Composition, Functions and Wages of the Local Troops Soldiers Who Participated in the Battle of Vidin during the War of the Ottoman Empire with the Holy League (1689–1690)

This study aims to investigate the structure, functions and wages of those units of the local troops that guarded the Vidin fortress and that participated in the battle for the town in 1689 during the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1683–1699). In addition, it seeks to establish the physical losses their personnel in the battles with the Austrian army for the conquest of Vidin. The research is based on the information of two muster-roll registers (yoklama defteri), kept at the Ottoman Archives “Başbakanlık” (Prime Ministerial Ottoman Archives) in Istanbul. The first of these was composed before the battle of Vidin, and the second, after the defeat, when the Ottoman military units were convoyed by the Austrians to Nicopol. This enables the author to make comparisons regarding the composition, structure and wages of the military contingent, before and after the conquest of Vidin.