The book tells about the history of the Janissary corps, the rules and norms of its recruitment and existence, as well as the role that the Janissaries played in both military and internal political events of the Ottoman Empire. The monograph shows the fundamental features of the functioning of Ottoman statehood, its close connection with the policy of wars and territorial expansion, the influence of the Islamic factor, as well as the significant role of the Janissary army in shaping the foreign and domestic policies of the Turkish sultans. The history of the Janissary corps is discussed in the book against the backdrop of military events in the 15th and early 17th centuries, which resulted in a noticeable weakening of the Ottoman military power and the decline of the Janissary corps itself as a military institution. The history of the Janissaries is presented by the author as part of the social history of the Ottoman state, which is important for recreating a more complete socio-political and ethnographic picture of the medieval life of the Turks.