The Lapse of the Devshirme

By the middle of the 17th century, the Devshirme had run its course in Ottoman history. The ümera class, in addition to being overpopulated relative to state offices available, now got its manpower from new sources, particularly Abkhazian, Circassian, and Georgian slaves. The Janissaries, too, had long since begun to recruit from the empire's Muslim population, rendering the Devshirme obsolete. Although occasional levies would still take place into the early years of the 18th century, by the 1650s the practice had for all intents and purposes come to an end.