Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-24
The Fate Of the Janizar5es.


The recent report of the death Of the
last of the ianiZaries Of Russia. at the
age of upward of 80 years. calls to
mind one Of the most dreaded organi-
cations of men the world has ever
known. The ianizaries were the troops
with which Turkey fought her battles
in Europe during the centuries before
this. They succeeded an earlier G.6E
of Turkish cavalry called spahis. The
organization OF the two bodies was We
~ similar. They were originally the
children of Christian parents, captured
by the Turks,and reared in the faith Of
Islam.
By the Mohammedan law fifth part
Of the captives, as well as Of the spoil,
belonged to the caliph, the prophets
successor. Under this law the sultan
claimed for himself theft part Of the
healthy male children who had been
taken captive in the European wars.
These children became Mohammedans.
They were trained for military service;
they were granted special privileges;
the highest places in the state were
open to them, and they were made their
sovereign's body-guard.
The mastering into service of these
men was their conservation by the
priest, who stretched the sleeve Of his
garment over the heads Of the foremost
soldiers and said:
LET them be called ianiZaries. May
their countenance be ever bright, their
hand victorious, theirsWord keen. May
their spear always hang over the heads
of their enemies, and Wheresoeyer they
90. may they return with awhile facet
With a white face, with q reputation
unstained, did these ianizaries, at first
almost always return; but in later times
they assumed powers and privileges
granted by neither sultan nor priest
Thevmade and unmade sultans at their
own pleasure, and tyranniZed over them
while upon the throne. AS they had
lon" been the terror OF eastern Europe,
they became the terror of the govern
meat ut home.
The beginning of the present centu-
r. brought IN end 70 the successful c;l-
recF q the jaa.zaries. They persisted
in the use Of tho.r obsolete weapon and
old-Iashioned tacsic=. ana could not cope
with The artillery. nor match the mod
Ci II i4lNltAtttH 10 ~ t4IS - i+atCIIIo VI
Austria and Russia. Attempted reforms
were fanatically resisted. The intro
duction OF Russian tactics brought on
an open revolt in ConstantinoPle, June
Is, 1926.
The janizaries were gathered in one
Of the public squares OF the city. They
numbered 10000 desperate men. They
were ignorant of the design OF the gov
eminent, and had gotten themselves,
as it were, into u trap.
The first intimation they had that
they were doomed was a shower Of
grape shot from the artillery. They
were hemmed in by soldiery on every
side. The gates Of the cityWere closed,
and were kept closed for two days, that
the work of destruction might be as
complete as possible. More than this,
orders were sent through all the prov
inces commanding the death of any
who might have escaped from the city.
Fifteen thousand were killed and 26, 1000
were expatriated, and the janizaries
were abolised.
What a recollection of that time the
last survivor, whose death is just re-
ported, must have carried with him for
the three-score and two years since.