Apart from the establishment of certain akındjı families within the Ottoman system, the Ottomans formed other institutions to employ Christians within the Ottoman state apparatus, the most prominent of which was the devşirme ('levy') system. This dearth of personnel of their own facilitated the penetration of Christian elements into the Ottoman state structure. The Ottomans, on the periphery of the Islamic world, had to import soldiers and bureaucrats from the Muslim countries in the East. 5 Ironically, the descendants of the two families became hereditary commanders of the akıncı ('raider') groups that were assigned the task of raiding enemy territory by conducting Ghaza, Holy War, in the name of Islam. 1417) was of either Greek or Catalan/Aragonese origin. 1340) was a member of the Byzantine feudal aristocracy, 4 and that of the second, Evrenos Beğ (d. The founder of the first, Köse Mihal (d. Two of the most famous of these elite families that played an important part in early Ottoman history were the Mihaloğulları and Evrenosoğulları. In the multicultural environment of the northwestern Anatolian marches, the early successes of the Ottomans lay in their ability to mobilize, and in time to assimilate, local Christian elites, whose cooperation facilitated Ottoman rule in the region. 3 Christians in the Service of the Ottomans The Grand Strategy of the Ottoman Empire evolved more around strategic, logistical, and pragmatic calculations than religious convictions, which enabled them to contract alliances and marriages, and make treaties with Christian polities. They did not necessarily fight with their Christian neighbours all the time.

Secondly, the Ottomans had a number of Christian allies on the state level. In addition to local elements, they did not hesitate to rely on the expertise of, and offer contracts to, foreign Christians whenever it suited their interests. The Christians were instrumental in the early successes of the Ottoman Empire 2, and the Ottomans did not remain an alienated caste of rulers, but tried to incorporate local elements into their government in an effort to maximize the efficiency of their rule. It should not be forgotten that the Ottomans established their rule primarily in the Christian Balkans, and that their pragmatism and the complex ethno-religious composition of the frontiers persuaded them to resort to using the service of Christians as a means of integration. Firstly, Christian allies of the Ottomans were individuals the Ottomans employed a number of Christians in their service, mostly, but not always, after they had converted. The Ottomans came into contact and allied themselves with Christians on two levels. Rather than an inevitable conflict, what prevailed was cooperation in which cultural, ethnic, and religious boundaries seemed to disappear. Nevertheless, the misreading of the Ghaza (Holy War) literature 1 and the consequent romanticization of the Ottomans' struggle in carrying the banner of Islam conceal the true nature of relations between Muslims and Christians. The Ottomans, although a Muslim polity, did not hesitate to cooperate with Christians for practical reasons.

Cooperation between the Ottomans and various Christian groups and individuals started as early as the beginning of the 14th century, when the Ottoman state itself emerged.

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