Ottoman Empire Key Terms: Millet, Devshirme, Janissaries, and Law

millet

a legally recognized, self-governing religious community (like Christians or Jews) given a degree of autonomy to manage its own civil and religious affairs under its own leaders

devshirme system

a practice by the Ottoman Empire where Christian boys were forcibly taken from their families in conquered territories, converted to Islam, and trained to serve the Sultan in military or government positions

sultan

the Muslim sovereign and absolute ruler of the Ottoman Empire, a hereditary monarchy founded by Osman I

sovereign

a supreme ruler, especially a monarch.

janissaries

elite, standing infantry soldiers of the Ottoman Empire who were initially taken as boys from Christian families, converted to Islam, and trained for military service

jizhya

a tax historically imposed by Islamic states on non-Muslim residents, or dhimmīs, in exchange for protection and the right to practice their religion

kanun

A system of administrative and secular law in the Ottoman Empire that existed alongside and supplemented Islamic religious law. Was the law of the sultan, created to address matters not covered by religious doctrine or to provide specific, centralized codes for the expanding empire

ulama

a powerful class of religious scholars and state officials who served as interpreters of Islamic law, educators, and judges, playing a vital role in the administration and legitimation of the Sultan's rule

vizier

a high-ranking political official, like a government minister. Specifically, served as the sultan's prime minister

koran (qu'ran)

the fundamental religious text of Islam, serving as the source of the empire's legal and moral framework

dhimmi

a non-Muslim subject—primarily Jews and Christians—who lived under the protection of the state in exchange for paying the jizya poll tax and acknowledging Muslim political domination