The First "Little Mehmeds": Conscripts For The Ottoman Army, 1826-53

Abstract

This essay will focus on the Ottoman conscripts, who together with their families formed a distinct and sizable social group within the larger Ottoman society in the decades following the elimination of the Janissary Corps. Most Ottomanists have largely ignored this demographic as a subject of scholarly investigation in a bid not to trespass into the “forbidden” realm of military history—a field associated with Turkish nationalists and militarists. This approach has meant disregarding the story, historical significance, and impact of a large group on the history of the later Ottoman Empire. Building on existing scholarship, and utilizing primary and secondary sources, this article will consider the following questions: Who were the soldiers of the Ottoman army in the second quarter of the 19th century?