"Turkish Cavalry (Deli)" Topic

"During the 16th century in particular, very large parts of most Ottoman armies were made up of Akinci light cavalry, as covered in other RedBox sets, but these were motivated by plunder and so not easy to control. Instead, Bosnian and Semendire provincial governors raised their own light cavalry units during the 15th century, to help protect the border, and these were known as Deli (various English spellings are used). They were irregulars rather than a core part of the Ottoman Army, and many served as personal retinue for governors, most famously by the Bosnian governor Gazi Husrev-beg, who employed 10,000 of them during the 16th century. Originally they were volunteers raised in the Balkans and were converts to Islam, but their better discipline and loyalty made them an elite of light horsemen, and when the Akinci were virtually wiped out in 1595 the Deli remained, forming an important part of any Ottoman Army operating in Europe…"

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