Organization and transformation in the service units of Ottoman army: Cebeci corps

The focus of Ottoman historical studies examining the last quarter of the XVIth century and the first half of the XVIIth century, which is considered to be a period of "depression" or "transformation," has been on the Ottoman military organization, warfare styles, and social reflections. These studies have attempted to analyze the subject through the combatant classes such as janissaries, sipahis with fiefs, sekban/levent brigade, and the umera household. However, in order to analyze the transformation of the Ottoman army and its social reflections more accurately, it is essential to examine the non-combatant classes, which occupied an important place in terms of quality and quantity within the army composition. Due to this deficiency in the literature, this study will reveal the organization of the Cebeci Corps, one of the leading non-combatant classes, in the 16th century in light of the sources of the period and reveal how it underwent a transformation with the developments from the end of the century onwards. Thus, this study will not only contribute to the limited literature on non-combatant classes but will also provide a broader perspective on the transformation of the Ottoman army and society.