Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Jamal Malik, Colonialization of Islam: 

Dissolution of Traditional Institutions in Pakistan, 2d ed. 

(New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1998); Muhammad 

Qasim Zaman, The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Cus-

todians of Change (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University 

Press, 2002).

Jammu and Kashmir

  See k

ashmir

.

Jannisary

 

(Turkish 

yeniçeri: new troops)

The elite standing army corps of the Otto-

man Empire, the Janissaries originated in the 

14th century as a corps of soldiers made up 

of Christian prisoners of war. They developed 

into a regular standing infantry through the 

institution known as devs¸irme—the levying of 

boys from the Christian peoples conquered by 

the Ottomans. The recruits were converted to 

Islam, taught the Turkish language, and trained 

for specific functions in the Ottoman palace and 

military. Though they received regular salaries, 

the Janissaries were considered slaves, and other 

Muslims were thus excluded from their ranks. 

The Janissaries were subject to strict discipline 

and were forbidden to marry. Their organization 

was steeped in tradition, and each regiment was 

independent, with its own symbol and flag. Their 

loyalty to the regiment and to the 

sUltan

 gave 

them strength in battle, making them an effec-

tive force in Ottoman conquests. In peacetime, 

they served important functions in Ottoman 

cities

, including fire-fighting, maintaining law 

and order, and ensuring fair trade. They became 

a force in internal politics known for revolting 

against and overthrowing viziers and even sul-

tans, symbolically announcing their mutinies 

by overturning their large soup cauldrons. The 

Janissaries had an affiliation with the b

ektashi

s

UFi

  o

rder

, whose babas (spiritual leaders) 

served as chaplains to the troops.

Because of their regular salary and the privi-

leges and distinctions they received, Muslims 

began to seek admission to the Janissary corps 

through patronage and bribery. This led to a 

decline of discipline, which worsened when 

Janissaries were allowed to have outside careers 

while still garnering their wages. By the 18th 

century, the Janissaries were widely seen as a 

nuisance, and they resisted attempts at reform. 

Finally, when Sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808–39) 

created a new regular corps in 1826, the ensuing 

mutiny was put down, and the Janissaries were 

destroyed.

K  390