Misplaced Pages

#134865

60-977: A variant of the term " sipahi " was also applied by colonial authorities to several cavalry units serving in the French and Italian colonial armies during the 19th and 20th centuries (see Spahi ). The word is derived from Persian and means "soldier" and is also transliterated as spahi and spahee ; rendered in other languages as: spahiu in Albanian and Romanian , sepuh (սեպուհ) in Armenian , spahis ( Σπαχής ) in Greek , spahija or spahiya in Serbo-Croatian , Bulgarian , and Macedonian ( Cyrillic : спахија , спахия ): in Bengali [sipāhī] " sepoy " (সিপাহী). The Portuguese version

120-505: A portmanteau of the words squire and parson . The squire would also have performed a number of important local duties, in particular that of Justice of the Peace or Member of Parliament. Such was the power of the squires at this time that modern historians have created the term 'squirearchy'. Politically, during the 19th century, squires tended to be Tories , whereas the greatest landlords tended to be Whigs . The position of squire

180-576: A gentleman but below a knight . In the modern world, the term has correspondingly often been extended (albeit only in very formal writing) to all men without any higher title. It is used post-nominally, usually in abbreviated form: "John Smith, Esq.", for example. In the United States , this style is most common among lawyers , borrowing from the English tradition whereby all barristers were styled "esquires". ( Solicitors were entitled only to

240-577: A paletot which was only worn by them. This garment was worn throughout the First World War, and is useful in positively identifying Troupes Coloniales in photographs, as specifically distinct from troops of the Metropolitan Army who did not wear this garment. As with the rest of the army, they adopted horizon blue uniforms in 1915, subsequent to the notice of 9 December 1914. Towards the end of, and after, World War I khaki became

300-441: A salacco headdress and blue, white or khaki drill clothing based on local patterns. After World War I khaki became the normal dress for indigenous troops, although sashes and fezzes continued to be worn for parade until the 1950s. The modern Troupes de Marine are distinguished in full dress by dark blue kepis with red piping and bronze anchor badges, red sashes and yellow fringed epaulettes. These traditional items are worn with

360-712: A battle was to be fought in Europe, Rumeli (Balkan) Sipahis took the honorary right flank under the Rumeli beylerbey, while the Anatolian beylerbey and his Sipahis took the left flank; when a battle was in Asia, positions were switched. This way, the Ottoman classical army 's flanks wholly consisted of Timariot cavalry, while the center consisted of Janissary infantry and artillery divisions. The equipment and tactics differed between

420-541: A character in her novel Silas Marner . One of the main characters of Anthony Trollope 's Doctor Thorne , published in 1858, is Squire Francis Newbold Gresham. Sherlock Holmes ' ancestors are mentioned to be country squires in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. The "Royal Esquires" of the late-medieval English Court were not young men studying for knighthood. Far more frequently, and certainly from Edward III to Henry VIII , they tended to be men of

480-519: A janissary ever became a silahtar, other members of the division with cavalry backgrounds despised him and former comrade janissaries considered him a traitor, but because the position and wealth of a silahtar was so attractive, Janissaries and other soldiers still enlisted for suicide missions. The commander of the Silahtar division was the Silahtar Agha . He was the official weaponsmaster of

540-474: A reputation for toughness and professionalism. Whether French or indigenous they were, for the most part, long service regulars and as such comprised a genuine elite. The Marine Infantry , Marine Parachute , Artillery and Engineer units remain as a distinct branch within the modern French Army . Squire In the Middle Ages , a squire was the shield - or armour -bearer of a knight . Use of

600-583: A similar age to the monarch ; having his complete trust. In the 15th-century Black Book of the Household – a set of ordinances composed for Edward IV for the "Governance and Regulation of the Royal Household" – the king had only four "Esquires for the Bodie"; these were the most senior servants in the royal household, with total access to the royal person at all hours. They were the senior staff of

660-606: A squire included: The young King Arthur served as Sir Kay 's squire in the traditional tale of the Sword in the Stone that appears in literary works, including Le Morte d'Arthur and The Once and Future King . One of the pilgrim-storytellers in The Canterbury Tales is a squire who is the son of the knight that he serves. In Miguel de Cervantes ' Don Quixote , the babbling Sancho Panza serves as squire of

SECTION 10

#1732773166135

720-679: Is also sipaio (with variants like sipai , cipaio and cipai ), but in Spanish it was adapted as cipayo . The word sepoy is derived from the same Persian word sepāhī . In Maldivian , the army's soldiers are referred to as {ސިފައިން} "sifain". The term refers to all freeborn Ottoman Turkish mounted troops other than akıncı and tribal horsemen in the Ottoman army. The word was used almost synonymously with cavalry. The sipahis formed two distinct types of cavalry: feudal-like, provincial timarlı sipahi ( timariots ) which consisted most of

780-477: The Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485, and an extra five esquires by the end of his reign in 1509. His son Henry VIII retained his father's esquires of the body while dismissing others of his father's senior officers and even executing some (for example, Richard Empson and Edmund Dudley ), but he vastly increased the number of that select group, as he enlarged the rest of the royal household as set down in

840-699: The Old French escuier (modern French écuyer ), itself derived from the Late Latin scutarius ("shield bearer"), in medieval or Old English a scutifer . The Classical Latin equivalent was armiger ("arms bearer"). The most common definition of squire refers to the Middle Ages. A well-known squire was Juleseth Von Lichtenstein, the squire of the famous Lord West. Lord West and his squire were famous for dominating many battles, and providing medical cures for deadly illnesses. A squire

900-588: The Troupes de la Marine became the Troupes Coloniales in 1900 and photographs of mehariste (camel corps) troopers taken in the 1950s show anchor badges even in the Mauritanian desert far from the sea. In 1961 the title of Troupes de Marine was readopted after a brief period (1958–61) as Troupes d'Outre-Mer (Overseas Forces). As the remaining French African territories became independent in

960-593: The sipahi themselves; they were usually sons, brothers or nephews and their position was probably more similar to squires than men-at-arms. Although timars were not originally granted to their holders until perpetuity (the state inheriting the land at the death of the landholder), by the end of the 17th century estates were passed on from father to son. In wartime, Timarli sipahis and their retainers were gathered under their alay (regiment) beys . Alay-beys were gathered with their troops under sanjak (province) beys, and sanjak-beys gathered under beylerbeys . If

1020-415: The Anatolian and Balkan Timarli Sipahi. The Anatolian Sipahi were equipped and fought as classic horse archers, shooting while galloping, yet they were not nomadic cavalry and their status was similar to medium cavalry class. Balkan Timarli Sipahis wore chainmail, rode barded horses and carried lances and javelins, and fought as medium cavalry. Timarli Sipahis of the classical Ottoman period usually comprised

1080-573: The Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye army as cavalry. Troupes coloniales The Troupes coloniales ("Colonial Troops") or Armée coloniale ("Colonial Army"), commonly called La Coloniale , were the colonial troops of the French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900, these troops were designated as Troupes de marine ("Marine Troops" or just "Marines"), and in 1961 they readopted this name. They were recruited from mainland France and from

1140-972: The French settler as well as indigenous populations of the empire. This force played a substantial role in the conquest of the empire, in World War I , World War II , the First Indochina War and the Algerian War . The Armée coloniale should not be confused with the units of the French Army generally stationed in North Africa such as the Foreign Legion , the Zouave regiments, the Battalions of Light Infantry of Africa or

1200-682: The Ottoman army fought a fluid, mounted type of warfare around the center of the army, which served as a stable pivot. The standard equipment of Rumeli Sipahis of the classical Ottoman period consisted of a round shield, lance, sword, javelins, and plated armour. Their horses were barded. Standard equipment of Anatolian Sipahis in the same era was a round shield, composite Turkish bow , arrows, kilij (Turkish sword), and leather or felt armor. Besides these, Sipahis of both provinces were equipped with bozdogan and şeşper maces , and aydogan , teber and sagir axes. Anatolian Sipahis sometimes also carried lances. Kapikulu Sipahis (Sipahis of

1260-631: The Ottoman army, and salaried, regular kapıkulu sipahi (sipahi of the Porte ), which constituted the cavalry part of the Ottoman household troops. The provincial governors, or beys , were rotated every few years, preventing land inheritance. The provinces, or sanjaks , were not all equal since Anatolia and the Balkans were mostly ruled by Turks, while other areas of the empire were more flexible, adhering, somewhat, to local traditions. The entwinement of land, military, politics, economics and religion

SECTION 20

#1732773166135

1320-550: The Ottoman throne. They weren't literally slaves, though their legal status was different from other Ottoman people. The Sultan had the power to directly command execution of his servants without any court verdict. Theoretically, the Sultan didn't have this kind of power over other people, even simple peasants. If a freeman was promoted to one of Kapikulu Sipahi divisions, he considered automatically switched to kul (servant) status. Equipment of Silahtar, Sipahi and Ulufeci divisions

1380-749: The Porte), also known as the Six Divisions of Cavalry, were household cavalry troops of the Ottoman Palace. They were the cavalry equivalent of the Janissary household infantry force. There were six divisions of Kapikulu Sipahis: Sipahis, Silahtars, Right Ulufecis, Left Ulufecis, Right Garips, and Left Garips. All of them were paid quarterly salaries, while the Sipahis and Silahtars were elite units. Silahtars ("weapon masters") were chosen from

1440-787: The Sipahis played an important part in the disbandment of the Janissary corps . The Sultan received critical assistance from the loyalist Sipahi cavalry in order to forcefully dismiss the infuriated Janissaries. Two years later, however, they shared a similar fate when Sultan Mahmud II revoked their privileges and dismissed them in favor of a more modern military structure. Unlike the Janissaries before them they retired honorably, peacefully, and without bloodshed into new Ottoman cavalry divisions who followed modern military tradition doctrines. Older sipahis were allowed to retire and keep their tımar lands until they died, and younger sipahis joined

1500-526: The Statutes of Eltham. The position was highly regarded, for the value of its close access to the king. At least two notable late-medieval gentlemen are recorded contemporaneously as refusing knighthood, declaring that to be an " Esquire of the Body " was a far-greater honour. In the post-medieval world, the title of esquire came to belong to all men of the higher landed gentry ; an esquire ranked socially above

1560-504: The army as rearguards. They acted as reserve cavalry and bodyguards of Ottoman sultan and viziers . Their job included to join and reinforce Ottoman army's flanks which otherwise consisted entirely provincial timariot sipahis. The Sipahis of the Porte (Kapikulu Sipahis) were founded during the reign of Murad I . The Sipahi eventually became the largest of the six divisions of the Ottoman cavalry. Their duties included mounted body-guarding for

1620-539: The best warriors in the Ottoman Empire. Any Ottoman soldier who committed a significant deed on the battlefield could be promoted to the Silahtar division, although normally members of other mounted units, like Timarli Sipahis or one of the other less prestigious of the four divisions of Kapikulu Sipahis, were promoted this way. Infantry soldiers had to enlist as serdengecti (literally means giver of his head) and survive suicide missions to join Silahtar division. If

1680-437: The bulk of the army and did the majority of the fighting on the battlefield. While infantry troops at the army's center maintained a static battle line, the cavalry flanks constituted its mobile striking arm. During battle, Timarli Sipahi tactics were used, opening the conflict with skirmishes and localized skirmishes with enemy cavalry. Regiments of Timarli Sipahis made charges against weaker or isolated units and retreated back to

1740-560: The deluded Don. In the children's book The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop , the protagonist William serves as the squire of Sir Simon, a knight from the Middle Ages who got transported to the present. In the English countryside from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, there was often one principal family of landed gentry , owning much of the land and living in the largest house, often referred to by people lower down

1800-467: The devşirme. They made great strides of efforts to gain respect within the Ottoman Empire and their political reputation depended on the mistakes of the Janissary. That minor quarrels erupted between the two units is made evident with a Turkmen adage, still used today within Turkey, " Atlı er başkaldırmaz " , which, referring to the unruly Janissaries, translates into "Horsemen don't mutiny" . Towards

1860-487: The eve of World War I the Troupes Coloniales consisted of 42,000 French regulars (of whom approximately 13,000 were posted overseas); plus 50,000 African and Indochinese indigenous troops. Two companies of cipahis ( sepoys ) garrisoned Pondicherry and other French enclaves in British India . These were converted to gendarmerie in 1907 but returned to the Troupes Coloniales in 1921. The precise meaning of

Sipahi - Misplaced Pages Continue

1920-753: The indigenous North African Spahis , Tirailleurs and Goumiers ; all of which were part of the Army of Africa . The North African units date back to 1830 and were brought together as the XIX Army Corps in 1873, forming part of the French Metropolitan Army. Instead the Troupes Coloniales can be divided into: All colonial troops ( la Coloniale or the Colonial) came under a single General Staff. The troupes coloniales were predominantly infantry but included artillery units as well as

1980-455: The late 1950s and early 1960s, the tirailleurs were discharged, usually to join their new national armies. In 1964, the 7th Regiment of Tirailleurs, formed in 1913 as the 7e Régiment de tirailleurs Algériens was redesigned the 170e Régiment d'Infanterie. The various "Tirailleurs Indochinois" regiments were dispersed by the Japanese coup of 10 March 1945 and were not reformed. On 1 May 1994, in

2040-553: The main body of troops whenever confronted with heavy cavalry. During one regiment's retreat, other regiments of sipahis may have charged the chasing enemy's flanks. Such tactics served to draw enemy cavalry away from infantry support, break their cohesion, and isolate and overwhelm them with numerical superiority. Anatolian Sipahis had the ability to harass and provoke opposing troops with arrow shots. More heavily equipped Balkan Sipahis carried javelins for protection against enemy horsemen during their tactical retreats. All cavalry flanks of

2100-478: The members of two Ulufeci divisions weren't granted timar fiefs. Garip means "poor ones" (because their equipment was lighter compared to the other four divisions) and were paid salaries. The six divisions of Sipahis represented the Kapikulu cavalry in the same way that the Janissaries represented the Kapikulu infantry. Kapikulu means servant of the Porte. Servants of the Porte (Kapikullari) were legally servants of

2160-466: The middle of the 16th century, the Janissaries had started to gain more importance in the army, though the Sipahis remained an important factor in the empire's bureaucracy, economy and politics, and a crucial aspect of disciplined leadership within the army. As late as the 17th century, the Sipahis were, together with their rivals the Janissaries, the de facto rulers in the early years of sultan Murad IV 's reign. In 1826, after an evident Janissary revolt

2220-523: The norm for all colonial troops in contrast to the horizon blue of the metropolitan conscripts. The blue dress uniform was however restored for French personnel who enlisted as volunteers in either the Colonial Infantry or Colonial Artillery, from 1928 to 1939. Tirailleur regiments in Africa wore red fezes and sashes with dark blue, or khaki uniforms until 1914. The Indo-Chinese units wore

2280-638: The novel Tom Jones by Henry Fielding , who was himself a squire and magistrate. There is also a notable squire in Cormac McCarthy's Outer Dark and Charles Reade 's 1856 novel It is Never Too Late to Mend , where the squire uses his authority to abuse the postal and judicial services. In the Aubrey-Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian , Jack Aubrey's father, General Aubrey and later Jack himself, are typical squires. Mary Ann Evans , alias George Eliot , includes Squire Cass as

2340-599: The other lesser servants of the privy chamber and acted as his valet, and stood guard while he was shaved, washed or bathed. One stood behind his chair when he dined. Squires accompanied him at play, including wagering with him on the results of games (see wagers lost and won recorded in the account books of Henry VII , each page signed by the king, National Archives at Kew ) and delivered confidential messages of all kinds. Edward IV and Richard III only appointed four esquires each. Henry VII appointed four of his closest "companions of Our late Exile" within days of his victory at

2400-475: The palace and a close personal aide of the sultan, helping him to don his armor. He was also a liaison officer who supervised the communication between the sultan and the grand vizier . The Sipahi division was the most prestigious of the six divisions. Traditionally, sons of Ottoman élite (sons of Vezirs, Pashas and Beys) served in this unit. The Sipahis and Silahtars were granted timar fiefs near Istanbul, alongside their salaries. Ulufeci means "salaried ones", and

2460-408: The people in their timar, enlisting and training cebelu soldiers for the army. A timar was the smallest unit of land held by a Sipahi, providing a yearly revenue of no more than 20,000 akçe , which was between two and four times what a teacher earned. A ziamet ( زعامت ) was a larger unit of land, yielding up to 100,000 akçe, and was owned by Sipahis of officer rank. A has ( خاص )

Sipahi - Misplaced Pages Continue

2520-488: The presence of veterans of the armée d'Afrique, légionnaires, spahis, zouaves and artilleurs, the 170e Régiment d'Infanterie was redesignated as the 1er Régiment de Tirailleurs. It wears the insignia and bears the honors and traditions of the old 1er régiment de tirailleurs Algériens, which was disbanded in 1964. Throughout their changing titles and roles the French Troupes de Marine or Troupes coloniales retained

2580-475: The privy chamber, and the closest of the king's "Affinity" (i.e., his most intimate daily companions), and were the only servants in the household who were required – not just allowed – to bear arms in the king's presence, as one of their duties was to act as bodyguards "of last resort" in the event of an immediate threat to the royal person. In times of war when their royal master was "under arms" himself, they would also fight at his side. They oversaw his pages and

2640-716: The prohibitive costs associated with maintaining large country houses . In Scotland , whilst esquire and gentleman are technically correctly used at the Court of the Lord Lyon , the title laird , in place of squire, is more common. Moreover, in Scotland, lairds append their territorial designation to their names as was traditionally done on the mainland of Europe ( e.g. , Donald Cameron of Lochiel). The territorial designation fell into disuse in England early on, save for peers of

2700-721: The realm . The later form of squire as a gentleman appears in much of English literature , for example in the form of Squire Trelawney in Robert Louis Stevenson 's Treasure Island . William Makepeace Thackeray depicted a squire in Vanity Fair as a lecherous, ill-educated, badly mannered relic of an earlier age. However, he clearly shows their control of the life of the parish. Others include Squire Hamley in Elizabeth Gaskell 's Wives and Daughters and Squire Allworthy (based on Ralph Allen ) in

2760-474: The red epaulettes and red trousers of the line infantry). On colonial service white, dark blue or light khaki uniforms were worn with topees , according to circumstances. Between 1895 and 1905 a light blue/grey ( bleu mecanicien ) uniform was worn for field dress in Africa and Indo China (see photograph opposite). From 1873 onwards, the Troupes Coloniales wore a double-breasted tunic, known as

2820-426: The small army, dedicated to serving the sultan. The sipahi did not inherit anything, preventing power centres from growing and threatening the supreme power structure. The locals on the timar used the land and all it produced. The "Timarli Sipahi" or "timariot" ( tımarlı ) was the holder of a fief of land ( تيمار tîmâr ) granted directly by the Ottoman sultan or with his official permission by beylerbeys . He

2880-419: The social scale as the "big house". The head of this family was often the lord of the manor and called "the squire". Lords of the manor held the rank of esquire by prescription. Squires were gentlemen, usually with a coat of arms , and were often related to peers . The squire usually lived at the village manor house and owned an estate , comprising the village, with the villagers being his tenants. If

2940-453: The squire owned the advowson or living (i.e. "was patron ") of the parish church — and he often did — he would choose the incumbent, designated as either a rector , or if the parish had a lay rector or impropriator , who was often the squire himself, a vicar . These roles were often filled by a younger son of the squire or of another family of local gentry. Some squires also became parish incumbents themselves and were known as squarsons;

3000-519: The standard light beige or camouflage dress of the modern French Army on ceremonial occasions. From 1822 to 1900 these troops, both French and indigenous, had been designated as Troupes de Marine , though they were not directly linked to the French Navy . Both services were however administered by the Ministre de la Marine and shared an anchor badge. This insignia continued to be worn after

3060-487: The sultan and his family, as well as parade-riding with the sultan, having replaced the earlier Silahtar division for this duty. Since Kapikulu Sipahis were a cavalry regiment, it was well known within the Ottoman military circles that they considered themselves a superior stock of soldiers than Janissaries , who were sons of Christian peasants from the Balkans (Rumelia), and were officially slaves bounded by various laws of

SECTION 50

#1732773166135

3120-423: The term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a "squire", and still later, the term was applied to members of the landed gentry . In contemporary American usage, "squire" is the title given to justices of the peace or similar local dignitaries. Squire is a shortened version of the word esquire , from

3180-526: The terms "colonial troops", "colonial army", marine troops or "troops of the French colonies" has changed several times since the 18th century: Colony troops: Regular regiments of the Royal Army assigned to colonial service: The European Colonial Infantry and Colonial Artillery regiments were, until 1914, uniformed in a similar style to their metropolitan counterparts (although the former had yellow fringed epaulettes and medium blue trousers instead of

3240-578: The usual support services. At various dates they also included locally recruited cavalry units in Indo-China as well as camel troops in sub-Saharan Africa . Across the French colonial possessions in 1914, a total of up to 25,000 native auxiliaries served as civil guards, militia or gendarmes . While officered and partially administered by the Colonial Army these para-military units did not serve outside their territories of recruitment. On

3300-406: Was plated mail , chainmail, round shield, sword , composite bow, arrows, lance, bozdogan mace and axe. Their equipment was similar to Rumeli (Balkan) provincial Timarli Sipahis, though they wore brilliant fabrics, prominent hats and bore ornamented polearms. The two Garip divisions were more lightly equipped. In the classical period Ottoman battle formation, Kapikulu Sipahis were positioned back of

3360-423: Was a way of life. The timar system, where the sultan owned all land but individual plots of land, came with residential rights. The Ottoman people had rights to the land but the sipahi , a unique kind of military aristocracy and cavalry portion of the military, also lived on the land with the farmers (90% of the population) and collected tax revenues, usually in-kind, to subsidize the costs of training and equipping

3420-530: Was entitled to all of the income from that land, in return for military service. The peasants on the land were subsequently attached thereto. Timarli Sipahis' status resembled that of the knights of medieval Europe . Unlike medieval knights, they were not legally owners of their fiefs. The right to govern and collect taxes in a timar fief was merely given to a Timarli Sipahi by the Ottoman State. And in return, tımarli sipahis were responsible for security of

3480-407: Was the largest unit of land, giving revenues of more than 100,000 akçe, and was only held by the highest-ranking members of the military. A tîmâr Sipahi was obliged to provide the army with up to five armed retainers ( cebelu ), a ziamet Sipahi with up to twenty, and a has Sipahi with far more than twenty. The cebelu (meaning "armed, armored") were expected to be mounted and fully equipped as

3540-460: Was traditionally associated with occupation of the manor house, which would often itself confer the dignity of squire. It is unclear how widely the village squire may still be said to survive today, but where it does, the role is likely more dependent upon a recognition of lineage and long family association rather than land, which, while relevant, is nowadays likely to be considerably smaller than in former years due to high post-war death duties and

3600-448: Was typically a young boy, training to become a knight. A boy became a page at the age of 7 then a squire at age 14. Squires were the second step to becoming a knight, after having served as a page . Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. The squire would sometimes carry the knight's flag into battle with his master. The typical jobs of

#134865