The Janissary Corps and Bektashism in the Ottoman Empire: Military Identity and Spiritual Belonging, and Mutual Interaction

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the Janissary Corps and the Bektashi Order in the Ottoman Empire through the interconnected perspectives of institutional history, military identity, and Sufi spirituality. Although previous scholarship has often interpreted the Janissary-Bektashi relationship either as a continuous spiritual connection dating back to the foundation of the corps or as a later institutional association that emerged with the consolidation of Bektashism, this study argues that the relationship should be understood as a dynamic process of mutual interaction and transformation. Drawing upon historical sources and qualitative analysis, this research investigates how Bektashi beliefs, rituals, and symbolic practices contributed to the formation of Janissary identity, while also examining how the institutional power of the Janissary Corps influenced the social position and organizational development of Bektashism within the Ottoman order. Particular attention is given to the Sufi concepts of unity (waḥda), sainthood (walāya), spiritual transformation (devran), martyrdom (shahāda), and the symbolic role of Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî and Hz. Ali in shaping the Janissaries’ understanding of loyalty, sacrifice, and spiritual belonging. The study demonstrates that Bektashism functioned not merely as a religious affiliation for the Janissaries but also as a symbolic and moral framework that transformed military service and death in battle into a spiritually meaningful experience. At the same time, the Janissary Corps contributed to the institutional visibility, legitimacy, and social influence of the Bektashi tradition within the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, the Janissary-Bektashi relationship should be evaluated not as a one-sided influence but as a reciprocal process through which military and Sufi identities were mutually constructed under changing historical conditions.