The 'devshirme' was a system in the Ottoman Empire where young Christian boys from the Balkan provinces were systematically levied.

These boys were taken to Istanbul, converted to Islam, and educated to serve the Ottoman state.

The most promising were trained for high positions in the imperial administration, with some even becoming Grand Vizier.

Most of the boys were trained for the military and enrolled in the elite Janissary corps.

The Janissaries were the first modern standing army in Europe, known for their strict discipline and absolute loyalty to the sultan.

They were a formidable infantry force, among the first to be equipped with firearms on a large scale.

The purpose of the devshirme system was to create a class of soldiers and administrators who were loyal only to the sultan, with no competing family or regional allegiances.

For centuries, the Janissaries were the backbone of the Ottoman military and crucial to its expansion.

Over time, the Janissaries became a powerful political force in their own right, often resisting reform and even overthrowing sultans.

The devshirme system was gradually abandoned, and the Janissary corps was violently disbanded in 1826.