Two of the sixteenth century's most romanticized black powder marksmen come face-to-face in this bout. The Conquistadors, the explorers and soldiers that staked their claim in the Americas for riches and for Spain. Versus. The Janissaries, the celibate slaves sworn to the sultan who contributed greatly to the expansion of the Ottoman empire. Who is deadliest?
Conquistadors[]
Conquistadors were the knights, soldiers, and explorers of the Spanish Empire. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, Oceania, Africa, and Asia, conquering territory and opening trade routes. They colonized much of the world for Spain and Portugal in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
After the Spanish discovery of the West Indies in 1492, the Spanish began building up an American empire in the Caribbean, using islands such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola as bases. From 1519 to 1521, Hernán Cortés waged a campaign against the Aztec Empire, ruled by Moctezuma II. From the territories of the Aztec Empire conquistadors expanded Spanish rule to northern Central America and parts of what is now southern and western United States and from Mexico sailing the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines. Other conquistadors took over the Inca Empire after crossing the Isthmus of Panama and sailing the Pacific to northern Peru. As Francisco Pizarro subdued the empire in a manner similar to Cortés, other conquistadores used Peru as a base for conquering much of Ecuador and Chile. These and similar conquests founded the basis for modern Hispanic America and the Spanish-speaking world.
Crossbow
- Ineffective against lightly armored indigenous they faced
Arquebus
Janissaries[]
The Janissaries were elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's bodyguards and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established during the reign of Murad I (1362–1389).
The Ottoman Janissaries began as an elite corps built up through a system of tribute, by which young Christian boys were taken from the Balkans, converted to Islam, and incorporated into the Ottoman army. They became famed for internal cohesion cemented by strict discipline and order. Unlike typical slaves, they were paid regular salaries. Forbidden to marry or engage in trade, their complete loyalty to the Sultan was expected.
Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a political presence within the Ottoman state. However, despite being a highly formidable military unit in the early years, they became obsolete as Western Europe modernized its military organization technology. Steadily, Ottoman military power became outdated and the Janissaries felt their privileges were being threatened by the changing of warfare around them. They rose in highly violent revolts which were suppressed and the corps was abolished in 1826.
The Ottoman Empire used Janissaries in all its major campaigns, including the 1453 capture of Constantinople, the defeat of the Egyptian Mamluks and wars against Hungary and Austria.
Grenade
Matchlock Musket
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X Factors[]
Experience
Conquistadors 83 Janissaries 95
The Janissaries were utilized in a variety of major Ottoman campaigns since their inception, ranging from the 1453 capture of Constantinople to the wars against Hungary and Austria. The Conquistadores fought, yes, but many of them fought against indigenous empires at a large technological and biological(disease) disadvantage. On top of this, many fought with the assistance of other tribes and the largest achievements accredited to the Conquistadores were not entirely their own (The Aztecs were dethroned by a substantial force of Tlaxcalans as well as Conquistadores).
Training
Conquistadors 86 Janissaries 97
The Conquistadores in the Americas were essentially a volunteer militia, not a true organized military. Many were soldiers with previous service in wars in Italy and Northern Africa. However, the hyphen exists in soldier-explorers for a reason. Janissaries were indoctrinated into the system and trained to be elite from a very young age.
Logistics
Conquistadors 89 Janissaries 94
The Conquistadores often supplied their own horses, weapons, and equipment independent of the Crown. With the incentive being primarily monetary, these expeditions wanted to borrow from the government as little as possible and invest all in quality over quantity. The Janissaries, being an elite infantry unit on the front lines of many wars, did not have to worry about being properly stocked by the Sultan. Also, Conquistadores generally carried less armor with them as the conquest of the Americas continued (a full suit was generally superfluous against indigenous tribes that lacked armor-piercing weaponry). The same cannot be said of the Janissaries.
Notes[]
Full weapons edges or a fleshed-out paragraph will count as a vote.
Battle will be a classic five-on-five: five Spanish Conquistadores vs. five Ottoman Janissaries.
All combatants will be on foot, no cavalry.
Will take place in neutral territory, specifically a plain littered with rocks and long grass.
Battle[]
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: Conquistadores
Verdict[]
Despite superior training and combat experience, the Janissaries had inferior equipment at close and mid range and a major disadvantage in quality of armor. The Ottoman was the more well-drilled soldier, but the small nature of the engagement better suited the adaptable and well-equipped Spaniards.