The traditional conscription method for the janissary army was the devshirme system (levying the sons of Christian subjects of the empire). This system was not only an enforced conscription that enslaved the levies but also a successful assimilation and identity-formation process. In an early-modern world, assimilation was not necessarily required loosing contact with the origins, on the contrary the Ottomans levied boys from the families who had ruled the people in the areas they conquered, however, they generally adapted to their Ottoman identity. During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the Ottomans employed the new warfare technology which necessitated bigger armies. Intense recruitment of Muslims into the janissary army generated a totally new manpower base. In modern literature, the emphasis has been on the impact of this transformation on the Ottoman society. This article highlights its affects particularly on the devshirme system. My research reveals that, the ages of the levied boys increased from the average 13.5 to 16.5. According to a seventeenth century register, almost half of the levied boys were aged 18 to 20 years-old. The practice of hiring levies out to Turkish families, which was the backbone of training the levies, began to fall out. The article argues that with these changes the Ottomans abandoned the assimilation project. 

Keywords: Janissaries - Ottoman army - Devshirme - Children - Childhood - Early modern armies - Levied soldiers