Sipahi
Sign in to saveThe sipahi (, , ) were professional cavalrymen of the Ottoman Empire. Sipahi units included the land grant–holding (timar) provincial timarli sipahi, which constituted most of the army, and the salaried regular kapikulu sipahi, or palace troops. However, the irregular light cavalry ("raiders") were not considered to be . The sipahi formed their own distinctive social classes and were rivals to the Janissaries, the elite infantry corps of the sultans.
Key facts
- Military unit.unit_name
- Sipahi
- Military unit.native_name
- Spahiç (Balkans)
- Military unit.image
- Ottoman Sipahi, Melchior Lorch.jpg
- Military unit.image_size
- 250px
- Military unit.caption
- A 16th-century engraving of a sipahi, by Melchior Lorck
- Military unit.dates
- 15th–19th centuries
- Military unit.country
- Ottoman Empire
- Military unit.allegiance
- Ottoman Empire
- Military unit.branch
- Cavalry
- Military unit.equipment
- Kilij, shield, lance, and bow
- Military unit.identification_symbol
- 100px
- Military unit.identification_symbol_2
- 60px
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Timarli sipahi
- Kapikulu Sipahis
- Rivalry with the Janissary corps
- Notable individuals
- Legacy
- In popular culture
- See also
- Annotations
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
The sipahi (, , ) were professional cavalrymen of the Ottoman Empire. Sipahi units included the land grant–holding (timar) provincial timarli sipahi, which constituted most of the army, and the salaried regular kapikulu sipahi, or palace troops. However, the irregular light cavalry ("raiders") were not considered to be . The sipahi formed their own distinctive social classes and were rivals to the Janissaries, the elite infantry corps of the sultans.
The sipahi held a state-owned land tenure known as timar in exchange for tax collection, security, and active military service.