Memoirs of a Janissary / Konstantin Mihailovic ; edited by Svat Soucek ; translated by Benjamin Stolz.
Michałowicz, Konstanty, approximately 1435-; Soucek, Svatopluk.; Stolz, Benjamin A., translator.
2011
DR439 .M5613 2011 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection

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Title
Memoirs of a Janissary / Konstantin Mihailovic ; edited by Svat Soucek ; translated by Benjamin Stolz.
Author
Michałowicz, Konstanty, approximately 1435-
Uniform Title
Pamiętniki janczara. English
Edition
1st Markus Wiener Publishers ed.
ISBN
9781558765313 paperback alkaline paper
155876531X paperback alkaline paper
9781558765306 hardcover alkaline paper
1558765301 hardcover alkaline paper
Publication Details
Princeton, NJ : Markus Wiener Publishers, 2011.
Language
English
Language Note
Translated from the Czech.
Description
xxviii, 157 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Call Number
DR439 .M5613 2011
Dewey Decimal Classification
949.71/013092 B
Summary
Konstantin Mihailović, born a Christian Serb in the early 15th century, was kidnapped by Ottoman Turks and brought to Anatolia, where he was trained as a Janissary--the elite corps of the Ottoman army made up entirely of converted Christian boys. As a Janissary, Konstantin was an eyewitness to important events such as Sultan Mehmet II's sieges of Belgrade and Constantinople in 1453 and the campaign against Count Dracula. In 1463, his garrison of Janissaries was captured by the Hungarian king, and he opportunistically redeclared his Christian faith. He drew on his unique first-hand experience with the Turks to write his memoirs, which became a "bestseller" in Central and Eastern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. These memoirs were published as a cautionary tale about the heathen customs of the Turks, and as a guide to military practices and customs of the Turkish army. One reason for its success was that the Turks had not only overrun the Balkans but also threatened the heart of Europe with sieges of Vienna between 1529 and 1683. Mihailović provides salient details of Turkish military subterfuge, the Turks' disregard for truce agreements, and their shocking actions during the battles and beyond, including the standard beheading of the captured kings. The siege and conquest of Constantinople and Trebizond reads like a chronicle of treachery, yet also of military genius. Mihailović describes magnificent court scenes and encounters with the great Khans of the Tatars and with Hungarian and Serbian kings, as well as scenes from daily life in the Ottoman Empire. -- Back cover.
Note
English translation reprinted from bilingual ed., originally published by: Ann Arbor : Dept. of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan, 1975.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Added Author
Soucek, Svatopluk.
Stolz, Benjamin A., translator.
Record Appears in
On-Campus Resources > Books
All Resources
I. Concerning the Ignoble Heathens
- II. Concerning Mohammed and His Helper Ali
- III. How the Heathens Are in Regard to Their Temples and Religion
- IV. Concerning the Second Temple
- V. Concerning the Second Sermon
- VI. Concerning Their Councils
- VII. What the Heathens Call in Their Language the Angels
- VIII. Concerning Turkish and Heathen Justice
- IX. Concerning the Ancestors of the Turkish Emperor
- X. Concerning the Rule of His Son Mustaffa
- XI. Concerning Aladin, Mustaffaʹs Son
- XII. Concerning Morat, Aladinʹs Son
- XIII. Concerning Sultan, Moratʹs Son
- XIV. Concerning the Greek Emperor
- XV. Concerning Godʹs Punishment for Our Sins
- XVI. How It Went in the Serbian or Raskan Kingdom
- XVII. Concerning the Reign of Emperor Baiazit
- XVIII. Concerning the Great Khan and His Rule
- XIX. Concerning the Great Khan and Emperor Morat
- XX. Concerning the Reign of Emperor Morat
- XXI. How King Vladislav Marched with the Despot against the Turkish Emperor Morat
- XXII. Concerning the Turkish Emperor Morat: How He Fared Later
- XXIII. Concerning King Vladislav: How His Majesty Fared Later Against the Heathens
- XXIV. How Voivode Janko Marched Against the Turks
- XXV. Concerning the Rule of Emperor Machomet
- XXVI. How Emperor Machomet Deceived the Greek Emperor
- XXVII. How Emperor Machomet Deceived Despot Đurađ
- XXVIII. What Happened to the Despot at the Hands of Janko
- XXIX. How Emperor Machomet Attacked Belgrade but Gained Nothing
- XXX. How Emperor Machomet Deceived the Morean Despot Dimitri
- XXXI. How Emperor Machomet Marched Against Trebizond
- XXXII. Concerning Uzun Hasan, the Tatar Lord
- XXXIII. Concerning the Wallachian Voivode Dracula
- XXXIV. How the Bosnian King Tomas Sent to the Turkish Emperor Concerning a Truce
- XXXV. How Emperor Machomet Marched Back to Bosnia
- XXXVI. How Emperor Machomet Ordered a Lord to Count the Imperial Treasure
- XXXVII. How the Two Brothers Dealt with Each Other
- XXXVIII. Concerning the Organization of All Turkish Lands
- XXXIX. Concerning the Organization of the Imperial Court
- XL. Concerning Pitched Battle or Warfare
- XLI. Concerning Organization: Whoever Wishes to Fight with the Turks
- XLII. Concerning the Turkish Raiders or Cossacks
- XLIII. Concerning the Sarachori
- XLIV. Concerning the Martalusy
- XLV. Concerning the Organization of a Turkish Assault
- XLVI. Concerning the Christians Who Are under the Turks
- XLVII. Concerning Turkish Expansion
- XLVIII. How the Turkish Emperor Presents Himself at His Court
- XLIX. The Imperial Names in the Turkish Language
- L. Concerning the Unity of Two Most Illustrious and High-Born Kings.

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