The Janissaries was an elite corp. in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to 1826. Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, and in government administrations. The janissaries were organized into three unequal divisions: the cemaat, bölükhalki, and segban. The Janissary corps was originally staffed by Christian youths from the …showed first 75 words of 943 total…

…showed last 75 words of 943 total…revolted against the sultan and massacred by the larger more modern army. Those who were not killed were captured and executed. The power of the Janissaries was broken; those corps who was not killed was disbanded, and this ancient military order was outlawed throughout the empire. The door to military and civil reform was now open to reformist ministers. However, the door to the greatest army corp. in the entire Turkish history was closed. longshot516