BIOGRAPHY:

Suleiman I, the tenth sultan of the Ottoman Empire, endowed his state with unprecedented power. The great conqueror also became famous as a wise author of laws, founder of new schools and initiator of the construction of architectural masterpieces.

In 1494 (according to some sources – in 1495) the Turkish Sultan Selim I and the daughter of the Crimean Khan Aisha Hafsa had a son who was destined to conquer half the world and transform his native country. The future Sultan Suleiman I received a brilliant education for those times at the palace school in Istanbul , spent his childhood and youth reading books and spiritual practices. From an early age, the young man was trained in administrative matters, appointed governor of three provinces, including the vassal Crimean Khanate. Even before ascending the throne, young Suleiman won the love and respect of the inhabitants of the Ottoman state.

Beginning of Reign Suleiman took the throne when he was barely 26 years old. A description of the appearance of the new ruler, written by the Venetian ambassador Bartolomeo Contarini, was included in the famous book in Turkey by the English Lord Kinross, “The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire”:

“Tall, strong, with a pleasant expression on his face. His neck is slightly longer than usual, his face is thin, and his nose is aquiline. The skin tends to be excessively pale. They say about him that he is a wise ruler, and all people hope for his good rule.”
And Suleiman initially lived up to expectations. He started with humane actions – he returned freedom to hundreds of chained prisoners from noble families of states captured by his father. This helped renew trade relations with the countries.

Europeans were especially happy with the innovations, hoping for long-term peace, but, as it turned out, it was too early. Balanced and fair at first glance, the ruler of Turkey nevertheless nurtured a dream of military glory.

Foreign policy By the end of his reign, the military biography of Suleiman I included 13 major military campaigns, of which 10 were campaigns of conquest in Europe. And that’s not counting small raids. The Ottoman Empire had never been more powerful: its lands stretched from Algeria to Iran, Egypt and almost to the doorstep of Vienna. At that time, the phrase “Turks at the gates” became a terrible horror story for Europeans, and the Ottoman ruler was compared to the Antichrist.

A year after ascending the throne, Suleiman went to the borders of Hungary. The Sabac fortress fell under the pressure of Turkish troops. Victories flowed like a cornucopia – the Ottomans established control over the Red Sea, took Algeria, Tunisia and the island of Rhodes, conquered Tabriz and Iraq.

The Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean also took a place on the rapidly growing map of the empire. Hungary, Slavonia, Transylvania, Bosnia and Herzegovina were subordinate to the Sultan. In 1529, the Turkish ruler took a swing at Austria, storming its capital with an army of 120 thousand soldiers. However, Vienna was helped to survive by an epidemic that killed a third of the Ottoman army. The siege had to be lifted.

Only Suleiman did not seriously encroach on Russian lands, considering Russia a remote province that was not worth the effort and money spent. The Ottomans occasionally launched raids on the possessions of the Moscow state; the Crimean Khan even reached the capital, but a large-scale campaign never happened.

By the end of the reign of the ambitious ruler, the Ottoman Empire had become the greatest and most powerful state in the history of the Muslim world. However, military measures depleted the treasury – according to estimates, the maintenance of an army of 200 thousand military personnel, which also included Janissary slaves, consumed two-thirds of the state budget in peacetime.

Domestic policy:

It was not for nothing that Suleiman received the nickname the Magnificent: the ruler’s life was filled not only with military successes, the Sultan also succeeded in the internal affairs of the state. On his behalf, Judge Ibrahim from Aleppo updated the code of laws, which was in force until the twentieth century. Mutilation and the death penalty were reduced to a minimum, although criminals caught forging money and documents, bribery and perjury continued to lose their right hand.

The wise ruler of the state, where representatives of different religions coexisted, considered it necessary to weaken the pressure of Sharia and made an attempt to create secular laws. But some of the reforms never took root due to constant wars.

The education system also changed for the better: primary schools began to appear one after another, and graduates, if desired, continued to receive knowledge in colleges, which were located within the eight main mosques.

Thanks to the Sultan, the architectural heritage was replenished with masterpieces of art. According to the sketches of the favorite architect of the ruler, Sinan, three luxurious mosques were built – Selimiye, Shehzade and Suleymaniye (the second largest in the capital of Turkey), which became examples of the Ottoman style.

Suleiman was distinguished by his poetic talent, so he did not ignore literary creativity. During his reign, Ottoman poetry with Persian traditions was polished to perfection. At the same time, a new position appeared – rhythmic chronicler, it was occupied by poets who put current events into poems.

Personal life:

Suleiman I, in addition to poetry, was fond of jewelry, was known as a skilled blacksmith, and even personally cast cannons for military campaigns.

It is unknown how many women were in the Sultan’s harem. Historians only know about the official favorites who bore children to Suleiman. In 1511, Fulane became the first concubine of the 17-year-old heir to the throne. Her son Mahmud died of smallpox before he was 10 years old. The girl disappeared from the forefront of palace life almost immediately after the death of the child. Gulfem Khatun, the second concubine, also gave the ruler a son, who was also not spared by the smallpox epidemic. The woman, excommunicated from the Sultan, remained his friend and adviser for half a century. In 1562, Gulfem was strangled by order of Suleiman.

The third favorite, Makhidevran Sultan, was close to acquiring the status of the official wife of the ruler. For 20 years she had great influence in the harem and in the palace, but she also failed to create a legal family with the Sultan. She left the capital of the empire with her son Mustafa, who was appointed governor of one of the provinces. Later, the heir to the throne was executed for allegedly planning to overthrow his father.

The list of women of Suleiman the Magnificent is headed by Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. A favorite of Slavic roots, Roksolana, a captive from Galicia, as she was called in Europe, charmed the ruler: the Sultan granted her freedom, and then took her as his legal wife – a religious marriage was concluded in 1534.

Roksolana received the nickname Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (“laughing”) for her cheerful disposition and smiling nature. The creator of the harem in the Topkapi Palace, the founder of charitable organizations inspired artists and writers, although she did not have an ideal appearance – her subjects valued intelligence and worldly cunning.

Roksolana skillfully manipulated her husband; on her orders, the Sultan got rid of sons born to other wives and became suspicious and cruel. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska gave birth to a daughter, Mihrimah, and five sons.

Of these, after the death of his father, the state was headed by Selim, who, however, was not distinguished by the outstanding talent of an autocrat, loved to drink and take a walk. During the reign of Selim, the Ottoman Empire began to fade. Suleiman’s love for Hurrem did not fade over the years; after the death of his wife, the Turkish ruler never walked down the aisle again.

From his youth, Suleiman showed administrative abilities:

At the age of 15, Suleiman expressed his desire to engage in administrative work in one of the provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Bayezid II entrusted him with the management of Kafa in Crimea (a fortress in Feodosia). Suleiman was governor there for three years until 1512. In 1512, his father Selim I became the sultan. Under him, Suleiman received control of a large province in Anatolia, Manisa. The young man led it for 8 years and proved himself to be a serious and confident ruler. Therefore, after the death of his father, he rightfully became his successor – Sultan Suleiman I.

Suleiman I was a fair ruler:

The Sultan surrounded himself with capable statesmen – grand viziers, specialists in Islamic law. Under him, a unified system of law was created in accordance with the principles of Sharia, which no longer changed. He entered world history as Suleiman the Magnificent. Domestic historians call him the “legislator”, “the ruler of his age.” The period of the Sultan’s reign was marked by fair power, stability and prosperity. It is known that Suleiman removed the governor of Egypt when he began to tyrannize the population with taxes. The Sultan proclaimed himself the Supreme Caliph of Islam. Many Muslims considered him a great religious figure.

Suleiman I expanded the possessions of the Ottoman Empire:

Sultan Suleiman I saw a threat to Islam from European expansion. At the beginning of his reign, he launched a campaign against the Christian powers: In the 1520s, he captured Belgrade and Rhodes, defeated the Hungarian army, took the capital of the country, Buda, and besieged Vienna. By 1530, the Mediterranean coast of North Africa came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire.

In the 1540s, part of Hungary along the middle reaches of the Danube was occupied. During the reign of Suleiman I, the empire was at its peak. Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, and Egypt became dependent on it. In the east are Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and part of Arabia. Encyclopedia Britannica writes that under Suleiman I the naval power of the empire increased. The Turkish fleet established itself in the Mediterranean Sea and made large sea voyages to Arabia and India.

Suleiman I patronized the arts:

Sultan Suleiman I supported and promoted the development of all forms of art. He himself was considered one of the great poets of Islam, writing under the pseudonym Muhibbi. Philosophy and other sciences, different types of creativity flourished: calligraphy, painting, poetry, music, carpet weaving and ceramics. Under Suleiman I, Istanbul became the center of Islamic culture and civilization. The famous Suleymaniye Mosque, public buildings, and bridges were built.

The Sultan was an attractive man:

What did Sultan Suleiman look like? Nimble Knowledge World writes that the Sultan was a tall man with a majestic posture, a broad chest and muscular arms. Suleiman had a beautiful and expressive face: dark brown eyes, a hooked nose, knitted black eyebrows and a long mustache. With his appearance he resembled a lion and was perceived by those around him as a decisive and courageous person. The Sultan wore kaftans embroidered with silk, which were decorated with gold clasps and lined with expensive furs. His voice was beautiful, melodic and clear.

Death:

The Sultan, who brought powerful states to their knees, died, as he himself wished, in the war. This happened during the siege of the Hungarian fortress Szigetavr. 71-year-old Suleiman had been tormented by gout for a long time, the disease progressed, and even riding a horse was already difficult.

He died on the morning of September 6, 1566, not having lived a couple of hours before the decisive assault on the fortress. The doctors who treated the ruler were immediately killed so that information about the death would not reach the army, which, in the heat of disappointment, could rebel. Only after the heir to the throne, Selim, established power in Istanbul, did the soldiers learn about the death of the ruler.

According to legend, Suleiman sensed the approaching end and voiced his last will to the commander-in-chief. A request with a philosophical meaning is known to everyone today: the Sultan asked not to cover his hands during the funeral procession – everyone should see that the accumulated wealth remains in this world, and even Suleiman the Magnificent, the great ruler of the Ottoman Empire, leaves empty-handed.

Another legend is associated with the death of the Turkish ruler. Allegedly, the body was embalmed, and the removed internal organs were placed in a vessel made of gold and buried in the place of his death. Now there is a mausoleum and a mosque there. The remains of Suleiman rest in the cemetery of the Suleymaniye Mosque, which he built, near the Roksolana mausoleum.

Memory Several feature films and documentaries tell about the life of Suleiman I. A striking adaptation of harem intrigues was the series “The Magnificent Century,” which was released in 2011. The role of the Ottoman ruler is played by Halit Ergench, whose charisma can be felt even from the photo.

The image created by the actor is recognized as the best embodiment of the Sultan’s power in cinema. The concubine and wife of the ruler is played by Meryem Uzerli; the actress with German-Turkish roots also managed to convey the main features of Khyurrem – spontaneity and sincerity.

Books:

“Suleiman the Magnificent. The greatest sultan of the Ottoman Empire. 1520-1566″, G. Lamb
“Suleiman. Sultan of the East”, G. Lamb
“Sultan Suleiman and Roksolana. Eternal love in letters, poems, documents…” Prose of the greats.
Series of books “Magnificent Century”, N. Pavlishcheva
“The Magnificent Age of Suleiman and Hürrem Sultan”, P. J. Parker
“The Greatness and Collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Lords of endless horizons”, Goodwin Jason, Sharov M
“Roksolana, Queen of the East”, O. Nazaruk
“Harem”, B. Small“The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire”, L. Kinross

Movies:

1996 – “Roksolana”
2003 – “Hurrem Sultan”
2008 – “In search of truth. Roksolana: bloody path to the throne”
2011 – “Magnificent Century”

Architecture:

Suleymaniye Mosque
Hurrem Sultan Mosque
Shehzade Mosque
Selimiye Mosque