Author Ivanka Ivanova Pitrek

A cruel wager

One song with notes and text, and one short story

© Computer-Design

Bulgariа, Pazardzhik, Belloprint Ltd., 2017

www.belloprint.com

Description

One song with notes and text, and one short story

about a cruel wager in an old Bulgarian pub during the Turkish reign when a young tradesman put in pawn his wife for a bet with a janissary.

Preface

I am a Bulgarian folklore singer and author of 55 electronic books with 802 folklore songs from the Pazardzhik area translated into three languages: Bulgarian, English, German and one in Russian. I have started compiling these books back in 2012 and now I came to singing the song “Listen, young and old”. I was impressed with the frightening story about something that had happened in an old Bulgarian pub during the Turkish reign and decided to pass it on to you. Such stories still happen in present times although years have passed since then.

First, I want to make a short introduction about the meaning of the word “janissary” and what were these people and their role in the time of the Ottoman Empire…..

Janissary - also jenissery/jenissary and yanissery/yanissary was a resident of the Ottoman Empire (mainly of non- Mohammedanian origin) who was in service or in employment with the empire and has existed in the period between XIV century and 1826.

These servants were recruited primarily among subdued non- Mohammedanian peoples by means of the so called “blood toll” (devshirme). It was collected forcibly in periods between 3 and 5 years by taking away young children at the age between 5 and 10.

First called “adzhemioglans” such kids were driven to the barracks in Edirne, Istanbul and Bursa where they were forced to become Mohammedanian and treated and trained with cruelty in order to forget their families and birth places and countries. Thus, some of them eventually became even high empire officials such as pasha or vizir. Having spent over 10-15 years away from their homes adzhemioglans had to completely forget about their families and to learn to speak Turkish fluently. Imams and mullahs educated them in the Mohammedanian