Reign of Mehmed I (jan 21, 1413 – oct 15, 1421)

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After civil war, doesn't trust the Ottoman soldiers, so he makes a slave army through the Devshirme system, in which a tax is levied against European Christian boys, who are then taken and used as soldiers for the Ottomans. The troops become known as the Janissaries, who are a standing army serving for life, running European campaigns. They're armed with muskets, and are incredibly effective in battle. The Janissaries are converted to Islam by the Bektashi, who preach a form of Sufism that believes in reincarnation, Ali, and the 12 imams. It also combines Christian tradition, which would've been easier to swallow for the slave army.

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