Yaya or Piyade[3] were infantry military units of the Ottoman Empire and some other medieval Anatolian beyliks.
[7] The early Ottoman military forces consisted of irregular nomadic cavalry and volunteer light infantry.
[7] These units were efficient against local Byzantine feudal lords but were unable to capture fortified castles by direct assault.
[7] This was the reason for Alaeddin Pasha including the establishment of this unit in his proposal for reorganization the military of the Ottoman Empire made in the mid 1320s.
[12] Members of this units were both Christian and Muslim citizens of the Ottoman Empire who were sometimes granted land estates in the Balkans in exchange for military service.