The Kapıkulu Cavalry () or Sipahis of the Porte, was a corps of elite imperial cavalry guards in the army of the Ottoman Empire. There were not really six, but four, divisions in the corps. Two of the six were sub-divisions.
The elite cavalry was the mounted counterpart to the Janissaries and played an important part in the Ottoman army serving as guards for the Sultan on the battlefield and breaking through main lines to secure decisive victories.
The Kapıkulu Cavalry formed the cavalry branch of the Kapıkulu army, which also included the Janissaries, the infantry branch.
Regiments
The Porte's cavalry regiments were called "men" or "people of the six regiments" (). Although the term sipahi ("horsemen") was used for these units, it was generally used for the feudal cavalry, the Timarli sipahi.
- Kapıkulu Sipahi ("household slave soldiers"), elite cavalry.
- Silahdars (From Persian, translated roughly as "weaponbearers")
- Ulufeci (; translated as "stipendiaries"), organised into two sub-divisions:
- ()
- ()
- Garips (; translated roughly as "strangers"), organised into two sub-divisions:
- Garips of the Left
Sources
See also
- Military of the Ottoman Empire