Editing Devshirme (section)

=== Unifying factor ===
The diversity of the devshirme also served as a unifying factor for the Ottoman Empire. Greeks, Armenians,{{Clarify|reason=stated above Armenians were exempt|date=June 2020}} Albanians, and other ethnicities would see that the Sultan was Turkish, but his viziers were Albanian, Bulgarian, Greek and other ethnicities. The ethnic diversity in high-level and powerful positions of the Ottoman Empire helped to unite the diverse groups under its jurisdiction. They also prevented a hereditary aristocracy from forming but held sway over the Sultan themselves and practically formed their own aristocracy.<ref name="Barkey1">{{cite book |last1=Barkey |first1=Karen |title=Empire of difference : the Ottomans in comparative perspective |date=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-71533-1}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=June 2020}}<ref name="Kopper">{{cite web |last1=Kopper |first1=Paul |title=The Devshirme System, a Necessary Evil |url=https://www.academia.edu/29083160 |website=Academia.edu |publisher=American Military University |access-date=8 April 2020}}{{Rp}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=June 2020}}