Djebedji (from Turkish ''Cebeci'', ) was a military subunit of

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 ...

artillery corps Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications dur ...

Foundation

Foundation date of the unit ( tr, ocak) () is not known, but it appears that the Djebedji unit was founded in the 15th century. It was one of the privileged units of the Ottoman army.Nicolae Iorga:''Geschiste des Osmanischen Reiches'' II (translated by Nilüfer Epçeli) Yeditepe yayınevi, İstanbul, p.296, 376 They were considered as a part of the

Janissary 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 ( ...

and based on

devshirme Devshirme ( ota, دوشیرمه, devşirme, collecting, usually translated as "child levy"; hy, Մանկահավաք, Mankahavak′. or "blood tax"; hbs-Latn-Cyrl, Danak u krvi, Данак у крви, mk, Данок во крв, Danok vo krv ...

system. Their commander was called ''Cebecibaşı''. The unit was small and selected, numbering no more than 625 men in 1574.Stanford Shaw :History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Tu rkey Vol I Cambridge p.139

Duties

The Djebedji unit was in charge of maintenance and keeping the weaponry. They were also responsible in transporting weapons to where they were needed. During peace times, they kept the weaponry in arsenals named ''cephane''. The Djebedji unit participated in all campaigns commanded by the

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

or the

grand vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

. In other campaigns only a part of the unit participated.History page
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Abolishment

In most Istanbul revolts during the stagnation and decline periods of the Ottoman Empire, the Djebedji units acted together with the Janissary, and in 1826, when the Janissary was abolished by Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

following the

Auspicious Incident The Auspicious Incident (or EventGoodwin, pp. 296–299.) (Ottoman Turkish: ''Vaka-i Hayriye'', "Fortunate Event" in Constantinople; ''Vaka-i Şerriyye'', "Unfortunate Incident" in the Balkans) was the forced disbandment of the centuries-old Jan ...

, Djebedji units were also abolished.

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations disestablished in 1826 Warfare of the Middle Ages Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire Turkish words and phrases 15th-century establishments in the Ottoman Empire Janissaries