The Janissaries. Socio-Political and Economic Actors in the Ottoman Empire (17th-Early 19th Centuries)

This volume presents the proceedings of the 12th Halcyon Days in Crete Symposium, held at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies in Rethymno from January 12-14, 2024, under the theme The Janissaries: Socio-Political and Economic Actors in the Ottoman Empire (17th–Early 19th Centuries). Both the symposium and this publication were funded as part of JANET: Janissaries in Ottoman Port-Cities: Muslim Financial and Political Networks in the Early Modern Mediterranean, an ERC project exploring Janissary networks within and beyond the Ottoman Empire as integral to broader Muslim political and economic activity in the region.

Drawing on diverse sources and perspectives, this collection offers a fresh and comprehensive examination of the Janissaries beyond their traditional military role: it considers them as key figures in imperial politics and economic networks, while also highlighting various aspects of their lived experiences and societal interactions.

The 16 papers included in the volume explore a wide range of topics, shedding light on the Janissaries’ financial and commercial ventures, credit mechanisms, and extensive networks – both within the provinces and across interprovincial and international frontiers. More importantly, rather than portraying them as relics of a declining empire, the studies present the Janissary Corps and its affiliates as dynamic agents of change who profoundly shaped the post-classical Ottoman world.

Cover Image: Jean Baptiste Vanmour, A Soldier of the Janissaries (c. 1700 –1737), Rijksmuseum.