Memories of a Janissary

Two years after the conquest of Istanbul, in 1455, Serbian Konstantin Mihailovich was taken from his village near Nis by the Turks and taken to the capital. After a short-term training, twenty-year-old Mihailovich was enrolled in the Janissary Corps and participated in the conquests of the Ottoman Empire from the Balkan lands to the Aegean coasts and the Danube, the failed Siege of Belgrade, Mora in 1458, Sinop in 1461 and Uzun Hasan in 1462. He participated in the Trebizond Campaign and many other wars and expeditions.

In 1463, when Mihailovich was a janissary, he was captured by the Hungarians. After gaining his freedom, Mihailovich first went to Bohemia and then to Poland, and wrote down his experiences during his time in the Ottoman Empire. Although the exact language in which this chronicle was written is unknown, there are Czech and Polish versions that have survived to this day, but the original, which should have been in Serbian, is not available.

In his memoirs, Konstantin Mihailovich describes the religious structures and institutions of the Ottomans, whom he served for ten years, from their foundation to the Second World War. It describes the history of the dynasty until Bayezid, some second-hand accounts, and the customs and traditions of the empire. In addition to all these, Mihailovich's memoirs also contain information that the kings of Poland and Hungary could use in possible wars with the Ottomans.


Thin Cover:

Number of Pages: 144

Year of Printing: 2013


eBook:

Number of Pages: 187

Year of Printing: 2013


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Details Publications

First Printing Year: 2013

Number of Pages: 144

Language Turkish