Azebs, azabs or azaps ( ota, عزب, from Arabic, literally ''unmarried'', meaning ''bachelor''), also known as Asappes or Asappi, were irregular soldiers, originally made up of unmarried youths. They were conscripted among reayas and served in various roles in the early

Ottoman army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

. The word azeb either often indicates a

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often foug ...

soldier which was called ''yaya'' azeb or a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

soldier which was called ''bahriye'' (navy) and ''deniz'' (sea) azeb. The term was used in the sense of "pirate" or "buccaneer" in

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

sources from 14th to 16th century. Mundy-Azeb, a marine

History

Azebs were originally an auxiliary infantry unit harkening back to

Anatolian beyliks Anatolian beyliks ( tr, Anadolu beylikleri, Ottoman Turkish: ''Tavâif-i mülûk'', ''Beylik'' ) were small principalities (or petty kingdoms) in Anatolia governed by beys, the first of which were founded at the end of the 11th century. A se ...

that became independent from the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate. In the maritime beyliks they also served as naval units. For instance, in the 13th century sources address existence of troops called azebs in the Beylik of Aydın. According to Stein (2007), by the 14th century azebs garnisoned in strongholds were called ''kale'' (fortress) azebs. Azebs in fortresses had duties such as building

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

, working as

sappers A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing fie ...

and doing the job of armorers, especially after conscription of devshirme armorers stopped. They usually comprised most of the garrison in smaller forts and palankas. In the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

the main role of Azaps were fighting as infantry archers on front lines before the

cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder dur ...

and

janissaries A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ...

, After azebs slowed down the initial enemy charge, they would withdraw to left and right, and let the Ottoman cannons and janissaries fire at them.

Recruitment

Azebs were recruited in accordance with the '' kanunnames'' (law code) of the Suleiman I. Kadıs oversaw draft of the azebs at a local level, called ''sancak''. One man was levied from every 20-30 households whilst others supported him financially. The azaps were initially only recruited from Anatolian Turks, and, then

Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians from the Byzantine rite, was the name of a hi ...

. Azebs garrisoned in forts were regularly paid. In the late 16th century all Muslim men could enlist.

Organization

Their official name -as generally appeared in pay lists- was ''rüesa ve azeban''. The word ''reis'' (in plural ''rüesa'') referred to head or captain of a ship in maritime or chief of a medium-sized unit consisting of ''kale'' azebs. ''Kale'' azebs were divided into ''ağalıks'' which were commanded by ''ağas'' and their aides ''kethüdas.'' These were subdivided into ''cemaats'' or ''riayets'' (a company consisting of 3 or 4 squads) which were led by ''reises''.'

Equipments

As volunteers the azaps had a wide range of weaponry. These include pole arms, such as the ''tirpan'' (

war scythe A war scythe or military scythe is a form of pole weapon with a curving single-edged blade with the cutting edge on the concave side of the blade. Its blade bears a superficial resemblance to that of an agricultural scythe from which it is like ...

) and ''harba'' as well as ''balta'' (

halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

). In addition to pole arms they were armed with a variety of maces, bows,

sabers A sabre (French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as the ...

and to a rarer extent

crossbows A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fire ...

. Later on guns were adopted instead. Azebs also wore red ''börks'', a felt hat like the ones worn by janissaries but in different colours.

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* *{{Cite book, last=Hegyi, first=Klára, title=The Ottoman Military Organization in Hungary: Fortresses, Fortress Garrisons and Finances, publisher=, year=2018, isbn=978-3-87997-467-2, location=, pages= Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire Infantry units and formations Irregular units and formations