A Contribution to the Military Revolution Debate

The Janissaries Use of Volley Fire during the Long Ottoman-Habsburg WaroOf 1593-1606 and the Problem of Origins

Bibliographic Data

ID9290665
AuthorsGünhan Börekç (corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume59
Issue4
Pages407-438
Publication date2006-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueActa Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0001-6446 • E-ISSN: 1588-2667
PublisherAkadémiai Kiadó (PUBLISHER • HU)
DOI10.1556/aorient.59.2006.4.2
OpenAlexW1988422648
LanguageEN
Citations received22
References cited7

According to proponents of the “Military Revolution” theory, musketry volley fire was among the military innovations that fundamentally altered early modern field warfare. The origins of European volley fire date back to the 1590s, but no western army, with the possible exception of the Dutch in 1600, was able to use this tactic in action until the 1620s. Furthermore, it has been thus far assumed that the Ottomans failed to adopt this new tactic and thus experienced setbacks in the face of their European adversaries during this period. By utilising hitherto overlooked Ottoman narrative and visual sources, this article first shows that the Janissaries were indeed using volley fire in action in 1605, and possibly before. Secondly, it raises questions about the origins of Ottoman volley fire, which are currently unclear. Overall, the Janissaries' use of this tactic during the Long War not only affects our understanding of Ottoman warfare but also necessitates a reassessment of the patterns of invention and diffusion of military innovations in the early modern period

Ancient history · Classics · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical and Architectural Studies · Historical Studies on Spain · History

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