Devshirmejärjestelmä

Devshirmejärjestelmä was a prominent administrative and military system employed by the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 17th centuries. Its primary purpose was to recruit and train Christian boys from the Empire's territories, mainly in the Balkans, to serve as soldiers and officials within the Ottoman state. The term "devshirme" translates roughly to "collection" or "harvest" in Turkish.

The system involved the periodic collection, or levying, of Christian youths, usually aged between 8 and 20, from conquered or tributary regions. These boys were taken from their families and converted to Islam. Once in the Ottoman system, they underwent rigorous training and education, often specializing as Janissaries, the elite infantry corps, or serving in administrative roles as bureaucrats and officials.

The devshirme system was considered a means of social mobility for the Christian populations and was instrumental in creating a loyal and trained administrative class that was directly dependent on the Ottoman Sultan. It also served to integrate various ethnicities into the Ottoman state, facilitating control over its diverse subjects.

Although the system was efficient and contributed to the empire’s military prowess, it was also controversial, drawing criticism for the coercive nature of the conscription and the disruption it caused to local communities. The practice gradually declined and officially ended in the 17th century as the Ottoman military and administrative structures evolved.

The devshirme was a distinctive feature of the Ottoman imperial system, exemplifying its complex relationship with its subject populations and its reliance on a distinctive method of manpower recruitment and social organization.