Voynuks (sometimes called voynugans or voynegans) were members of the privileged[1] Ottoman military social class established in the 1370s or the 1380s.
[9] Voynuks were tax-exempt non-Muslim citizens who provided military service in periods of war.
[12][13] Because of the lost privileges many voynuks began to support Venetians or Habsburgs and to join hayduks.
[14] At the beginning of the 18th century about one third of young Christian men who lived near Ottoman/Christian borders were members of the groups of outlaws.
[15] Initially, the main task of voynuks was to guard the Ottoman borders in Bulgaria and Macedonia, either by patrolling or by incursions into the enemy territory.