For the Empire: Total War version of this unit, see Cemaat Janissaries (Empire: Total War).
Cemaat Janissaries are a type of melee infantry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
These sword-armed soldiers are professional warriors, the heirs to a centuries’ old tradition of strict training.
The janissaries are the cream of the Ottoman army, but also old fashioned and outmoded by contemporary military forces. They are traditionalists in all things, and this includes making war: they value personal courage and skill, not collective discipline. They are, however, supremely dangerous fighters in close combat and when they charge home.
Historically, the janissaries were the “new soldiers” of the Ottoman Empire, the replacements for feudal levies and tribal warriors. Janissaries were taken into the corps as children, converted to Islam if necessary, and indoctrinated to fight and die for the Ottoman sultan. They were completely loyal, reliable and efficient, so much so that the Ottoman state came to rely on them as military governors and administrators as well as warriors. This gave them too much power and the new soldiers slowly became the entrenched conservatives who fought any further reforms. Their loyalty was such that they could even rationalise revolt against the sultan, if his policies went against what they considered the best interests of the Ottoman Empire.
General Information[]
Cemaat Janissaries are some of the only melee infantry in Napoleon: Total War. This makes them vulnerable at range since they have no way to retaliate immediately to musket or artillery fire. At close range, however, they are very deadly, and they can take on and win against most units if they can close the gap without suffering too many casualties. Their melee attack is over twice the value of default line infantry, even outclassing the best elite infantry, and they can beat practically any unit in a melee fight with stamina and numbers being equal. They are quite cheap to field, too. However if they suffer heavy casualties while closing in on their targets before they have an opportunity to use their swords, their potential is largely squandered.
Despite having among the best melee statistics of all infantry, Cemaat Janissaries fare badly against cavalry charges. Bayonet and firearm equipped troops can be placed close to them to ward off cavalry threats. While being weak in defense against cavalry, cemaat janissaries can do well if attacking stationary cavalry, particularly if they have a stamina advantage.
Compared to the Ottoman Empire's other melee infantry, the Bashi-Bazouks, Cemaat Janissaries are twice as expensive, but have 33% more men per regiment, with better melee and defence statistics (though their morale is somewhat poorer). However, they tire more easily than bashi-bazouks, and are at their most effective when running over short distances only. In addition, they march in tight formations, making them more vulnerable to enemy fire. Despite being much more expensive than bashi-bazouks, Cemaat Janissaries are still considerably cheaper than line infantry, and can be very cost effective. Their very low cost means that adding experience to them in multiplayer is both cheap and very deadly for their targets.