#ottman

“Even the janissaries—the sultan’s personal army—were recruited in a manner intended to prevent their potential emergence as a threat to imperial authority. Initially, the ranks of the janissaries were filled by young men of Christian background who were prisoners of war. In the early fifteenth century, a system of conscription (devsirme) was put into place. The janissaries were not permitted to come from Muslim families or to marry; these proscriptions ensured that this elite corps could not develop into a hereditary warrior class capable of undermining the sultan’s authority. On the contrary, the janissaries’ unique privilege and status engendered loyalty to the sultan. Over time, the strict protocols that sustained this trustworthy militia began to loosen; during the later empire, the janissaries were allowed to marry and have children. As the court had initially feared, a loyal imperial guard developed into a hereditary institution that became a potent counterweight to the sultan. This threat to centralized control eventually evoked a harsh reaction. In the early nineteenth century, Mahmud II abolished the janissary system and killed most of its serving members.” -

Fred Ottman, known to wrestling fans as Typhoon and The Shockmaster, recently went under the knife as he had surgery. Former WWE Women’s Champion Leilani Kai took to her Facebook earlier this week and revealed that Fred Ottman recently underwent vascular surgery. She asked the wrestling community for thoughts, prayers, and support. Kai praised Ottman not just for his contributions in the ring but…