Six Divisions of Cavalry

The Six Divisions of Cavalry (Turkish: Altı Bölük Halkı), also known as the Kapıkulu Süvarileri ("Household Slave Cavalry"), was a corps of elite cavalry soldiers in the army of the Ottoman Empire (Sipahi). There were not really six, but four, divisions in the corps. Two of the six were sub-divisions. The divisions were:

• Sipāhiyān (Ottoman Turkish: سپاهيان, roughly, "Armymen")
• Silah-dārān (From Persian, translated roughly as "weaponbearers")
• Ulufeciyān (Turkish: Ulufeciler; translated as "stipendiaries"), organised into two sub-divisions:
  • Ulufecis of the Left (Ottoman Turkish: علوفه جي يسار)
  • Ulufecis of the Right (Ottoman Turkish: علوفه جي يمين)
• Garibān (Turkish: Garipler; translated roughly as "strangers"), organised into two sub-divisions:
  • Garips of the Left
  • Garips of the Right

The elite cavalry was the mounted counterpart to the Janissaries and played an important part in the Ottoman army. The Six Divisions were probably founded during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1451–1481), but the Sipahis had existed since 1326.

Sources

• Uyar, Mesut; Erickson, Edward J. (2009). A Military History of the Ottomans: From Osman to Atatürk. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-275-98876-0.

See also

• Military of the Ottoman Empire