Wow, that was a lot of information. The first thing I want to touch on is the Janissaries, and the level of what I would call disrespect in European History. These men were clearly better trained than the infantry of the early Middle Ages by leaps and bounds, considering their multiple-weapon training and strict disciplinary habits. Chivalry was an idealistic concept which failed primarily because only individuals could follow it. With the Ottoman Empire-a far more containable and long-lasting empire that consistently expanded throughout it's reign during the Middle Ages into the Enlightened Period- the military was practical and efficient, prepared offensively and defensively for assault. I wondered as to exactly the nature of their interest in food or the kettle; being a mainly Muslim force, they were restricted to many different foods. Was that one of the reasons? Also, the idea of maintaining the use of bows doesn't seem all that practical, when guns were becoming a major factor in military armanent.
"Cluture and Daily Life" in the Ottoman Empire seemed pretty easy-going compared to the rest of the world at the time. Although it seemed that the high-class certainly confused me the most by far, I grew used to the fact that they melded and maintained several of the conquered people's sturcture styles and culture, such as the Hagia Sophia or that simple conversion allowed the upper-class of their former nations to reclaim their superiority.
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I agree that the Janissaries were one hell of a force to be reckoned with. Through studying their rise and fall throughout the semester, I have noticed how very similar they were to the Knights Templar! Aside from the accusations of witchcraft that is :)
ReplyDeleteBut they really were just a shining example of the danger that comes with too much power. Still, it really does amaze me that 4,000 of them were killed at once like that after years of domination. Amazing stuff. :)