Mülazım was a junior officer rank in the armed forces of the late

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) ...

, equivalent to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. There were usually two grades: *Mülâzım-ı evvel, or first lieutenant; *Mülâzım-ı sani, or second lieutenant. However, a number of military reforms affected military ranks (and their names and uniforms) through the history of the Ottoman empire.

History

James Henry Skene James Henry Skene (3 May 1812 – 3 October 1886) was an author, traveller and British Consul at Aleppo from March 1855 to 1880. He was born at Inverie, Scotland, the third son of James Skene of Rubislaw, near Aberdeen. His brothers included the w ...

's 1851 review of the Ottoman military, he noted that Mulazim were paid 280-350

piastres The piastre or piaster () is any of a number of units of currency. The term originates from the Italian for "thin metal plate". The name was applied to Spanish and Hispanic American pieces of eight, or pesos, by Venetian traders in the Levant ...

per month (including rations), perhaps more than contemporary British soldiers; as officers, their European-influenced uniforms included gold epaulettes, and distinctive lace on their cuffs as a mark of rank.

Influences

*In mahdist usage, a Mülazım was a member of the khalifa's bodyguard. *Ranks in the army of the Egyptian Kingdom were influenced by its Ottoman history; the lowest commissioned officer ranks were Mulazim Tani and Mulazim Awwal.

References

Military ranks of the Ottoman Empire Turkish words and phrases {{Ottoman-stub