Janissary

The Janissaries (Ottoman Turkish: Yeniçeri, English: New soldiers) were specially trained soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, and the private guard to the Sultan.

Formation
Janissaries, created by Sultan Murad I, were Christian (commonly Greek) boys from conquered countries, who were levied into the Devshirme system (or the "Collection of Children"). The Janissaries were also nicknamed "Slave Soldiers" because of their capture. The strongest of the children were usually chosen to become Janissaries, whereas the intelligent ones would become scientists or architects.

The Janissaries became the Ottoman Empire's first standing army, and were required to learn and convert to Islam. The Janissaries were also the mainstay of the Ottoman army during the 1453 invasion of Constantinople led by Sultan Mehmet II. They were essentially infantry units that formed the Sultan's household troops and bodyguard, though they were eventually abolished by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826, as a result of the Auspicious Incident.

16th Century
During Ezio Auditore da Firenze's time in Constantinople, the Janissaries were widely feared by civilians and were prone to mistreating them. Ezio used this to his advantage by paying heralds to incite a riot in the Harbor of Theodosius, enabling him to spy on a meeting between their commanding officer Tarik Barleti and the Byzantines Manuel Palaiologos and Shahkulu.

Under Prince Suleiman's orders, Ezio lured a Janissary into a hiding spot and killed him, then took his clothes to infiltrate the Janissary camp in the Constantine District. When Ezio assassinated Tarik, he discovered that he was not a traitor, instead secretly trying to infiltrate the Byzantines. After Ezio escaped, the Janissaries began patrolling all of Constantinople and raised the Great Chain to prevent his departure.

However, this ultimately failed, as Ezio destroyed the Great Chain with an explosive bomb, and sank the ships blockading the Golden Horn with Greek Fire. He then left Constantinople on a chartered ship. When he returned, the Janissaries were on high alert and declared a warrant for his capture.

Trivia

 * Janissaries cannot be instantly killed by counter-attacks and execution streaks from full health. However, they still take damage whenever one of the two is performed.
 * Despite Janissaries not being initially vulnerable to execution streaks, combo chains can still be continued by attacking another guard, and can be started on one by Counter-Stealing from them instead.
 * Like Almogavars, all Janissaries wield the same sword: the Janissary Kijil.