FTP, identify this elite corps of soldiers that served as the backbone of the Ottoman Turkish army.
Special laws regulated their daily life, including a law that forbade them to marry. Over time these laws became lax and even Muslims were allowed to be recruited. Mahmud II planned their elimination in the early 1820s after their failure in the Greek independence movement. Organized by Sultan Murad I, they were originally recruited by the system of "devshirme," or impressments of Christian youths, converting them to Islam, and giving them the finest military training. FTP, identify this elite corps of soldiers that served as the backbone of the Ottoman Turkish army.
Special laws regulated their daily life, including a law that forbade them to marry.
{Janissaries}