TURKISH HEADQUARTERS

In the 17th century, the Turkish Ottoman army took part in numerous armed conflicts, such as the war with the Commonwealth (1672-1676) or the war with Austria, and later the Holy League (1683-1699). Of course, commanders, leaders and officers played a significant role in this army. Theoretically, the Turkish army was headed by a sultan in the 17th century, but in that century the army was led almost exclusively by Mehmed IV (reigned 1648-1687), so the situation was different than during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent or the 15th century sultans. Grand viziers, who can be compared to a chancellor or prime minister in a European country, played a significant role in the command structures of the Turkish army in the 17th century. First of all, viziers from the family should be mentioned here Köprülich - for example Ahmed Köprülü, who lost the Battle of Szentgotthard (1664) - but also Kara Mustafa, who unsuccessfully commanded the Battle of Vienna (1683). In addition to the sultan and the grand vizier, the field was often commanded by officials with the title of pasha. On the other hand, at the tactical level, Corbaci (Chorbaji) was responsible for commanding a unit with the strength of a regiment, while the company equivalent, i.e. a unit called bölük stood Bölükbasi (eng. Boluk-bashi).