Two Important Issues Confused in Recent Readings: The Ottoman Devshirme System and the Pencik Law

Abstract

It is known that in the Turkish-Islamic states before the Ottoman Empire, captives were used in the palace and in various duties of the state. This tradition was continued in the Ottoman Empire as well. This practice, called devshirme, was the number one application method in the training of personnel especially for the military bureaucracy of the Ottoman Empire. Pençik, another practice, also existed in the Ottoman Empire. Although there are differences as expressed, these two systems have served the same purpose within the state. It has been reflected to the reader that the two practices are thought to be the same thing, especially in recent history readings. Although the two systems seem to be the same, there are some differences such as how and in what way the people who make up the source participate in the system, in which duties they are mainly used in the state staff, how they affect the intended targets and Turkish influence, and how the name devshirme is expressed in foreign sources. In this way, it will contribute to help in clarifying the problem by examining more research-research works by using the literature review method, that the two concepts are not the same thing in the study.