The magnificent ruler of Turkey was called in Europe. The subjects called him Qanuni - the Legislator. He was the 10th Turkish Sultan, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. During his reign, the Ottoman Empire reached its peak. As you know, after the highest point, the zenith, according to the laws of physics, movement is only possible in one direction - down. This happened after the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. In the 17th century, the empire came to an end, and in the 20th century, after the defeat in the First World War, it collapsed.
Since 1922, Turkey has been a secular state, a republic. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent personally headed 13 military companies, 10 of which were in Europe. There was a lot of European in himself. But, despite many military campaigns, some of the sultans - his predecessors - were able to conquer more territories than he did. His fame is directly related to the flourishing of the arts during the years of his reign. Under him, a miracle of architecture was created - the Suleymaniye Mosque in the city of Istanbul, not far from Istanbul, in the European, Balkan part of Turkey.
The image of Suleiman has survived to this day, probably idealized. He's handsome. A chiseled profile, a small, neat beard … and an incredibly huge turban. And, despite such a headdress, something European slips in his appearance.
Suleiman was born around 1495. His grandfather, Bayezid II, bore the nickname Saint (and such nicknames were not given by chance at that time). His reign went down in the history of the Ottoman Empire as extremely peaceful and calm, without the massacres characteristic of subsequent periods of Turkish history.
It was Bayazid the Saint who appointed his grandson Suleiman, then still a child, as the governor in the Crimea. The Crimean Khanate - one of the wreckage of the huge Horde - recognized itself as a vassal of the Ottoman rulers. Suleiman's youth took place in the city of Kafa (today's Feodosia) - the center of the then world slave trade.
Suleiman's father, Sultan Selim I, is known in history under the nickname Terrible, in Turkish Yavuz. He rebelled against his aging father to prevent his older brother Ahmed from gaining power.
It should be noted that in the Ottoman Empire at that time there was a remarkable tradition: the new ruler, upon accession to the throne, killed all his brothers. Why? "To avoid fratricidal wars and discord." This law ceased to be observed only in the 17th century, when the execution was replaced by imprisonment.
The uprising raised by Selim in 1511 was unsuccessful. He fled to the Crimea, to his young son Suleiman. He accepted him, supported him, gave him the opportunity to prepare the army, and Selim again went to Istanbul. This time he succeeded in overthrowing his father Bayezid and sent him into exile. But on the way, the former sultan was poisoned. Such was the bloody overture of the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent.
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When Selim I came to power, he killed about 40 of his half-brothers, as well as other male relatives. In addition, he exterminated the Shiites in Asia Minor - about 45,000 people. He was very quick to punish and said: "To rule is to punish severely." The Turkish curse survived until the 19th century: "May you be the vizier of Sultan Selim!" This meant that you could be strangled or poisoned at any moment.
It is curious that in the same 16th century in Russia, a certain Ivashko Peresvetov, as they say, a native of Lithuania, gave Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich "epistols" - notes in which he advised to accept the "formidable" following the example of the Turkish sultans as a state necessity. He wrote: "Oh, if there were Turkish truth to the Moscow true faith, then the angels themselves would talk with the Russians."
And it must be admitted that Ivan the Terrible was in many ways similar to Selim Yavuz. It is significant that the Ottoman rulers of the 16th century were not as alienated from Europe, and the Moscow ones from Asia, as it might seem at first glance. The Ottoman Empire at that time played an important role in European history.
This state grew up on the ruins of the eastern part of the great Roman Empire. It was created by the Turkic tribes in Anatolia during the decline of Byzantium and existed until the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1922. The Empire is a long-lived one!
In the 16th century, the European part of the Ottoman Empire was comparable in size to the Asian one.
The founder of the state was a certain Osman, who ruled in 1259–1326. He received from his father Ertogrul a frontier inheritance, or “uj”, as the Turks called him, of the Seljuk state in Asia Minor. There is a version that Osman with his troops helped the Seljuk Turks to resist the Mongol-Tatars. For which the Turks strengthened his "uj", from which the empire was later born.
Since the XIV century, the descendants of Osman began to move to Europe, to the Balkan Peninsula, a terrible, indomitable movement. It seemed that nothing could stop him. The main Turkish military force was created at the same time, in the XIV century, the troops of the Janissaries. The word "janissary" literally means "new army". It was created in accordance with an ingenious design.
Janissaries are the slaves of the Sultan, recruited only from the children of Christians, including the Slavs, brought up in complete isolation from the family, from their homeland and their faith. For people like them, many centuries later the word "mankurt" will appear in the literature - people who do not know their roots, completely devoted to the Sultan. In addition, the Turks created a wonderful fleet and even leased it to some European powers.
At 25, Suleiman inherited power from his father Selim. Italian politician Paolo Giovio wrote about this: "The Rabid Lion left a tender lamb to his heirs."
Thanks to the actions of Selim I, Suleiman was not able to fulfill the law on the extermination of the closest male relatives. By the time of inheritance, he had no such competitors. Fate saved him from such villainy. And surprisingly, in a society where bloodshed is the norm, the fact that it was not necessary to do this aroused general sympathy for the young sultan.
His subjects immediately noted his discretion. For example, he allowed the captives before, under his formidable father, artisans and merchants from other countries to return to their homeland. This benevolent move improved trade significantly. True, in the Ottoman Empire, trade was understood one-sidedly. Its rulers wanted all goods to be only imported into Turkey: not understanding the role of exports, they preferred imports. And yet trade revived.
In addition, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent insisted on the creation of secular laws - and they were created. In most countries of the Muslim East at that time there were no secular laws, only Sharia law was in force. The legislation adopted under Suleiman, apparently, made it possible to take into account the peculiarities of the conquered countries. It was very important that the growing empire did not become a powder keg.
Suleiman grew up in the Crimea, his beloved wife Roksolana was a Slav. He was drawn to Europe, and it was there that he made most of the campaigns. In addition, he, continuing his father's policy, fought with Iran and took away from him Western Armenia, Georgia and Iraq. 1534 - Suleiman conquered Tunisia, but not for long. A year later, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V recaptured it. In the same place, in North Africa, Algeria recognized itself as a vassal of Suleiman.
And yet Europe remained the most important goal, and the main opponents were the Austrian Habsburgs. The enmity with them reached its climax under Charles V. Suleiman also directed a serious blow against Hungary - at that time a notable and very warlike kingdom in Western Europe. Hungarians inherited the ability to fight and the desire for war from their ancestors - the Huns. The political center of Hungary in the 16th century was Belgrade, which is now the capital of Serbia.
The ancient Greeks believed that somewhere in the Balkan Peninsula there is an entrance to the kingdom of Hades, that is, to hell, and there constant war is inevitable. Be that as it may, from there began the campaign of Alexander the Great.
In the first year of his reign, in 1521, Suleiman conquered Belgrade. It was a great military success. The following year, he occupied the small island of Rhodes, located between Turkey and Greece, - a powerful military center of the spiritual-knightly order of the Johannites. The Johannites saw their main task in caring for the sick, the poor, the suffering, but they also knew how to fight. In Rhodes, they had powerful fortifications.
The Italians carried out a significant restoration there, actually building everything according to a new, but exact sketches of the past. The defenders withstood a brutal siege for six months, but realized that they could not resist, and surrendered to Suleiman, who at that moment demonstrated his European, not Eastern features. He did not exterminate the defeated knights without exception, but allowed them to leave, without even demanding a ransom. The Johnites left and settled in Malta.
And Suleiman the Magnificent moved to Hungary. 1526 - he defeated the Hungarians, Czechs and Croats at the city of Mohacs. In the battle, 8,000 Hungarians from a 20,000-strong army were killed, 8 bishops fell in the battle. After the battle, a pyramid of 8,000 heads was built, and Suleiman was brought the head of the Hungarian king Louis (Lajos) II. The mountain of severed heads is a reflection of the Asian attitude towards the value of human life.
Moving inland, Suleiman the Magnificent took Buda (this city, united with Pest, became the capital of modern Hungary). 1529 - The Turks laid siege to Vienna. But they could not take the city, despite the significant numerical superiority: Suleiman's army was about 120,000 people.
It should not be forgotten that in the Middle Ages and early modern times the siege of a city was a hardest test not only for the besieged, but also for the besiegers. Under the walls of the fortress, the army suffers from disease and moral decay. Looting begins and the morale of the army falls. And Suleiman, having lost about 40,000 of his 120,000, retreated.
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent again set out on a campaign against Austria-Hungary in 1532. He failed to reach Vienna, but a significant part of Hungary remained under his rule.
1536 - Suleiman achieved an important diplomatic success - forged an alliance with France against Northern Italy. He led several victorious military campaigns against Venice, a formidable rival with a mighty fleet.
Why did France, the leader of European civilization, agree to an alliance with the Muslim Ottoman Empire? This was the result of the enmity within the European camp. The main enemy for the French monarchy was the Habsburgs. And because Suleiman the Magnificent fought with them, France found it possible to use Turkish military power. And in the future, the Western European powers more than once enjoyed watching how two monsters, two aggressive empires weakened each other. The most pleasant thing in this kind of situation is to stay on the sidelines, without interfering in a deadly game.
When Francis I entered into an alliance with Suleiman, French merchants received benefits, and the Turkish fleet was placed at the disposal of the king of France. Today's researchers believe that the French in the 16th century perceived the treaty with the Ottomans as an ordinary European alliance of two emperors. Suleiman understood everything completely differently. He believed that he was encouraging trade privileges and the provision of a navy to those who recognized the greatness of the Turkish Sultan.
So, the French managed to send the powerful destructive force of the Ottoman Empire to the Habsburgs. In 1540-1547, a new war broke out, as a result of which the Romanian Transylvania became a vassal of Suleiman the Magnificent. Hungarian lands were actually divided into Turkish and Austrian parts.
But this war with Austria was not the last. The Ottomans again opposed the Habsburgs in 1551, in 1552 they laid siege to the Eger Fortress. There is a wonderful Hungarian film Eger's Stars about her heroic defense. The talented work of art conveys the spirit of resistance to the Ottoman invasion that lived in Central Europe through cinema. And for the Christian Europeans it was absolutely indifferent which sultan was directing the forces of the Ottomans in the heart of Europe. Suleiman was Magnificent only in the eyes of his subjects in the East.
Until the last day of his life, Suleiman the Magnificent remained a warrior. In the intervals between military campaigns, he led a magnificent palace life, encouraged art. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent himself wrote poetry, brought poets closer to him. His favorite was Abdul Baki, who was called in Turkey the "sultan" of Turkish poets. The famous architect Sinan was also at the Sultan's court. He built three great mosques, which are considered masterpieces of world architecture: Selimiye, Shahzadeh (“zadeh” means “born” in Persian, “shah-zadeh” means the son of the shah, a prince) and Suleymaniye.
Suleiman tried to carry out administrative reform, but it was unsuccessful. In general, constant conquests did not contribute to success in government: each new increment of land added empire and problems.
When Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was on campaigns, the vizier Ibrahim Pasha was in charge. He died from the intrigues of his master's beloved wife. Roksolana, who may have been the daughter of a clergyman, Catholic or Orthodox, spent almost her entire life in a harem and became an expert in intrigue. She wanted the throne to go to her son Selim, and for this she did anything. She was able to achieve the execution not only of the grand vizier, but also of Suleiman's eldest son, Mustafa.
Born to another beloved wife of Suleiman, Mustafa was the official heir. From his youth, he was distinguished by despotism and cruelty, and for sure could become a completely traditional oriental ruler.
Roksolana arranged so that forged letters were made from Mustafa, who allegedly wrote to the Iranian shah and was preparing a conspiracy against his father. Believing in betrayal, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered to kill his son.
Suleiman died in Hungary during another campaign of conquest. He was already over 70. The body was delivered to Turkey with great pomp.
The son of Roksolana, Selim, went down in history as Selim II the Drunkard. A Muslim drunkard is an incredible combination! Perhaps Roksolana gave him a not entirely orthodox Islamic upbringing. He was also a poet, which is combined with drunkenness much more often.
Under the rule of Selim II, the Ottoman Empire began to suffer military defeats. The main thing was in 1571, in the naval battle at Lepanto. In this battle, Spain, Venice, Malta, Genoa, Savoie in alliance dealt the first crushing blow to the Ottoman movement to the west. Before that, not a single victory of the Europeans over the Turks looked so convincing. Now the myth about the invincibility of the Ottoman Empire was dispelled.
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent did not see the decline of his state. His reign, from a human point of view, can be called happy. He created the Ottoman golden age. But this also laid the foundations of the tragedy. For a very long time later, a significant part of Turkish society strove to ensure that everything remained as under Suleiman the Magnificent. But trying to stop history is death.
N. Basovskaya