Question

"The conscription process began upon the request for a new levy by the yeniceri agasi (chief of the janissaries). Such a decree was issued every three to four years indicating the number of boys needed and the places of recruitment. Once this was done, specially appointed janissary officers were sent to Christian villages where they asked village priests for a list of baptized boys. Those who tried to hide children from the officers were strictly punished. Villagers sometimes attempted to prevent the village boys from being conscripted by falsifying baptism registers, circumcising them, or declaring them married."
Gulay Yilmaz, "Becoming a Devshirme: The Training of Conscripted
Children in the Ottoman Empire"
The passage is best seen as evidence of which of the following?
a. The devshirmes significantly expanded on Islamic contributions in the arts and trades.
b. The use of devshirmes weakened the fighting strength of the Balkans' Janissary corps.
c. The use of devshirmes ran counter to the policy of Islamic accommodation in the Balkans.
d. The devshirmes were part of a concerted Muslim effort to convert all non-Muslims in the Balkans.

Answer 1

According to question, the use of Devshirmes weakened the fighting strength of the Balkans' Janissary corps is correct.

Option B is correct.

Devshirme is the systematic collection of non-Muslim boys or young men from rural Christian populations in the Balkans by Ottomans; the boys were taken to Istanbul, converted to Islam, and educated for military or religious professions.

The Devshirme system was established in the late 14th century. Christian boys were coerced into serving the Ottoman government. The boys were generally taken from the Balkan provinces, converted to Islam, and then subjected to a battery of tests to assess their intelligence and capabilities.

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