Video - The Janissary Master Craftsman

The Janissaries, which were established during the reign of Sultan Murad I and always accompanied the sultan in wars, were engaged only in military service and did not engage in any craft. While Suleiman the Magnificent was on a campaign, his horse's stirrup broke. The viziers next to him wanted to have this stirrup made, but there was no city or town nearby. While the army was taking a break, a janissary, who learned from one of the viziers that the stirrup of the sultan's horse was broken, told the vizier that he could repair the stirrup. They immediately went to the horses and the janissaries repaired the broken stirrup beautifully. After a while, the break ended and the sultan got on his horse to set off. Realizing that the stirrup was made, Kanuni asked those around him who repaired it. The vizier, hoping that the janissary soldiers would receive blessings, immediately summoned him to the presence and presented this master janissary to the sultan. Kanuni: "It is against the law for Janissaries to engage in craftsmanship." Saying this, he first granted him a favor for this good deed he did, and then separated him from the army and sent him back to his hometown because he did something against the law.