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The Dervendjis, an irregular unit of the Ottomare Army which traditionally served a policing role in the Sultanate. In the early Sultanate, back when invasion from the Latins was a constant threat, the town militias were granted military weapons and a tax exemption in exchange for military service in the event of Augustus marching south. Over time, these militias became a quasi-police force, most often acting as aides to the Sultan’s tax collectors and guarding merchant caravans while they remained in their towns and villages.

With the Nizam-i Djedid (“New Order”) reforms under Sultan Suleiman and his eldest son Osman Pasha, the Dervendjis were reorganized, their tax exemptions removed, but instead the irregulars were put on the government’s payroll. Proper regiments were formed and they took on a role as skirmishers and light infantry alongside the regular Janissaries and Mamelukes.

The standard uniform of the Nizam-i Djedid Dervendjis is a white blouse under a red overcoat, blue pants or skirt, and a tall, bright red fez with a black hair plume. They don’t carry the Jezzails of the Janissaries, rather the Dervendjis are currently armed with the Ironshod .303 bolt action rifle, imported at low cost from their Equestrian allies.

Historical Context: The Dervendjis were an auxiliary branch of the Ottoman Army, a hereditary police force meant to defend towns and villages long enough for the Ottoman Army to arrive if necessary. Under the Nizam-i Djedid reforms of Sultan Selim III, they were reorganized into irregular soldiers that could be called up to serve directly in the Ottoman Military.