He was the greatest of the sultans of his dynasty, under him the Ottoman Empire reached its highest development. In Europe, Suleiman is known under the nickname Magnificent, and in the East, this ruler has earned, perhaps, a less vivid, but much more honorable nickname - Qanuni, which means "Fair".
In all its splendor
The Venetian ambassador Bragadin, in a letter dated June 9, 1526, wrote about him as follows: “He is thirty-two years old, he has a deathly pale skin color, an aquiline nose and a long neck; in appearance he is not very strong, but his hand is very strong, which I noticed when I kissed it, and they say that he can bend the bow like no one else. By his nature, he is melancholy, very partial to women, generous, proud, quick-tempered and at the same time very gentle."
Suleiman became famous for his military campaigns, wise rule and a love story that connected his name with a woman who received the nickname Roksolana.
Military campaigns
Suleiman I, son of Sultan Selim I of Yavuz and daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli Girey Aishe, the tenth sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Born in November 1494, his reign began in September 1520, when he was 26 years old. Suleiman I died in September 1566.
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Suleiman I spent all his life in military campaigns.
Not having time to sit on the throne of the Ottoman Empire, he began to expand its boundaries. In 1521 Suleiman took the Sabac fortress on the Danube and laid siege to Belgrade. After a long siege, the city fell. In 1522, Suleiman landed on Rhodes with a large army. This island at that time was the stronghold of the Knights of the Order of the Johannites, who felt themselves masters in this part of the Mediterranean Sor. However, not even a few months had passed before the fortified citadel of the knights fell.
Having established himself in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, Suleiman set to work on Red, where at that time the Portuguese sailors ruled. In 1524, a Turkish fleet entered the Red Sea from the port of Jeddah (present-day Saudi Arabia) and cleared it of Europeans. In 1525, Suleman conquered Algeria.
From 1526 to 1528, Suleiman waged continuous wars in eastern Europe. He conquered Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slavonia, and the rulers of Hungary and Tansylvania recognized themselves as vassals of Suleiman. Turkish troops invaded Bulgaria and Austria.
From these campaigns Suleiman returned with rich booty, he ravaged cities and fortresses, and drove thousands of inhabitants into slavery. Turkey's domination over central and eastern Hungary was recognized by Austria, pledging to pay Suleiman an annual tribute.
Not content with victories in the west, Suleiman also fought with the eastern countries. In 1533, Suleiman began a campaign against the Safavid state (modern Azerbaijan). After capturing the Safavid capital Tabriz, he moved to Baghdad and captured it in 1534. Not only the rulers of Baghdad and Mesopotamia submitted to him, but also the princes of Basra, Bahrain and other states of the Persian Gulf.
By the 50s of the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Hungary to Egypt, from the Balkan Peninsula to Iran and the Caucasus. In addition, Suleiman had possessions in northern Africa, he controlled the Mediterranean and seriously threatened Rome itself.
Suleiman also caused Russia a lot of trouble. The Crimean Khan was his vassal. At various times, Kazan and even Siberian khans recognized themselves as vassals of Suleiman. Turks more than once took part in the campaigns of the Crimean khans against Moscow.
Suleiman made his last campaign on May 1, 1566. The Turkish army moved into eastern Hungary and laid siege to the Szigetvar fortress. This was the thirteenth campaign in which the Ottoman ruler was directly involved. Thirteenth - and last. On the night of September 5, the ruler died in his marching tent. The indefatigable conqueror was 72 years old at that time.
Domestic policy
Suleiman took the throne of his father as a young man, but a rather experienced ruler. He, as was customary in the Ottoman dynasty, during the life of his father became the ruler of one of the regions of the empire with the center in the city of Manisa.
When the next sultan occupied the throne, a series of executions began in his family. Following a bloody custom, the Sultan destroyed all possible rivals from among the pretenders to the throne. Since each of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire had a huge harem, the sons of all the Sultan's concubines could be considered such applicants. Providing himself with a calm reign, the new ruler did not spare anyone, not even small children. It is not without reason that at the Sultan's palace there was a special cemetery for little "shah-zade" - princes who fell victim to the intrigues and wars of adults.
Suleiman's reign began without such horrors. It so happened that all his little brothers died in infancy from diseases.
In addition, the first step of the young Suleiman was a good deed: he released the Egyptian captives, who were kept in chains by his father.
Suleiman not in vain earned the honorary nickname "Fair". He fought against corruption, was known as a staunch enemy of officials' abuse. It was said about him that he, like the legendary Garun al-Rashid, walks around the city, dressed in simple clothes, and listens to what people say about him and about the order in his capital.
But you should not imagine Suleiman as an ideal ruler, kind to his subjects, but harsh to the enemies of the empire. He was as cruel, suspicious and despotic as all representatives of the Ottoman dynasty, mercilessly executing anyone who, in his opinion, could be dangerous to him or simply caused displeasure. An example is the fate of three people close to Suleiman whom he, in his own words, once loved.
His eldest son and heir Mustafa, the son of a concubine named Mahidevran Sultan, was executed by his order and in front of his eyes. Suleiman suspected that Mustafa wanted to take the throne, without waiting for his father's death from natural causes.
Ibrahim Pasha, nicknamed Pargaly, the grand vizier and the closest friend of Suleiman since his youth in Manisa, was also executed by order of the Sultan on suspicion of some intrigue. Suleiman swore in his youth that Pargaly would never be executed as long as he, Suleiman, was alive. Deciding to execute yesterday's favorite, he resorted to the following trick: since sleep is a kind of death, then let Ibrahim Pasha be executed not during his life - while Suleiman is awake, but when the sovereign is asleep. Ibrahim Pasha was strangled after a friendly dinner with the sovereign.
Finally, one of his concubines, Gulfem Khatun, was strangled by the order of Suleiman. In her youth, she was his favorite and gave birth to an heir to the ruler. However, the child soon died of smallpox. Suleiman, contrary to custom, did not drive out Gulfem, but left her in his harem. And although she never returned to his bed, he considered her a friend, appreciated conversations with her and her advice. Nevertheless, the end of the life of Gulfem-Khatun was the same silk cord.
The portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent will not be complete without mentioning his love for the arts. Under him, Istanbul was adorned with magnificent buildings, mosques and bridges. He loved poetry, he himself composed poems that are considered excellent in Turkey to this day. In addition, Suleiman was fond of blacksmithing and jewelry, and became famous for making jewelry for his beloved concubines himself.
Love for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska
And, of course, when talking about Suleiman the Magnificent, one cannot but recall his love for his concubine, who received the nickname Roksolana in European diplomatic correspondence.
Who this woman was is not known for certain today. The nickname given to her unequivocally hints at a Slavic, even Russian origin, since it was the Russians who were called "roxolans" in the Middle Ages. Considering the numerous military campaigns of Turkish and Crimean troops in the territory that Ukraine occupies today, such an origin of this girl can be considered quite probable. By tradition, Roksolana is considered the daughter of a priest from the western regions of Ukraine and is called Alexandra Lisovskaya, but there is no documentary evidence of this. The sultan noticed and brought this girl closer to him, and gave her the name Khyurrem, which means "Joy". Apparently, the character of the Slav was really cheerful. Khyurrem Sultan succeeded in the impossible: she achieved what Suleiman released her and made her his legal wifewhich has never happened in the Sultan's harem until now. Moreover, it had a serious impact on the foreign, domestic policy of the Sultan, which was noted by all diplomats who were in Istanbul.
It was Khyurrem Sultan who was the mother of Shah-zade Selim, who became the next ruler of the empire after Suleiman.
When Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska died, Suleiman ordered to build an exquisitely decorated mausoleum for her. A tomb was erected next to this mausoleum, in which the great conqueror himself rested.