Kapıkulu

Professional, standing troops of the Ottoman Empire

Part of a series on the
Military of the Ottoman Empire

Classical army (1451–1826) Kapıkulu Janissaries Six Divisions of Cavalry Sipahi Voynuks Yamaks Dervendjis Sekban Seymen Seimeni Akinji Azap Levend Timariots Yaya Humbaracı Bashi-bazouk Deli Martolos Arnaut
Reform period Nizam-i Djedid Sekban-i Djedid Auspicious Incident Mansure Army Hamidieh
Modern army (1861–1922) Modern Army
Navy Imperial Arsenal Ships Kapudan Pashas Naval battles
Aviation Vecihi Hürkuş Ahmet Ali Çelikten
Conflicts European Byzantine Bulgarian Serbian Moldavian Hungarian Venetian Albanian Croatian Polish Portuguese Habsburg Russian Asia Persian Africa Sieges and landings Rebellions
Conscription
v t e

Kapıkulu (Ottoman Turkish: قپوقولی اوجاغی, Kapıkulu Ocağı, "Slaves of the Sublime Porte") was the collective name for the household division of the Ottoman Sultans. They included the Janissary infantry corps as well as the Six Divisions of Cavalry. Unlike provincial levies such as the timariots and irregular forces (levend), the kapıkulu were professional, standing troops, mostly drawn through the devshirme system. They formed the backbone of the military of the Ottoman Empire during its "classical period", from the 15th century until the Auspicious Incident of 15 June 1826 that lead to the abolition of the kapıkulu during the Tanzimat.