The infamous Ottoman devsirme-the levy and enslavement of young male subjects from the Christian regions of the empire for palace and military service by the Turks-has been traditionally understood as a mechanism of both elite recruitment and Muslim conversion. Here Charles Argo investigates the political and cultural resonance of the act itself; an act that reproduced in spectacle form Ottoman ideologies of dynastic legitimacy and political hegemony amongst its Christian subjects. Viewed thus, the levy transcends its utility as a recruitment mechanism, and becomes an important-even iconic-display of political will that significantly shaped the cultural reality for Balkan peoples under Ottoman rule. A fresh and original look at Ottoman history, this book changes the way we look at the exercise of power in pre-modern empires, and will be essential for all those interested in Ottoman and Middle East studies as well as Christian-Muslim relations, ritual, slavery and conversion.