Veledeş

The children of the kapıkulu cavalry, who formed the central army of the Ottoman Empire, were referred to as veledes. The janissaries such such as were not permitted to marry or establish families, but kapıkulu cavalrymen were allowed to do so. Although these children faced criticism for not being part of the devşirme system, they constituted the natural source group of the kapıkulu cavalry. It is known that from the earliest periods, those among these children who reached a certain age received a salary, while those capable of wielding a weapon were enrolled in one of the kapıkulu cavalry units.

The 16th-century author Mustafa Selanikî Efendi provides information regarding veledes becoming kapıkulu cavalrymen. According to him, these children, after receiving a specific education, were granted landholdings according to their merit. Although individuals eligible to become kapıkulu cavalrymen were required to possess various qualities, this privilege was, for veledes, an inherited right. He also noted that the saying “what is due comes in due time” was associated with veledes.

Although some studies suggest that veledes began entering the kapıkulu cavalry ranks in the late 16th century, numerous examples exist proving that veledes were already serving as kapıkulu cavalrymen in earlier periods. It is evident that being the son of a kapıkulu cavalryman served as an important source of legitimacy for inclusion in this corps. Initially, the exclusion of veledes from the kapıkulu cavalry corps may have been linked to the fact that not every kapıkulu cavalryman’s son was granted this right. In the early period, the right to join the corps was granted specifically to the sons of men who had risen to the rank of kapıkulu cavalryman either through the harem or by promotion from the janissary corps. The sons of those who became kapıkulu cavalrymen through other channels, however, were granted landholdings in the provinces volunteer.

The enrollment of veledes into kapıkulu cavalry units occurred in two ways. A kapıkulu cavalryman could renounce a portion of his salary in favor of his son. This renunciation could take the form of dividing the existing salary into two parts, or, in some cases, a kapıkulu cavalryman could retire and transfer part of his salary to enroll his son into the kapıkulu cavalry ranks. In some instances, the cavalryman was compelled to renounce part of his salary in favor of his son.

This was not an accepted practice without condition; the consent of the kapıkulu cavalryman was required for the renunciation. Alternatively, when a deceased kapıkulu cavalryman’s son sought entry into one of these units, his legitimacy as the deceased’s son had to be proven by the testimony of two kapıkulu cavalrymen. The kapıkulu cavalry consisted of six distinct units: sipahi, silahdar, ulufeciyan-ı yemin, ulufeciyan-ı yesar, gureba-i yemin, and gureba-i yesar. It is understood that there was no specific intention to assign veledes to their fathers’ units; instead, they were registered in any of these units upon payment of an initial fee (iptida akçesi).

With the changing nature of military campaigns from the second half of the 16th century onward, the criteria and justifications for enrolling veledes into units began to diverge. While from the outset some veledes had been enrolled in units as a matter of routine, their usefulness in campaigns became increasingly emphasized. This point suggests an attempt to ensure the deployment of veledes without landholdings through a form of compulsory voluntarism. Furthermore, as wars prolonged and continuous presence on the front became necessary, some veledes were enrolled in units only on the condition that they participated in campaigns or remained in garrison duty. As a result, the number of those enrolled in units increased significantly. This may also reflect another dimension of compulsory voluntarism. The right initially granted to the sons of men who entered the kapıkulu cavalry through the harem or via promotion from the janissary corps may have been extended to the general population as a means of ensuring the state’s continuous military presence on the front and as a response to pressures within the kapıkulu cavalry corps. This practice, however, attracted criticism from the earliest periods.