The Six Divisions of Cavalry ( tr, Altı Bölük Halkı), also known as the Kapıkulu Süvarileri (" Household Slave Cavalry"), was a corps of elite

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

soldiers in the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

of 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) ...

(

Sipahi ''Sipahi'' ( ota, سپاهی, translit=sipâhi, label=Persian, ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuk dynasty, Seljuks, and later the Ottoman Empire, including the land grant-holding (''timar'') provincial ''Timariots, timarli s ...

). There were not really six, but four,

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

s in the corps. Two of the six were sub-divisions. The divisions were: * Sipāhiyān ( ota, سپاهيان, roughly, "Armymen") * Silah-dārān (From Persian, translated roughly as "weaponbearers") * Ulufeciyān ( tr, Ulufeciler; translated as " stipendiaries"), organised into two sub-divisions: ** ( ota, علوفه جي يسار) ** ( ota, علوفه جي يمين) * Garibān ( tr, Garipler; translated roughly as "strangers"), organised into two sub-divisions: ** Garips of the Left ** The elite cavalry was the mounted counterpart to the

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 ( ...

and played an important part in the Ottoman Army. The Six Divisions were probably founded during the reign of Sultan

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

(r. 1451–1481), but the Sipahis had existed since 1326.

Sources

See also