For the Empire: Total War version of this unit, see Beylik Janissary Musketeers (Empire: Total War).
Beylik Janissary Musketeers are a type of line infantry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
The janissaries are professional soldiers, distinguished by arduous training and their hatred for modern military ideas.
The janissaries are the cream of the Ottoman army but, in comparison to some other national armies, they fight in an old-fashioned way. Their strict code values personal initiative and courage, making them fierce warriors when in close combat. They are [sic] carry swords, and refuse to adopt bayonets, making them more vulnerable to cavalry charges than European troops.
Historically, the janissaries were the paid “new soldiers” of the sultan, rather than feudal levies. The corps grew so powerful they became a law unto themselves, able to make and break sultans as they saw fit. They were also deeply conservative in the outlook, and jealous of any threats to their position as the Ottomans’ best military force and its bureaucracy. This arrogance eventually lead to their downfall in what became known as the “Auspicious Incident”: Sultan Mahmud II goaded them into yet another revolt, then crushed them.
General Information[]
Along with Nizam-I Cedit Infantry, Beylik Janissary Musketeers are one of a few types of line infantry available to the Ottoman Empire. Compared to Nizam-I Cedit Infantry, Beylik Janissary Musketeers have slightly worse accuracy and reloading, slightly better melee, worse charging bonus, significantly worse defense, and slightly worse morale. Beylik Janissary Musketeers lack the ability to use Fire and Advance, and more crucially, they cannot use Square Formation. This makes them very vulnerable to cavalry without support. As a whole, Beylik are generally worse than Nizam-I Cedit, but their slightly cheaper cost can make them a useful substitute should funds be diverted to other areas of the army.
Beylik Janissary Musketeers can play a significant role in the Egypt Campaign. While their disadvantages against French Fusiliers of Line are significant, they are available much earlier than Nizam-I Cedit infantry, and they can be trained in far more provinces. They are still much less accessible to the Ottoman player than their French counterparts, but can be a useful stepping stone between the peasant units initially available and the superior Nizam-I Cedit troops later on.