The system where the Ottoman state collected Christian boys for service was called devshirme. The term is often translated as “child levy” or “blood tax,” reflecting the forced recruitment of boys from Christian communities, especially in the Balkans.
Ottoman officials generally selected boys before adolescence and brought them to Istanbul or other training centers. They were converted to Islam, educated, and assigned according to ability. Some entered the palace school and later became senior administrators, while others joined the military, including the elite Janissary corps.
Devshirme helped the sultans build a corps of officials personally dependent on the throne, balancing the influence of hereditary Turkish elites. It was not identical to the Janissaries: devshirme was the recruitment system, whereas the Janissaries were one military institution that received many recruits through it.
The practice became less systematic over time as the Janissaries gained influence and began arranging membership for their own sons. Muslim participation was formally permitted in 1594, and Christian recruitment effectively ended by the mid-17th century.