Kouloughlis

Kouloughlis, also spelled Koulouglis, Cologhlis and Qulaughlis (from Turkish Kuloğlu "Children of The Empire Servants" from Kul "soldier" or "servant" + Oğlu "son of"), but the translation of the word "kul" as slave is misleading since in the Ottoman context, it referred to one’s special status as being in the special service of the sultan. It was a term used during the period of Ottoman influence in North Africa that usually designated the mixed offspring of Ottoman officials and janissaries, and local North African women. The world Kouloughli or Kuloglu referred to children of Janissaries and local women. While other sources refer to Kouloughlis as children of any Ottoman man and a North African woman, it was only those from acemi ocagi or devshirme that could become Kul or Kouloughli, in fact it had been a rule to not make anyone other than those who were coming from devshirme or acemi ocagi to be the “kul” of the sultan. The title of Kouloughli went from father to child. For example Ahmed Bey of Constantine was the son of a Kouloughli, and thus he himself was a Kouloughli. Because of this, many Kouloughli families independent of Native North African and Turkish ones formed. According to the Turco-Libyan historian Orhan Koloğlu, throughout the 400 years of Ottoman rule in the Maghreb and more generally North Africa, the Ottoman administration ensured that Ottoman soldiers from the Odjak of Tripoli, formed at least 5% of the regions population in Ottoman Tripolitania. In other territories such as the Regency of Algiers the number of Janissaries progressively got lower. During the 17th century for example more than 12,000 janissaries were stationed in Algiers, but by 1800 only 4,000 Janissaries were Turks, with the majority of the Janissaries being composed Kouloughlis, renegades, and some Algerians. In the Regency of Tunis, especially during the later era of the Beylik of Tunis janissaries were less used, and were replaced by more modern infantry units and Mamluks.