A janissary was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms; adopted during the reign of Murad II. The corps was established either under Sultans Orhan or Murad I, and dismantled by Mahmud II in 1826.
Agha of the Janissaries and a Bölük of the Janissaries by Lambert Wyts, 1573
Agha of the Janissaries, the commander of the corps, in 1768
Janissary, before 1657
Registration of boys for the devşirme. Ottoman miniature painting from the Süleymanname, 1558.
Murad II was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451.
Painting by Paolo Veronese, c. 16th century
Sultan Murad II at archery practice (miniature painting from 1584)
Murad II and Władysław III of Poland