Janissaries

Description

By the second half of the 17th century, the janissary corps was but an echo of its former glory. Nevertheless, they were still core of the Ottoman infantry. Janissaries were armed with flintlock muskets (also called janissary guns). The saber was the basic close combat weapon of the janissaries. They wore colorful and thick cloth jackets, wide pants and shoes. While they were much more effective in defense than in offense, janissaries attacks were characterized with much ferocity and a willingness to engage in close combat. They usually attacked in deep columns but were also able to fight in open order.