who might challenge central authority.
Their total dependence on the state created a loyal, efficient, and politically useful military corps.

Military Successes

The Janissaries played a decisive role in many of the Ottoman Empire's early military conquests, including the fall of Constantinople in 1453 under Mehmed II.
Their adoption of firearms and strict discipline made them one of the most formidable fighting forces in the early modern world.

Moral Ambiguity and Long-Term Consequences

The devshirme was both effective and ethically troubling. It involved the forcible removal and Islamization of children, a practice modern standards would classify as cultural genocide and enslavement. Yet within the Ottoman system, many devshirme boys rose to become high-ranking officials, governors, and even Grand Viziers (prime ministers), gaining immense power and influence.

However, as the centuries passed, the system degenerated:

By the 17th century, Janissary ranks included native-born Muslims and were filled through bribes and favoritism.
The corps became politically powerful, conservative, and resistant to reform.
Their interference in succession disputes and opposition to modernization made them a liability.

Ultimately, the Auspicious Incident of 1826, under Sultan Mahmud II, led to the violent dissolution of the Janissaries, ending their nearly 500-year dominance.

Conclusion: An Empire Built on Captive Loyalty

The origins of the Janissaries through the devshirme system reveal the complexities and contradictions of Ottoman governance. In forging a loyal elite from the children of conquered peoples, the Ottomans created an unprecedented military institution—one that was at once innovative, effective, and morally fraught. The legacy of the Janissaries is thus inseparable from questions of power, identity, and coercion at the heart of imperial rule.

Where Are the Descendants of the Devshirme Today?
The devshirme system—the forced conscription of Christian boys by the Ottoman Empire for military and administrative service—left a lasting demographic and cultural imprint across the former territories of the empire. These boys, once converted to Islam and integrated into elite corps such as the Janissaries, rose to prominence as soldiers, bureaucrats, and statesmen. But where did their descendants go? Are they identifiable today?

🇹🇷 Turkey: The Heartland of Assimilation

Many devshirme recruits, after their service to the empire, remained in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), especially in the imperial capital of Istanbul. Over time, they married into Muslim Turkish families, fully assimilated into Ottoman-Turkish society, and contributed to the elite governing class.
Today, their descendants are part of the general Turkish population, particularly among families with bureaucratic, military, or aristocratic Ottoman heritage.
Given the complete erasure of their Christian names and identities at the time of conscription, most modern descendants in Turkey have no documented link to their devshirme ancestry.

🇧🇦 🇦🇱 🇽🇰 🇲🇰 The Balkans: Where It All Began

The majority of devshirme boys were taken from the Balkans, particularly from Christian families in regions such as:
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Bulgaria
Greece
North Macedonia
Kosovo
Many of these boys were sent back to the Balkans after their training to govern, lead armies, or manage provinces. Some remained and started Muslim families in their newly adopted homelands. Today, their descendants are most likely found among the Muslim populations of the Balkans, including:
Bosniaks (Slavic Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Albanians (many of whom converted to Islam under Ottoman rule)
Pomaks (Muslim Bulgarians)
Torbeshi (Macedonian-speaking Muslims)
In some cases, prominent Balkan Muslim families trace their heritage to high-ranking Ottoman officials who may have originally been devshirme.

🔍 A Legacy Without Lineage?

Despite their historical prominence, devshirme descendants are difficult to trace today:
The boys were renamed, converted, and cut off from their Christian families and communities.
Generations later, their lineage became indistinguishable from the broader Muslim populations.
Ottoman records often focused more on rank and position than origin, obscuring genealogical tracing.
However, the impact of the devshirme can still be felt in the cultural memory and demographic makeup of both Turkey and the Balkans. Families with ancestral ties to the Ottoman bureaucracy, Janissary corps, or provincial administration may unknowingly descend from devshirme recruits.

✨ Conclusion

The devshirme system may be gone, but its legacy lives on in millions of modern-day Turks and Balkan Muslims. Though individual lineages have blurred beyond recognition, the historical consequences of forcibly reshaping a generation of Christian boys into imperial servants still echo through the cultural and social landscapes of both regions.

References

David Nicolle, The Janissaries, Osprey Publishing, 1995.
Caroline Finkel, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire, Basic Books, 2005.
Stanford J. Shaw, History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Cambridge University Press, 1976.
Halil Inalcik, "The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300–1600," Phoenix Press, 2000.
Mark Mazower, The Balkans: A Short History, Modern Library, 2000.