Suleiman The Magnificent

He married one of his Harem women, Hürrem Sultan, going against the established traditions, in 1531.

He had six sons and two daughters of whom his only living son at the time of his demise on September 6, 1566, Selim II, succeeded him to the throne. Among his other sons, Mehmed died of small pox, while Mustafa and Bayezid were killed on his order.

Suleiman I was presumably born on November 6, 1494, in Trabzon, Ottoman Empire to Şehzade Selim, who later became Sultan Selim I, and his wife, Hafsa Sultan, a converted Muslim, as their only son.

When he was seven years old he was sent to the regal schools of the ‘Topkapı Palace’ in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) where he studied literature, history, science, military tactics and theology.

In his youth he became friend with a slave Pargalı Ibrahim. Ibrahim later emerged as one of the most trustworthy advisors of Suleiman I who inducted him as the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire during the latter’s reign.

During the rule of Bayezid II, Suleiman I’s grandfather, he was made the sancak beyi (governor) of Kaffa in Crimea at the age of seventeen. He also became the governor of Manisa during his father’s reign.

After his father’s death on September 21/22, 1520, he became the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire on September 30, 1520.

According to the Venetian envoy Bartolomeo Contarini, 'Suleiman was friendly, good humoured, enjoyed reading, knowledgeable and made good judgments'.

According to some sources, he was an admirer of Alexander the Great and was inspired by the latter’s vision of developing a world empire comprising the West and the East.

His early crusades saw him personally leading the Ottoman army to vanquish the Christian strongholds in the Mediterranean and central Europe. These included invasion of Belgrade in 1521 and Rhodes in 1522.

He also conquered most of Hungary in the Battle of Mohács, one of the most significant battles in the history of Central Europe that took place on August 29, 1526.

He defeated the Hungarian King, Louis II, in the Battle of Mohács and after childless Louis II was killed in the battle, his brother-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria, claimed the vacant throne of Hungary and succeeded in winning recognition from western Hungary.

On the other hand, a noble, John Zápolya, who also claimed the throne, was recognized as a vassal king of Hungary by Suleiman I. Thus, by 1529, Hungary was divided into Habsburg Hungary and the Eastern-Kingdom of Hungary.

Suleiman I’s first attempt to conquer the Austrian city of Vienna in what is famous as the ‘Siege of Vienna’ that occurred from September 27 to October 15, 1529 was an indication of supreme helm of the Ottoman Empire as well as the extent of its expansion in central Europe.