An Enigma: “Janissary or Jaan Nisaar for whom?”

On a leisurely Sunday morning, while sipping my morning cup of tea, I was mesmerised by a beautiful song being played on Radio 106.40 FM from the movie ‘Kedarnath’:

“Na maaregi deewangi meri, Na maaregi awaragi meri,
Ke maaregi zyadaa mujhe maut se awaargi teri,
.Ke maaregi zyaada mujhe maut se…..
Naarazagi teri…….
Jaan Nisaar Hai, Jaan Nisaar, tere pyaar pe mere yaar, Jaan Nisaar hai….hmmm….hmmm…hmmmm“

Profound lyrics, enchanting music, and Arijit Singh’s very soulful voice all combined to create a very soothing magic. The emphasis on the phrase ‘Jaan Nissar Hai’ was simply superb. My knowledge of Urdu is limited to the lyrics of various songs and ghazals that I have heard since childhood; but I could understand their meaning during my romatic youth.

I just Googled the phrase Jaan Nissar, and, courtesy of typos, it came up Janissary.

The Turkish word Yeniçeri (pronounced: ye-nee-cheh-ree), which means ‘new soldier’, is the source of the term Janissary. A Janissary was a member of the Ottoman Empire’s elite infantry units, known for their loyalty and military prowess. They operated from the late 14th century till the early 19th century.

Jaan (life)-Nisaar (which signifies ‘to sacrifice’ or ‘to devote’) refers to an individual who is incredibly loyal, devoted, and ready to sacrifice their life for a person, cause, or nation.

Curiosity drove me to read in-depth about Janissary. Disgust and horror were my immediate reactions when I discovered more about this queer medieval practice of the Ottoman Sultans. To fulfil their ambition and greed to annex more territories, they evolved a weird practice of raising Janissaries.

Origins and Recruitment

In the late 14th century, Sultan Murad I (1362–1389), the third ruler of the Ottoman Empire, established ‘The Janissary Corps’ to create a personal army loyal only to the Sultan. Initially, the Janissary units were raised from a pool of people  comprising prisoners of war and slaves. Later, from 1380 to 1648, Janissaries were gathered under an abhorrent system known as the devshirme (Turkish=to collect), i.e., child levy enslavement or the “blood tax.” This system entailed the periodic compulsory military conscription of Christian boys, typically between the ages of 8 and 18, resulting in their forcible separation from their families. They underwent forced circumcision and were subsequently converted to Islam.

In the beginning, the Ottomans recruited Christian boys from Greece and Albania. Later, as the Ottoman empire expanded through victories in the Balkans, the devshirme system was extended to include Armenians, Bulgarians, Croats, Hungarians, Serbs, and Bosniaks. With time, Romanians, Georgians, Circassians, Ukrainians, and southern Russians were also enlisted as Janissaries. The selection process was rigorous. Only the strongest and most capable individuals were finally selected. Charles Darwin might have wondered about Janissaries’ selection process while incorporating the principle of the ‘Survival of the Fittest’ in the 5th edition of his celebrated work, ‘The Origin of Species’ (Theory of Evolution).

The young recruits were subjected to intense physical and mental training. They learnt not only the art of warfare but also various crafts, languages, and state affairs, preparing them for roles beyond the battlefield. The training inculcated the core Janissary ethos of loyalty, discipline, and a sense of fraternity.

Military Role and Tactics

The Sultan initially raised the Janissaries as personal guards—his private force: the “Slaves of the Gate.” To the Christians, the entire system evoked feelings of horror and disgust, as these recruits, now part of the Islamic army, would engage in combat against their fellow Christians. Arguably, this system contributed to the Ottoman state’s efforts to convert and Islamize their non-Muslim subjects.

Interestingly, it was a reflection of the Turks’ recruitment as military slaves by the Caliph of Baghdad in the 9th century, at the frontiers of the Islamic world. By the end of the 10th century, Islam was firmly established among the Turks. Because of their military capabilities and enterprise, Turks overthrew their masters in the middle of the 11th century and established the Seljuk Turkish dynasty in Baghdad. By the end of the 11th century, Turks were ruling the Islamic world, straggling Central Asia to Egypt. As conformists to the Sunnis Islamic traditions, Turks gained legitimacy vis-a-vis the unrothodox Shia dynasty of Egypt. They became the new flagbearers of the miilitant Islam, legitimising their lust for plunder as pious service to Allah besides waging war (Jihad) against infidels and unorthodox Islam.

Now coming back to Janissaries. Soon since their inception, Janissaries evolved into a formidable standing army, which was integral to the Ottoman military machinery.

The bulk of the medieval armies in those times were composed of either feudal levies or tribal warriors. European feudal law required that the landowners could call all peasants, freemen commoners, and noblemen aged 15 to 60 who resided in the countryside or urban areas, for military duty, whenever the king or the local lord required it. This practice was known as feudal levies (military conscription). Persons so conscripted were required to bring along weapons and armour according to their wealth. These armies were generally poorly trained.

The Janissaries, in stark contrast to the above, were a professional force. Their rigorous training, discipline, and innovative use of firearms gave them a significant edge over many of their adversaries. Janissaries, unlike the typical slaves, were paid regular salaries. They stayed in barracks. They had to wear distinctive uniforms, maintain only a moustache, and refrain from sporting a beard. To ensure complete loyalty to the Ottoman Sultan, they could not engage in trade or marry before the age of 40. Thus they were the first professionally paid army since the times of the Romans.

The Janissary tactics were characterised by a blend of traditional infantry warfare and gunpowder weapons. They were among the first military units in the world to equip themselves with muskets and artillery, which they used to devastating effect in battles and sieges. They became a versatile force because of their adaptability and cohesion. Capable of operating in diverse terrains and conditions, Janissaries played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Ottoman power across three continents. In 1605, they became one of Europe’s first armies to use rotating lines of volley fire in battle.

The Janissaries played a pivotal role in several key Ottoman victories, especially the capture of Constantinople in 1453, which marked the end of the Byzantine Empire. Paradoxically, on May 29, 1453, Hasan of Ulubat, heading the Janissary Corps, planted the Ottomans’ flag of Islam on the walls of the Christian city of Constantinople. Janissaries, like other army units, also indulged in the depredation, the callous slaughter of the local population, and the rapacious plunder of the city’s wealth. They also ransacked the Great Church of St. Sophia.

Janissaries were also instrumental in the Ottomans’ victories in the Siege of Rhodes (1522) and the Battle of Mohács in 1526, which opened the way for Ottoman dominance in Hungary. Their presence on the battlefield was often enough to inspire confidence in Ottoman troops and strike fear into their enemies.

Janissaries also served as policemen, palace guards, and firefighters during peacetime.

Political Power and Decline

Over a while, the Janissaries’ role expanded beyond the military sphere, resulting in their metamorphosis into a powerful political entity within the Ottoman state. The Ottoman state granted them various privileges, including exemption from taxes and the right to engage in trade. Their influence grew to such an extent that they could make or unmake sultans, often using their power to demand higher wages and better conditions.

However, this growing power also sowed the seeds of their decline. By the 17th century, the devshirme system had been abandoned, and the corps began to accept recruits from various backgrounds, including free Muslims. This led to a decline in the rigorous standards that had previously defined the Janissaries. They became increasingly involved in political intrigue and corruption, often acting as kingmakers rather than soldiers.

The corps’ refusal to modernise and adapt to new military technologies further eroded their effectiveness. By the early 19th century, the once-elite force had become a shadow of its former self, more concerned with maintaining its privileges than with serving the state.

The Auspicious Incident and Abolition

The Janissaries’ downfall came during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II, who sought to modernise the Ottoman military and state apparatus. After several failed attempts to reform the corps, Mahmud II took decisive action in 1826, which came to be known as the “Auspicious Incident.” The Sultan ordered the annihilation of the Janissary Corps, mobilising loyal troops and artillery to crush the rebellious soldiers. Thousands of Janissaries were killed or exiled, and the corps was disbanded, bringing an end to nearly five centuries of Janissary history.

Legacy

Their often controversial role in Ottoman history notwithstanding, the Janissaries left an indelible mark on the military and political landscape of the empire. They were instrumental in shaping the Ottoman state, serving as a model of a professional standing army that many European states would later emulate. The memory of the Janissaries lives on in popular culture and history, symbolising both the strength and eventual stagnation of the Ottoman military system.

The Janissaries’ saga is a complex tale of loyalty, power, and the challenges of adapting to a changing world. Their rise and fall reflect the waxing and waning of the Ottoman Empire itself, from a dynamic and expanding power to a state struggling to maintain its relevance in the modern age.

P.S. “Janissary” and “Jaan Nisaar” are not directly related either linguistically or etymologically, but they both convey a sense of loyalty and devotion, although in different historical and cultural contexts.

References:

1. 1453—The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West, by Roger Crowley
2. Articles on Wikipedia relating to Janissary