Graduation Year
2023
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Reader 1
Corey Tazzara
Reader 2
Heather Ferguson
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
The Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire were a group of Christian slave soldiers. They had political and social control in the imperial court and were also formidable soldiers who were successful in battle due to their highly organized structure. They were subjects of many travel journals, memoirs, accounts, and works of art that originated both inside and outside the Ottoman Empire. This thesis argues that in accounts originating from both inside and outside the Ottoman Empire, Janissaries are described as ruthless and powerful. Further examinations reveal that these accounts, despite their frequent negative connotations, are rooted in admiration and envy of Janissaries’ political power and success rate as a dominant military unit. By looking at a variety of sources, a deeper understanding of Janissaries and their place in the Ottoman Empire is revealed.
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Meghana, "Cultural Perceptions of Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire and Beyond" (2023). Scripps Senior Theses. 2192.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/2192
