Yaya or Piyade were infantry military units of the Ottoman Empire and some other medieval Anatolian beyliks. Many of them were of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

origin.

Name

'' Yaya'' means "pedestrian" in

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

. It is of Turkic origin word. An alternative name, ''piyade'', is derived from a Persian word with the same meaning. This latter name was also used in the series of dynasties that ruled the neighboring Persian state.

Background

The early Ottoman military forces consisted of irregular nomadic cavalry and volunteer

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 fought ...

. These units were efficient against local Byzantine feudal lords but were unable to capture fortified castles by direct assault. This was the reason for

Alaeddin Pasha Alaeddin Pasha, or Alaeddin Bey (''Alâeddin Paşa''; Söğüt, – Bursa, 1331), was the brother of Orhan I, who succeeded their father, Osman I, in the leadership of the Ottoman Empire. His mother was a Turkish woman named Rabia Bala Hatun. It ...

including the establishment of this unit in his proposal for reorganization the military of the Ottoman Empire made in the mid 1320s. His brother, sultan

Orhan Orhan Ghazi ( ota, اورخان غازی; tr, Orhan Gazi, also spelled Orkhan, 1281 – March 1362) was the second bey of the Ottoman Beylik from 1323/4 to 1362. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman I. In the early stages of his re ...

, accepted his proposal and established yaya. Yaya were precursors 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 ( ...

corps of the Ottoman military, which would become one of the most influential and increasingly political forces in the Ottoman state until the 19th century. Janissary Corps would be made of converted Christians from Balkans up to 1500(most of them Albanians, Bosnians and

Eastern Romans The Byzantine Greeks were the Greek-speaking Eastern Romans of Orthodox Christianity throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were the main inhabitants of the lands of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), of Constantinople ...

). However, by 1550s when the

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 ...

was abolished " de facto" , the Janissary Corps would be dominated by Muslim born Ottomans, majority of them being Muslim Albanians.

Organization

The commander of the Yaya unit was referred to as Yayabashi. Members of this units were both

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

citizens of the Ottoman Empire who were sometimes granted land estates in the Balkans in exchange for military service. They were most irregular infantry Ottoman units because they usually served as armed laborers whose military skills were limited. Still, before Janissary units were established and expanded in 1380s and afterwards, yaya peasant infantry had important military function. By giving regular salary to yaya Ottomans acquired a standing army.

Engagements

Among notable engagements of yaya military units are battles of Marica (1371) and Nicopolis (1396) where Ottoman infantry units, including yaya, were used to bait enemy heavy cavalry into an ambush between two flanks of more maneuverable light Ottoman cavalry.

References

{{Authority control Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire Infantry units and formations Janissaries 14th-century establishments in the Ottoman Empire Ottoman period in the Balkans