“Taş Yasdanup Toprak Döşenenler:” Struggle and Lives of the Ottoman Soldiers in Metris Exemplified During the Candia Siege (1667-1669)

Abstract

Sieges of fortresses have always taken longer compared to the pitched battles in the military history of the Ottoman Empire. An analysis of Ottoman military history shows that there are sieges that exceed weeks, months and sometimes even years. The struggle here was not just the difficulty on the battleground but was also a difficult struggle against hunger, bad health conditions, difficult climate and psychological problems caused by the everlasting sieges. Therefore, sieges of fortresses are processes troops have to overcome a series of obstacles alongside the defensive army. In the light of this approach, this study will look at the material and psychological conditions of the Ottoman soldiers during siege wars focusing on their lives in metris during a remarkable example, i.e. the siege of Candia (1667-1669).

In Candia, the soldiers spent about two and a half years in these metris. They transformed the ditches far in the back of the metris into a bazaar with various shops. The metris where the soldiers tried to protect themselves from the cannon balls, riffle attacks, bombs (humbara) and mine attacks (lağım saldırısı) from the fortress served as a place for resting, eating and worshiping. In due time new problems emerged. Climatic difficulties like heavy rainfall, or health issues like the spread of epidemics resulted in loss of lives. In Candia the soldiers continued to pressure the fortress while enduring many of these difficulties.