The secret behind the Ottoman Empire’s six centuries of dominance was not merely its military genius in conquests, but also its unparalleled success in creating a loyal and capable bureaucratic class to govern the state. At the heart of this success was a legendary institution located in the most protected third courtyard of Topkapı Palace, shaping the future of an empire behind its walls: the Enderun School. This was not just a palace school, but also one of the most sophisticated examples of human engineering. The Enderun School and the Devshirme Dystem was an extraordinary educational mechanism, based on merit and loyalty, that took children from the Christian villages of the Balkans and elevated them to the highest office of Grand Vizier in the Empire. In this article, we will open the doors of this elite school and follow step by step the extraordinary journey of how a devshirme child was transformed into a vizier.
Not Just a Palace, an Imperial School: What is the Enderun School?
The Enderun School, literally meaning “Inner School,” was a palace university established to train the highest-level administrators, commanders, artists, and scholars who would serve the Sultan personally and the state. Institutionalized during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the fundamental philosophy of this school was to balance the political influence of deeply-rooted Turkish families and to create a governing class loyal only to the Sultan, with no other allegiances. For this reason, Enderun’s student body consisted almost entirely of children selected through the Devshrme system. The Topkapı Palace Enderun section was where the brain and heart of an empire beat; those who were trained here were appointed as governors to the farthest corners of the empire, commanders to its most critical armies, or viziers to the Imperial Council upon graduation.
The Devshirme System: The Selection That Shaped the Empire’s Future
The Devshirme System, the very reason for Enderun’s existence, is one of the Ottoman Empire’s most unique and most debated institutions. So, what is Devshirme? This system was based on the principle of selecting intelligent, healthy, and talented male children, usually from the Christian subjects in the Balkans, at regular intervals and according to specific criteria, and bringing them to the capital. While this selection might have seemed like a tragedy for families, it also offered their children an opportunity for a career and social advancement they could never have dreamed of. The selected children were Islamized, raised according to Turkish customs and traditions, and educated as individuals completely loyal to the Sultan.
The Acemi Oğlanlar (Novice Boys) Barracks: The First Step and Rigorous Training
Children gathered through devshirme were not directly admitted to Enderun. Their first stop was the Acemi Oğlanlar Barracks, a kind of preparatory school. Here, they learned Turkish, the fundamentals of Islam, reading and writing, and basic military discipline. During this process, their talents, intelligence, and character were carefully observed. At the end of this initial elimination stage, the brightest, most intelligent, and most talented ones, known as “inner boys” (iç oğlanları), were selected for their main target, the Enderun School. The rest were sent to the Janissary Corps, the empire’s elite infantry unit. This distinction demonstrated an ingenious system that fed both the sword (Janissaries) and the mind (Enderun students) of the empire from the same source.
The Chambers of Enderun: A Journey to the Top Through Graded Education
Education at the Enderun School was provided in a hierarchical order, in dormitories called “chambers” (oda), each representing a different educational level and area of specialization. A student’s progression from one chamber to another meant promotion to a higher class, requiring years of rigorous work and discipline. This system formed the foundation of the Ottoman art of administrator training.
The Great Chamber and the Small Chamber: Basic Sciences and Arts Education
The first stop for an inner boy admitted to Enderun was the Great Chamber or the Small Chamber. These were the most crowded dormitories, where Enderun’s basic education was provided. Here, students took courses in Islamic sciences (Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh), literature in Turkish, Arabic, and Persian, history, geography, and basic mathematics. In addition to this theoretical education, they were also physically developed through sports such as wrestling, archery, and javelin throwing. The education in these chambers aimed to provide students with a solid intellectual and physical foundation.
Seferli (Expeditionary), Kilerli (Pantry), Hazine (Treasury), and Has Oda (Privy Chamber): Specialization and Service to the Sultan
Students who completed their basic education and excelled with their talents were promoted to higher-level specialization chambers. The education in these chambers was not only theoretical but also a practical internship involving direct service to the Sultan and the palace:
- Seferli Chamber: This chamber was where students talented in art were gathered. The palace’s artists, musicians, poets, and calligraphers were trained here. This chamber was also responsible for services such as cleaning the Sultan’s clothes, barbering, and bath attendant duties.
- Kilerli Chamber: This was where those responsible for the palace’s and especially the Sultan’s food and beverages were trained. Students specialized in topics such as pantry management, table etiquette, and the making of sherbets and pastes, receiving practical management and logistics training.
- Hazine Chamber: This chamber, where those responsible for the protection and management of the Empire’s and the Sultan’s personal treasury were trained, was where the most trustworthy and intelligent students were selected. Here, students gained in-depth knowledge about finance, accounting, and the financial structure of the state.
- Has Oda (Privy Chamber): This was the absolute pinnacle of the Enderun hierarchy. Rising to this chamber, which accepted only the most elite 40 students, was an inner boy’s greatest dream. Has Oda members served directly in the Sultan’s personal service. The most important and intimate duties, such as the Silahtar Ağa (Sword-bearer) who carried the Sultan’s sword, and the Hasodabaşı (Chief of the Privy Chamber) who guarded his private chamber, belonged to them. Additionally, the protection of the Holy Relics, which held great importance for the Islamic world, was also this chamber’s responsibility. Being so close to the Sultan offered them the opportunity to observe and learn state administration firsthand.
Curriculum: A Comprehensive Program From the Qur’an to Mathematics, War to Art
The curriculum at Enderun had a holistic structure aimed at making an individual fully equipped intellectually, physically, artistically, and spiritually. This curriculum, the pinnacle of the education philosophy in the Ottoman Empire, covered all kinds of knowledge an administrator candidate would need:
- Theoretical Courses: Religious sciences such as the Holy Qur’an, exegesis (tafsir), hadith, and kalām (Islamic theology); as well as literature, history, geography, mathematics, law, and logic.
- Practical Courses (Sports and War Arts): Horsemanship, archery, javelin throwing, wrestling, spear and sword use (including the matrak game).
- Fine Arts: Calligraphy (hat), illumination (tezhip), miniature painting, music, and architecture.
This comprehensive education transformed Enderun graduates not merely into soldiers or bureaucrats, but into a governor with a poetic soul, a commander who understood art, or a vizier who was a calligrapher.
The “Çıkma” System: A Career Path from Enderun to the Pinnacle of the State
Graduation from Enderun was known as the “Çıkma” or “Büyük Çıkma” (Grand Exit) system. There was no specific graduation date; when a position became vacant at various levels of the empire (usually governorships like sanjak-bey or beylerbeyi), the Sultan personally appointed the most suitable Enderun student to that position. This was an unprecedented career path that led directly from the school to the pinnacle of the state.
The most brilliant example of this system is undoubtedly Sokollu Mehmed Pasha’s education and career. Having entered Enderun as a Bosnian devshirme, Sokollu emerged as a Grand Vizier who practically ruled the state during the reigns of three sultans, serving as a living testament to how successful this system was as an “art of human development.” Hundreds of pashas, viziers, and governors like him were shaped in the crucible of Enderun and governed a world empire. The Enderun School was not just a structure of stone and walls but an imperial factory producing human resources built on merit and loyalty, which was the greatest strength of the Ottoman Empire.
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Tags: Enderun School, Devshirme System, Ottoman Education, Palace School, Topkapı Palace, Ottoman Administrators, Grand Viziers, Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, Ottoman History, Merit System.
