conventional Ottoman troops in the 1799 defense of Acre from Napoleon Bonaparte. The greatest threat to the New Order remained the Janissaries. Indeed, the Janissaries’ shortcomings were simply indicative of deeper financial, organizational and disciplinary problems affecting the Ottoman state". In its initial stages, the whole reform had to be hidden to avoid provoking them by embedding the New Order Troops within another unit. In theory, the Janissaries were also subject to reform and training according to the European style, but they would resist it in practice. While some of the more radical reformers urged Selim to abolish the Janissaries, that proved a major political problem in practice. There were also attempts to co-opt the Janissaries, and the Sublime Porte issued decrees praising their role in Ottoman history as well as assuring them that their salaries would continue. The military reforms, however, also entailed a whole host of economic reforms. The new military demanded new forms of taxation and the uprooting of entrenched elite groups, and the “New Order Army” had to be financed by a “New Treasury” (Irad-i Cedid). Absentee or irresponsible timar holders would find their licences cancelled and seized by the government.New taxes were levied, and old taxes were reappropriated to fund the New Treasury, including taxes on alcohol and wool. Ottomans also embarked on broader reforms of the tariff system. While non-Muslims had enjoyed special privileges by manipulating the concessions, administrators strove to crack down on the loss of state rent. Selim III also reorganised the provinces from an administrative standpoint. In 1795,he proposed new governance structures in an attempt to reverse the trend of the empire towards decentralisation. The government lacked military or financial resources to carry out the policy, however, and made centralization an “unattainable ideal”. While the reformers called for revamping the Ottoman system and Europeanisation of the military, they were by no means antagonistic to Islam. In many cases, the call for reform saw Islamic renewal and military-administrative-economic renewal as intertwined and mutually dependent. Military discipline often entailed the memorisation of religious texts. End The reform coalition with which Selim came to power was not stable. Different members of the bureaucracy used the New Order discourse as a way to secure personal advancement, switching sides on the question of reform depending on personal interests. For example, few local notables were pleased with new tax arrangements for that New Order Army since they