| “ | Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful political force within the Ottoman state.
— Britannica
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” |
A Janissary (Ottoman Turkish for New Soldier) was a member of an elite class of soldiers hailing from the Ottoman Empire. Expected to be completely loyal to the sultan, the Janissaries were the first standing army in Europe and began as a corps of soldiers composed of kidnapped Christian boys forced to convert to Islam. They're considered no ordinary slaves, but they're also not freemen. Nevertheless, the Janissaries were proved to be a powerful corps and their faction was expanded when the Ottoman Empire expanded, as well.
Their discipline was well-known, but their large usage of firearms were also known. They themselves were as proficient in traditional, melee, Turkish weapons as they were with firearms. Although the Janissaries were a mighty faction of soldiers, they later disbanded the moment they realised their importance in the empire and manipulated it. They're still kept as elite soldiers for the empire, until Sultan Mahmud II disbanded them.
The military corps, since its formation to the end, had participated in many battles for the empire from its beginning to its end.
Battle vs. Caribbean Pirate (by MilenHD)[]
In a warm,half rocky beach in the Ottoman Empire,five Janissaries are patrolling across the local area.Not far away a small ship landed and five Pirates came from it.They had comed here for the treasures of Sultan Murad I,and are not going to give up until they don't find it.As they aproached closer,one of the Ottomans warned his companions and as they saw the Pirates taking the chest,they aimed their matchlocks and fired at the smugglers,hitting only one of them in the neck and all the others missed.
Pirates:1234
Janissaries:12345
Then,three of the Pirates returned fire with their muskets,and the fourth grabbed the chest.As one of the muskets jammed,the others managed to fire,but only one killed a Janissary in the neck.
Pirates:1234
Janissaries:1234
The fight continued as the Ottomans grabbed their axes and yataghans and charged at the Pirates,who were a little bit below them,in a place similar to sand crater.As the Ottomans were going down,toward the Pirates.One of them threw a grenado,which was stuucked between two rocks and exploded killing one and wounding brutaly the other Janissary.
Pirates:1234
Janissaries:123
As the wounded Jannisary falled faster than his companion,it's was met with the stabbing attack of the boarding pike behind his heart,and the pike wielding Pirate was soon decapitated by an Ottoman axe.The Ottomans had arrived to kill the smugglers and take their ancient gold.
Pirates:123
Janissaries:12
Seeing he has to help his allies,the Pirate said "Oh My God" in anger and annoyance,and he put the chest down and pulled his cutlass and chraged to help his companions,As the remaining Ottomans lit their grenade,they threw it at the Pirates,but one was wounded very badly by the explosion,the Ottomans lighted another one and threw it at the now crippled Pirate,killing him instantly.
Pirates:12
Janissaries:12
The Pirates and the Ottomans charged with their blades and clashed in a epic duel of swords.First to fall out of this duel was one of the Pirates,who tried to pierce the Ottoman's armor and it hans't much success since the blade got stucked and this allowed the Ottoman to kill him.
Pirates:1
Janissaries:12
Seeing he is alone,the Pirate grabbed a pile of sand and threw it at the Ottoman,blinding him.Then,with one mighty swing,the Pirate beheaded the Ottoman,spilling a large fountain of blood at him and tainting his coat with blood.
Pirates:1
Janissaries:1
In the end the remaining fighters both tired and exhausted charged at each other for a final clash,as both dueled the Pirate outsmarted the Ottoman by charging and knocking him by punching him with full force of his basket handguard,as the Janissary falled the Pirate raised his sword and decapitated him.
Pirates:1
Janissaries:
Seeing he killed all of them,he sat on the chest,pulled a bottle of rum and he drunk from it as he raised his fist in victory.
Expert's Opinion[]
While the Ottomans had armor,better training and were superior marksmans,they were outclassed by Pirates superior technology and melee weapons combat. To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Conquistador (by Detective Loki)[]
In the sweltering heat of a distant land, five Conquistadores, clad in heavy armor, march into an open plain, their eyes ablaze with the fire of conquest. Across the field, five Ottoman Janissaries, disciplined and fierce, enter the clearing as well. Catching sight of the Conquistadores, the Janissaries prepared their muskets for a volley of fire. The leader of the Conquistadores spots this and orders his troops to prepare their weapons as well. However, the Ottomans strike first. In the first volley of fire, one shot makes its mark as a musket ball punches through a Spaniard's skull, his morion clattering uselessly to the ground as he drops backwards
.
The four remaining explorers manage to get their shots off in response. Three of the replies whiff but the last punches through the plated mail of a Janissary. He stumbles backwards with a hole in his chest and slumps onto log near the edge of the battlefield
. The Conquistadores drop their muskets and begin a charge at the Turks, blades gleaming in the sunlight as they close the distance.
The Ottomans make a brief advance towards the approaching Spanish and then raise their shields. Blades meet blades as the two forces meet in combat for the very first time. One of the Conquistadores crosses his espada ropera with a Turkish yataghan. Believing he sees an opening, the man overextends on a thrust that is easily brushed aside by the Janissary's shield. The Janissary slices down with the yataghan, cutting open the explorer's calf. Falling to one knee, the man is helpless as the Turk finishes him off with a blow to the throat. Elsewhere, a Spaniard with an alabarda successfully hooks his adversary's shield away. With the polearm's reach, he uses the pike end to pierce the Janissary's chainmail directly underneath the sternum. With his heart ruptured, another Janissary drops to the grass as the pike is retracted.
One of the Ottomans quickly breaks away to light the fuse on a primitive hand grenade. As he tosses it, all but one of the Conquistadores disperses. The remaining man is thrown to the ground as the device explodes. Disoriented on his back, he notices far too late as one of the Janissaries brings a berdiche down upon his midsection, nearly bisecting him at the waist. Screaming in panic, he is quickly silenced as the Ottoman brings the axe down again on his face. The two remaining Conquistadores approach the three Janissaries, one with two hands on his alabarda, the other with one on his buckler shield and one on his espada ropera. The three Ottomans approach, two with berdiches drawn and one with yataghan at the ready.
The alabarda-wielding Conquistador engages the two Janissaries with their axes drawn. The first Turk has his axe pinned to the ground by the alabarda and is incapacitated as the pike end is implanted in his thigh. The other Ottoman tries to bring his berdiche down onto the Conquistador but has his blow deflected by the breastplate into the grass. The Spaniard responds by bringing the head of the alabarda down through the Janissary's collarbone. The wounded Janissary is finished off as the explorer comes back to slam the axe head down into his face.
The seemingly-eternal clash of sword and shield ends for the Conquistador and the Janissary as the other surviving explorer finds an opening and a thrust from the espada ropera goes clean through the Ottoman's throat. The final Janissary coughs blood as the blade is retracted. He drops to his knees and face first to the dirt. The skirmish over, the remaining Conquistadores assess their losses as they try to determine how much of their former coworkers' equipment can be brought with them on the horses as they continue to explore this new world.
Winner: Conquistadors
Expert's Opinion[]
Despite superior training and combat experience, the Janissaries had weapons disadvantages at close and mid range and an armor disadvantage at all ranges. The Ottoman was the more well-drilled soldier, but the small nature of the engagement better suited the adaptable and well-equipped Spaniards.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. British Army (by Ffejgao)[]
The die had been cast. The British and Ottoman Empires had been friends for decades. But now they were butting heads.
Somewhere on a coast in Malta, a group of 5 Redcoats had captured a young woman. They wanted to make her tell the location of a secret passageway to Istanbul-underneath the city walls.
"Where is it? WHERE IS THE SECRET PASSAGE?!" the commander said calmly.
"Please, I don't know what you're talking about! Have mercy!" she begged, tears in her eyes.
"I'm losing patience!" The commander was getting more agitated. He readied his pistol. Unknown to them, several Janissaries had sailed out. They wanted to convince the Maltese to side with them and not the British but after disembarking, the commander saw several Redcoats interrogating a local woman.
"Bu korkunç! O zorbalara ne için olduğunu öğretelim!(That is horrifying! Let's teach those bullies what for!)" shouted the commander. Actually, that WAS something he'd totally do without remorse but whatever. The Janissaries charged forward. The battle was on! (Redcoats: 5, Janissaries: 5)
The Redcoats saw the enemy arriving and their commander ordered everyone into formation. The woman ran off, knowing it was a bad idea to be caught in the crossfire. "FIRE!" the commander shouted but he soon got nailed in the throat by a gunshot. (Redcoats: 4, Janissaries: 5)
"Well, guess I got promoted." said one soldier with a shrug. "FIRE!" The redcoats loosed a volley only a few precious seconds after their old commander died. By either panicked aiming or rotten luck, the volley mostly missed except for a shot to one Janissary's throat. Another hit a Janissary's badge and ricocheted off only to hit his companion in the face. (Redcoats: 4, Janissaries: 3) The Janissaries tried for a volley of their own and fired after one charged forward with a grenade who then ducked after his friends fired. This volley ended up with one Redcoat shot through the heart and another shouting in pain after getting hit in the ribcage. One narrowly avoided hitting the commander's head and instead tore through his hat, making him furious over having his hat ripped. The grenade ended up tackled midair by one soldier who then blew to pieces in a pile of blood, bone fragments, and charred flesh. (Redcoats: 2, Janissaries: 3) The redcoats tried to reload for another volley but they were soon getting swarmed by a trio of charging angry Janissaries. The arquebusiers weren't able to reload in time and besides, the match cords were getting wet anyway. The commander ordered them to attack. The British commander drew a pistol and it hit an Ottoman right in the chest, causing the Janissary to collapse while coughing up blood only to be trampled to death. (Redcoats: 2, Janissaries: 2) The soldiers engaged. One Redcoat thrust his bayonet forward and clashed with an axe wielding Janissary. The Redcoat blocked repeated chops from the Janissary while trying to counter with either a club strike or bayonet stab. The Janissary kept pressing his attack. Finally, the Redcoat's side injury was acting up and he missed his thrust while getting an axe strike to the chest. (Redcoats: 1, Janissaries: 2) The commander meanwhile drew another pistol and shot one Janissary through the head and barely missed another who dropped his axe. (Redcoats: 1, Janissaries: 1) Then they drew swords.
"O benim eski okul arkadaşımdı! ödeyeceksin!(That was my old school friend! You're gonna PAY!)" shouted the Janissary.
"It's just you and me now! Bring it!" said the redcoat. They circled around each other, saber and yataghan sword at the ready. Neither could afford a wrong move. The redcoat lunged first with a swipe to the left. The Janissary dodged and tried to stab but he was forced to pull back. Then the redcoat tried for an overhead slash but the Janissary blocked it. He then pushed the Redcoat off him. The Redcoat then tried for his own stab. He got slashed on the leg for his troubles but he successfully stabbed his enemy through the throat. The last Janissary coughed up blood, collapsed, and after a few seconds of a blood puddle forming on the beach, he lay still. The Redcoat shouted "Rule Britannia!" Then he limped off, gasping in pain. He would have to rest and recover before trying to infiltrate Constantinople and demand to speak with the Grand Vizier or Sultan. But after what happened on this day? It would only be the beginning of war!
Winner: Redcoats
Expert's Opinion[]
This was definitely an interesting comparison but if you measured them up against each other, it wasn't hard to pick the winner. The Redcoats had this; They had the superior operational experience, comparable discipline, and a generally superior arsenal. And of course, who made Britannia rule the waves? For a couple centuries at that? Redcoats did that! And it says a lot their empire was the one that constantly innovated and adapted to the point the British Empire remained a superpower until after World War II-long after the Redcoats were gone from the battlefield. The Janissaries for their part had their own advantages. They were better soldiers on average and better trained as they were designed to be elite warriors. This match's winner shows the escalation of technology; Flintlocks beat matchlocks. While some may call foul and demand warriors from the same time period, it wouldn't necessarily work out. The Janissaries experienced a deterioration of fighter quality after the 16th century so 18th century Janissaries wouldn't necessarily fare better. Meanwhile, the Redcoats didn't exist when the Janissaries were at their peak. So in conclusion:
18th century Redcoats vs 18th century Janissaries=Redcoats win.
18th century Redcoats vs 15th-16th century Janissaries(this match)=Redcoats win.
15th-16th century Redcoats vs 15th-16th century Janissaries=Janissaries win by default because the Redcoat didn't exist yet-a match with English Medieval foot soldiers facing the Janissaries is a match for another time.
In this battle, the Redcoats triumph because of their superior weaponry, operational experience, and the fact they weren't too far behind in fighting skill either.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.Battles here were deemed to be unfair or otherwise not in accordance with wiki standards, and have been removed from the statuses of the warriors and displayed below.
Battle vs. Landsknecht (by Goddess of Despair)[]
dddL-5
OJ-5
Five ottomans are guarding the border of the Ottoman Empire when a volley of rounds hits the building from a nearby forest and one dies and another is injured. L-5 OJ-4
The Landsknecht reload to have a volley of rounds be fired at them, and two die. L-3 OJ-4
The Landsknecht split up and the ottomans do as well with the injured one trying to walk. When he spots a Landsknecht approaching he draws his axe and tries to charge but trips due to his injured leg. The Landsknecht walks up to him and slits his throat with the zewihander. L-3 OJ-3
The other ottomans spot the other two Landsknecht and one draws a Kilij and the other draws a yatagan. Charge the Landsknecht who both draw katzbalgers and rush their opponents. The first Landsknecht stabbed an ottoman with his katzbalgers then was rushed by another ottoman before he could pull the blade off the dying man, he was decapitated. L-2 OJ-2
The two ottomans gang up on the Landsknecht who couldn’t defend himself from both ottomans at once. L-1 OJ-2
The last Landsknecht fires his arquebus at one of the ottomans and hits him in his head.L-1 OJ-1
The Landsknecht drops his gun and charges the final ottoman with his zweihander and the ottoman lifts his Kilij and slices for the Landsknecht’s throat but is parried and then dodges a slice to his chest. The ottoman slices the Landsknecht’s legs and makes a large cut but isn’t prepared for the stab to the chest he receives. The ottoman dropS to the ground the Landsknecht struggling to continue to stand stabs the ottoman again in the head then holds his blade in the sky and roars in victory. L-1 OJ-X
Expert's Opinion[]
While the Ottomans had greater mobility, the Landsknechts had better range, experience, training, and far better armor that brought them victory.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Reason[]
The battle was declared invalid because the Janissaries were given an Abus gun, a weapon they never used.
Battle vs. British Army (by Samurai234)[]
Redcoats: 
Ottoman: 
In old century Turkey, a small group of British Redcoats are approaching a small city and are preparing to fire a Cannon. Meanwhile, in the city, a small group of Janissaries are relaxing after a hard battle. After the cannon has been loaded, The redcoat commander yells "Fire!", and with that, The Cannon's fuse is lit and the Cannon blows. The Jannissaries hear the explosion and look around for any intruders. The flying Cannonball hits one of the Jannissaries, killing him.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The redcoats enter the city and the two sides scramble. During the struggle, One of the Jannissaries manages to take out one of the Redcoats with his Matchlock musket.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
He tries to reload, but is almost shot by a Redcoat with his brown bess. he retreats into an abondoned building, but the Redcoat spots him, and throws a grenade in the room, killing him.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The Redcoat tries to reload his musket, but hears a hissing noise. he turns back and sees an ottoman grenade, which blows up.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The last three redcoats walk up toward a hill, when suddenly something hits one of the redcoats and kills him.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The two redcoats turn and sees an ottoman with an abus gun. he tries to fire the gun again, but the redcoats take him out first with thier muskets.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The two redcoats walk across the field, looking for more enimies, but another Jannissary strikes one of them with his Ottoman axe.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The Redcoat commander quickly mounts a bayonet on his musket and engages the Jannissary in battle. The Jannissary tries to strike the Redcoat, but is promptly stabbed by the redcoat's bayonet.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The Last Janniassry runs toward the redcoat, Yataghan sword in hand. The Redcoat drops his musket and pulls out his Military sword. the two warriors clash sword, each trying to gain an edge. the battle eventually heads over to a cliff. The Janniassry swings, but the redcoat ducks and stabs the Jannisarry in the stomach. He kicks the Jannissary's dead body, and the ottoman solider falls to his Death.
Redcoats:
Ottoman:
The Redcoat raises his sword in the air and yells "For Great Britian!".
Expert's Opinion[]
The Redcoat won because of his superior musket over the arquebus and strict military training.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.