Historical Overview

What had previoslu been pretty good military and bureaucratic structures of the previous century came under strain during a protracted period of misrule by weak Sultans at the start of this era. The Ottomans also gradually fell behind the Europeans in military technology as the innovation that fed the Empire's forceful expansion became stifled by growing religious and intellectual conservatism. But in spite of these difficulties, the Empire remained a major expansionist power until the Battle of Vienna in 1683, which marked the end of Ottoman expansion into Europe.

The Long War against Habsburg Austria (1593–1606) created the need for greater numbers of infantry equipped with firearms, resulting in a relaxation of recruitment policy in the Janissary Cops. This contributed to problems of indiscipline and outright rebelliousness within the corps, which was never fully solved. Irregular sharpshooters were also recruited, and on demobilization turned to brigandage in the Jelali revolts (1595–1610), which engendered widespread anarchy in Anatolia in the late 16th and early 17th centuries

During the Köprülü Era (1656–1703), effective control of the Empire was exercised by a sequence of Grand Viziers from the Köprülü family. The Köprülü Vizierate saw renewed military success with authority restored in Transylvania, the conquest of Crete completed in 1669 and expansion into Polish southern Ukraine, with the strongholds of Khotyn and Kamianets-Podilskyi and the territory of Podolia ceding to Ottoman control in 1676

This period of renewed assertiveness came to a calamitous end when Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha in May 1683 led a huge army to attempt a second Ottoman siege of Vienna in the Great Turkish War of 1683–1687. The final assault being fatally delayed, the Ottoman forces were swept away by allied Habsburg, German and Polish forces spearheaded by the Polish king Jan at the Battle of Vienna. The alliance of the Holy League pressed home the advantage, culminating in the Treaty of Karlowitz. The Ottomans surrendered control of significant territories, many permanently. Mustafa II (1695–1703) led the counterattack of 1695–96 against the Habsburgs in Hungary, but was undone at the disastrous defeat at Zenta (11 September 1697)

Manufacturers

See the manufacturers here
You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site

• Essex Miniatures
• Donnington
• Vexilia - Ottoman & East European ranges - a little on the large side, and a bit late in the period too
• Museum Miniatures
• Old Glory 15's, highly regarded janissaries, one of OGs best ranges
• Magister Militum
• Minifigs
• Irregular Miniatures Arab & Turkish range
• Lancashire Games Some eastern Renaissance figures
• Outpost Wargame Services Crusade period Islamic Range
• QRF Models Freikorps Medieval a& Renaissance Turkish range
• Khurasan Miniatures - their Ghilmen cavalry maybe suitable to add to an Ottoman army?
• Legio Heroica 1683 Vienna range also suitable for earlier.
• Falcon Figures Now moved to the US these were once cast in the UK - Ottoman range

Links

• Link text goes here more words go here

Tactics

• Either have loads of guns and shoot a lot, or...
• overwhelm the enemy with loads of shooty cavalry. The theory here is that most 800 pt armies I have seen so far usually only have 5-6 units of cav, you have double that.

( There is an interesting option with maximising the MF Janissaries with musket and sword - if you can DISR enemy Pike and Shotte the sword will come into play and give the Janissaries a melee advantage

• The unit of Elite Cavalry is a bit of a given too
• Taking the LF means you can shoot through them with your own guns, and on occasion they may allow you to generate additional hits against enemy units being pounded by your guns

Lists

Name and Date
Later (post 1630) Ottoman used at Usk 2013

• 6 Janissaries Musket/Sword, Average
• 6 Janissaries Musket/Sword, Average
• 4 Cv, Bw/Sw Unarmoured, Average
• 4 Cv, Carbine, Sword, Average
• 6 Janissaries Musket/Sword, Average
• 6 Janissaries Musket/Sword, Average
• 6 Azabs Musket, Average
• 6 Azabs Musket, Average
• 6 Janissaries Musket/Sword, Average
• 6 LF, Musket
• 4 Superior Cv, carbine, Sword, Armoured
• 4 Superior Cv, carbine, Sword, Armoured
• 4 Elite Carbine/Sw Cavalry
• 2 Gunnes
• 2 Gunnes

Later Ottoman Turkish & Tranyslvanian Allies
Alasdair Harley & Paddy Bray
Oxford, 900AP

• 1 Qapu Kulu Sapahis Cavalry Armoured Superior Bow Sword 4
• 2 Qapu Kulu Sapahis Cavalry Armoured Superior Bow Sword 4
• 3 Qapu Kulu Sapahis Cavalry Armoured Superior Bow Sword 4
• 4 Janissaries MF Unarmoured Average Musket Sword 6
• 5 Anatolian Sapahis Cavalry Unarmoured Average Bow Sword 4
• 6 Rumelian Sapahis Cavalry Unarmoured Average Bow Sword 4
• 7 Balkan Sharpshooters LF Unarmoured Average Musket 4
• 8 Azabs MF Unarmoured Average Bow 6
• 9 Artillery Artillery Average Hvy Art 2
• 10 Artillery Artillery Average Hvy Art 2
• 11 Artillery Artillery Average Hvy Art 2
• 12 Tranyslvanian Hussars LH Unarmoured Average Carbine 4
• 13 Tranyslvanian Hussars LH Unarmoured Average Carbine Pistol 4
• 14 Tranyslvanian Szeklers Cavalry Armoured Superior Carbine Pistol 4
• 15 Tranyslvanian Gendarmes Gendarme Hvy Armd Superior Lancer Sword 4
• 16 Balkan Sharpshooters LF Unarmoured Average Musket 4

800AP list

• Fc, 2 x TC
• 2 x Qapu Khalqi Sipahis 4x Cv/Arm/Sup/Carbine/Sword
• 2 x Anatolian Sipahis 4x Cv/arm/av/Bow/Sword
• 2 x Anatolian Sipahis 4x Cv/Unarm/Ave/Bow/Sword
• 3 x Roumelian Sipahis 4x Cv/Unarm/Ave/Carbine/Sword
• 3 x Jannisaries 6x MF/Unarm/Ave/Musket/Sword
• 1x Tufeckis 6x MF/Unarm/Ave/Musket
• Artillery 2x Medium Artillery
• 10 FF

800AP list

• CinC GC
• Subs 3xTC
• 8x FF
• Other Balkan Cavalry 4x LH/Unarm/Ave/Lt Lance, Sword
• Other Balkan Cavalry 4x LH/Unarm/Ave/Lt Lance, Sword
• Balkan Sharpshooters 4x LF/Unarm/Ave/Musket
• Anatolian Sharpshooters 4x LF/Unarm/Ave/Musket
• Artillery 2x Heavy Artillery
• Artillery 2x Heavy Artillery
• Artillery 2x Medium Artillery
• Azaps 6x MF/Unarm/Poor/Bow
• Tufeckis 6x MF/Unarm/Ave/Musket
• Qapu Khalqi Sipahis 4x Cv/Arm/Sup/Carbine/Sword
• Anatolian Sipahis 4x Cv/Unarm/Ave/Bow/Sword
• Roumelian Sipahis 4x Cv/Unarm/Ave/Carbine/Sword
• Jannisaries 6x MF/Unarm/Ave/Musket/Sword
• Jannisaries 6x MF/Unarm/Sup/Musket/Sword

Books