The Fall of Constantinople and the Tragic End of the Byzantines
Tides of History
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The Devsjirma
One out of every five boys in a village was to be taken by the Ottoman Empire. The system called Devsjirma meant lifting or collecting human tribute from Christian families. John becomes Ali, and life as a slave of the Sultan awaits him. Families occasionally tried to hide their sons or bribed the officials not to take them.
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