ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Kapıkulu

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a group of people called the kapıkulu. They lived in a very special place called the Ottoman Empire. The kapıkulu were very important people because they worked for the Ottoman Sultan, who was the leader of the empire.

The kapıkulu were actually soldiers, but they were different from other soldiers because they were chosen to work for the Sultan. The Sultan thought that they were the best soldiers in the empire, and that is why he chose them. The kapıkulu soldiers were very brave and very strong, and they were also very loyal to the Sultan.

The job of the kapıkulu soldiers was to protect the Sultan and the empire from enemies. They were very good at this job because they were always ready to fight and defend the empire. They were also trained in many different skills, such as archery, sword fighting, and horseback riding. This made them very skilled soldiers and helped them to win many battles for the empire.

The kapıkulu soldiers were called "kapıkulu" because they were the Sultan's "slaves of the door". This doesn't mean that they were actual slaves. It means that they were very close to the Sultan and they served him in a very special way. They were always with the Sultan, guarding him and protecting him, and they were very loyal to him.

In the Ottoman Empire, the kapıkulu soldiers were very important and respected. They had a special role in society, and they were seen as people who were very brave and very skilled in the art of war. Even today, their legacy lives on, and we remember them as an important part of the Ottoman Empire.