"The Janissaries – An Elite Ottoman Army Unit..." Topic

… Who Became Public Enemy No1

"The walls of Vienna trembled on 27th of September, 1529, as strange music echoed close by. The sound of hundreds of drums stopped the heartbeats of the Austrian defenders. Also, the loud horn-like noise of the zurna pierced their souls, bringing fear of the unknown; of a distant menace coming from afar – The Janissaries.

Beating drums accompanied the steps of a marching horde. The force approaching was the Janissaries. An elite Ottoman army unit, led by the Sultan himself ¯ Suleiman the Magnificent. They were known to wreck havoc and showed no mercy to anyone who opposed them. Disciplined, loyal and skilled the Janissaries represented the crown jewel of the expanding Turkish empire.

Long before the Ottoman Turks were besieging Vienna, this particular breed of warriors was invented as the Sultan's own bodyguards. They were created out of necessity in the late 14th century, during the rule of Sultan Murad I. Before their formation, the Ottoman army relied on a loosely tied allegiance of tribesmen foot soldiers who proved to be unpredictable in their loyalty and efficiency. The bulk of the rest of the army was composed of Turkish noblemen, who exclusively belonged in the cavalry ranks…"
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Amicalement
Armand

And in 1529 they stormed the breach and found that they were no longer masters of the pitched battle. In close combat with the Landsknechts, Spaniards and local Austrian forces, unable to bring superior numbers to bear, they failed to a degree that they were unwilling to renew their assault in the days to follow.

The siege of Vienna 1529 was a pretty close affair, and imho far more important then the one of 1683. The Ottomans of 1529 were far more dynamic, and faced a less developed Europe, then those of 1683. Losing Vienna then would not have changed the ultimate supremacy of the Western military success, while in 1529…
Suleyman repeated that campaign in 1532, and was faced with the largest army that Charles ever assembled. Both sides declined to join a decisive battle – but almost 10000 of the Akinci, the light cavalry on a devastating raid, were trapped and destroyed. Suleyman would turn then to the sea for some time, building a fleet, conquering the Aegeis and terrorizing the mediterran coasts for decades (if not centuries) to come by his new subject states in Norther Africa.

Still, if those Janissaries had faced lesser soldiers when they stormed the breach, we might all now celebrate this event as part of our islamic heritage…

I wish Italeri, HaT Industries, Expeditionary Forces, Classic Toy Soldiers, or Toy Soldiers of San Diego would come out with a plastic set of Janissaries in 54mm.

Good luck with that!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I wish anybody would come out with Janissaries for the campaigns of Suleyman. I probably need to do these myself… :-/

Dear Puster

Ral Partha did. Magnificent line. Had Azabs, Bashi-Bazooks, Kainji's, Delis, and Polish Winged hussars to boot.

I believe they are still available. I have a huge pile of them to go with my Ral Partha Landsknechts.

However in my Imagi-Nation Army they are the Bennenjerries and are painted in colors of sherbert.

If they have Polish Winged hussars in the same line then these are a century later then I want – but I have to see them myself.
A fast search on their website yielded no results, however. I will have to find some good pics – and of Old Glory, too, who seem to have a line of late 15th century Wallachians, too. Sadly their line is a mixed lot, with some being splendid and some not so. Stradiot hats on Landsknechts come to my mind…

Some day :-)
Thanks for the info! I will keep an eye out for them!

I wish anybody would come out with Janissaries for the campaigns of Suleyman. I probably need to do these myself… :-/

How close are the TAG Janissaries to the ideal early 16th century Janissary uniform?

A quick look at Wikipedia shows that the caftan and the collars are way off, but also the beards and muskets – TAG is producing its Ottoman line for the 17th century, so 100 years off.
Not sure where Warlord Games Janissaries aim to. Uniforms and beards look more like 18th century.

Some early 16th century pics: