"Illustrations of Janissaries from the 15th to 19th centuries" Topic

I have compiled a list of illustrations of Janissaries from the 15th to 19th centuries plus a few articles. This may be useful when researching Janissary costume for different periods.

MIRROR SITE
Illustrations of Janissaries from the 15th to 19th centuries

Druzhina
Illustrations of Ottoman Costume & Soldiers

The publication date is always some time after the date the initial work was started, sometimes a long time after. Things to look out for are copies of illustrations based on earlier illustrations.
The most copied 16th century works are by Nicolas de Nicolay, 1577, Melchior Lorck, 1579-83 & Hans Weigel, 1577. In illustrations of Ottomans by Europeans, you can see the same Janissaries, in different colours, by Albert Kretschmer, 1882, Raphaël Jacquemin, 1863-1869 and in Uniformenkunde, by Knötel. As their ultimate source is not coloured, their colours are made up.
The most copied 18th century works are by Jean-Baptiste Vanmour, 1708 & Caspar Luyken, 1703. As Vanmour's paintings of Ottomans are available the colours of these can be relied on.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Very interesting. Those dormant turks in need of paint will one day thank you.

Thanks for collecting them all on one place! Its not easy to get material on this famous unit during the 15th and early 16th century.

It seems that they were used in small units with similar arms, as there is no depiction of mixed arms. Colored versions more often show them in different colours, though these might be later additions.

BTW: Some of the links do not work, eg. Mohacs 26.

May I add my thanks for this wonderful resource. Perfect timing as I have recently acquired a few of the Zvezda sets.

So, regarding the late 17th C., what's the collective wisdom: uniforms, or just uniform blue trousers with overcoats to each individual's taste?

I don't have any coloured group pictures of Janissaries for the late 17thC. In the early 17th there is Janissaries with Osman II marching on Hotin, Ms Haz. 1124, Sehname by Nadiri, 1620s. There are a number of Janissaries in the Ralamb Costume Book, 1657 which doesn't provide any support for uniform coats or trousers. Early 17th century albums seem to favour red trousers: Military Illustrations of Ottomans from Peter Mundy's Album, A briefe relation of the Turckes, 1618 & Hans Sloan's Album 'The Habits of the Grand Signor's Court', c.1620
By the end of the 17th century Janissaries are wearing turbans and ordinary clothes on campaign – their borks and coats being reserved for ceremonies.

Druzhina
17th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Is there any indication or source that the Janissarys were uniformly colored (unicolored)?

If so, when did they start? I realize that these pictures suffer from a lack of color-variety, so perhaps the odd contemporary diary (letter, report, etc) has something?

Sorry for giving perhaps perhaps the wrong impression. It's just that I read somewhere they were entitled to an allowance of blue cloth for legwear, so I figured that would make for some degree of uniformity at least. But I see that in most of the illustrations, their breeches are of various colours, just like their coats. Of course, that could be artistic licence…

There is only a little evidence for uniform colours from texts. Ian Heath has:

Our only clue to the colour of the new uniform that he introduced is to be found in the 'Ordo Portae' of c.1473-81, which tells us that every year each Janissary received lengths of linen and blue cloth, plus a shirt and a woollen kaftan. (Konstantin Mihailovic similarly states that each Janissary received a kaftan, a shirt, and 'large trousers made, as is their fashion, of 3 ells of cloth, and a shirt of 8 ells', but alas, he does not mention colours.)

David Nicolle says 'enough blue cloth for a pair of trousers' without giving a source. Perhaps an assumption based on the above sources.

A promise to change the janissaries blue cloth for scarlet

the blue cloth for 80,000 janissaries Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia and Africa By Evliya Efendi, 1834

Druzhina
15th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Is there any indication or source that the Janissarys were uniformly colored (unicolored)?

There is the passage in the third letter of Busbecq, from his embassy in the 1550s:

After the Horse, a large Body of Ianizaries followd, being Foot, and seldom taking any other Arms than Muskets. The Form and Colour of their Cloths is almost one and the same, so that you would judge them all to be the Servants of one Man's Family. They have no prodigious Habit among them, nor any thing rent or torn; their Cloaths will wear not soon enough, they say, without their tearing of them; yet in their Feathers, Crests, and such-like military Ornaments, they are over-curious, or rather proud, especially, the Veterans in the Rear, you would think a whole Wood of walking Feathers were in their Fire-stars and Frontals; after them their Officers and Commanders follow on Horseback, distinguished each by his proper Ensign. In the last Place marches their Aga, or General.

From link Unfortunately he doesn't say what colour…

I wonder what the Fire-stars are?

Although 16th century Ottoman miniatures show Janissaries with varied coat colours, there is one infantry type show as in uniform red coats:
The Ottoman Army Marching On The City Of Tunis In 1569, in Sehname-i Selim Han by Lokman, completed in 1581.

Four more in the same uniform appear in folio 65a. The conquest of Tunisia
They don't wear the white Janissary Börk, but a mongol style split brim hat with elongated points. They also appear in Ms. B.200, folio 34a Shahin-Shah-nama ('Book of the King of Kings'), by Nakkas Osman 1597, but some may be wearing other colours.
In I Turchi. Codex Vindobonensis 8626, 1586 to 1591 there is a group in a similar type of hat:

In the The Rålamb Costume Book, 1657-58 No. 22:

Caption: Hunter, "Avuczij". The hunters, Avcus, formed a special detachment within the army.

Could all these be a Janissary orta called the 'hunters'?

Druzhina
16th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

I can't actually see what might have given rise to "fire-stars" in the original:

in pinnis modo & cristis similique ornatu militari luxuriant vel insaniunt verius, praesertim in nouissimo agmine veterani. pinnaru quas frontalibus insertas habent, syluam credas ambulare.

The red uniformed troops would be tufekjis, and the 'hunter' is most likely an arnaut or similar frontier skirmisher.

Thanks GurKhan.
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Is there any evidence of 16th century tufekjis in uniform colours?

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers