The Auspicious Incident (Vaka-i Hayriye) refers to the dramatic destruction of the Ottoman Janissary corps by Sultan Mahmud II on June 15, 1826. Though violent and tragic, the event was labeled “auspicious” because it removed a powerful obstacle to reform and allowed the Ottoman Empire to begin building a modern army suited to the challenges of the nineteenth century.
The Janissaries were originally founded in the late fourteenth century as elite household troops of the Ottoman sultans. Recruited through the devshirme system and trained under strict discipline, they were among the most professional and effective soldiers in Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Promotion within their ranks was largely merit-based, not hereditary or tribal, giving the Ottomans access to a deep and highly capable pool of military talent. This system played a crucial role in the empire’s rapid territorial expansion and long period of military dominance.
Over time, however, success bred complacency. By the early seventeenth century, the Janissaries had become acutely aware of their own importance and began to use their power for personal and political gain. They gained the right to marry, own property, and operate businesses, blurring the line between soldiers and civilians. Their growing wealth and influence allowed them to dominate politics, intimidate officials, and even depose sultans through palace coups. Military innovation, especially European-style reforms, threatened their privileged position and was consistently resisted.
The first Janissary revolt occurred in 1449, when they successfully demanded higher wages. From that point onward, each new sultan felt compelled to reward them with bonuses and pay increases. This pattern of appeasement encouraged further corruption and indiscipline, echoing the decline of similar elite forces such as Rome’s Praetorian Guard or Russia’s Streltsy. By the early nineteenth century, the Janissaries were widely viewed as a disruptive, outdated force that weakened the state rather than defending it.
The crisis came in June 1826, when the Janissaries revolted in Constantinople against Sultan Mahmud II’s attempt to form a new, Western-trained army. This time, the sultan responded decisively. Loyal troops and artillery bombarded the Janissary barracks, killing thousands. Estimates suggest that between 6,000 and more than 20,000 Janissaries were executed, imprisoned, or exiled, and the corps was formally abolished throughout the empire.
In the aftermath, Mahmud II established the Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye (“Victorious Soldiers of Muhammad”), a modern standing army modeled on European lines. The Auspicious Incident thus marked a turning point: the violent end of an obsolete institution and a crucial step toward Ottoman military and administrative modernization.
The Auspicious Incident and the End of the Janissaries
