How To Recruit Janissaries in Europa Universalis IV

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When playing as The Ottomans or as Rûm, you’ll be able to recruit janissaries in the Production Interface.

Note: This special unit requires the Cradle of Civilization DLC. You also need to retain your “Ottoman Government” reform. You’ll lose that if you convert to a non-Muslim religion or become revolutionary.

To recruit a janissary regiment, just follow these steps:

  1. Open the Production Interface (hotkey: b)
  2. Go to the Land Units tab (hotkey: 1)
  3. Switch to the Recruit Regiments section (hotkey: a)
  4. Select the Janissaries Infantry unit
  5. Choose which heathen province will mobilize the unit

Recruitment is instantaneous and doesn’t require manpower or money. It only costs 10 military mana.

 
Steps to Recruit Janissaries / Europa Universalis IV
Steps to Recruit Janissaries
 

Janissary Limit & Heathens

The number of janissaries you can recruit is based on all of your heathen provinces’ development relative to your national total.

Having heathens normally lowers your religious unity. The “Guaranteed Dhimmi Autonomy” estate privilege removes this penalty.

 

Avoid Having Too Many Janissaries

 
Trigger Conditions for the “Janissary Coup” Disaster / EU4
Trigger Conditions for the “Janissary Coup” Disaster
 

If janissaries comprise more than 20% of your entire army, you’ll be at risk of triggering the “Janissary Coup” disaster.

It can occur starting in the Age of Reformation.

Should the disaster’s progress bar appear, you can easily prevent it with either of these methods:

  • Disbanding your janissaries until you have less than 5% of them in your army
  • Reaching +3 stability
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Louie Nelson Zafico

As a frustrated otter who dreams of getting published, Louie instead wastes his life cuddling his cats. He spent his childhood playing Suikoden, grew up with Total War, and matured (somewhat) with EU4. He hopes to someday find a geopolitical JRPG with the 4X systems of a Paradox game.