Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman I or Suleiman the Magnificent (6 November 1494 – 5/6 September 1566), was the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He became sultan when he was 26 years old. He reigned for 46 years, from 1520 to 1566, which was longer than any other Ottoman sultan. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the Muslim world, as the Lawgiver (in Turkish Kanuni; Arabic: القانونى, al‐Qānūnī), because he changed the organization of the Ottoman legal system. This nickname shows how important he was in the Ottoman Empire. Some people even considered Suleiman as the “World Emperor and Messiah of the Last Age”.
He also led many wars in Europe, including wars in Hungary, Austria, the Mediterranean, and parts of North Africa.
Childhood.
Suleiman was the only son of Sultan Selim I and Ayşe Hafsa Sultan. Suleiman spent his childhood in the city of Trabzon, where he got a basic education from his personal teachers. One of his first known teachers was Hayreddin Efendi. Suleiman spoke eight languages fluently. He also wrote Persian poetry and his hobby was composing lute music. Besides battle, he also enjoyed philosophical debate.
During his childhood, Suleiman became friends with Damat Ibrahim Pasha, who was a slave of the sultan. Later during Suleiman’s reign Ibrahim became an important adviser and grand vizier.
When Suleiman was 10 years old, he was expected to take over an administrative position (sancak) in the Ottoman government, but the sons of Beyazid II held him back. Suleiman followed his father Selim I to become emperor of the Ottoman Empire in September 1520.
Siege of Vienna.
Suleiman tried to capture Vienna, the capital of the Habsburg Austrian Empire, two times. The first time was in 1529 after he destroyed and captured the Kingdom of Hungary in the 1526 Battle of Mohács. The second time was in 1532. Both times Suleiman failed. The Siege of Vienna became the end of the growth of the Ottoman Empire into Europe. After these failed attempts, Suleiman started to focus on growing his Empire into Asia and the Mediterranean instead of Central Europe.
Characteristics of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman.
The empire that Suleiman ruled over had Ottoman Turkish as its main language. The religion of Islam played a central role during his reign. The Ottoman Empire ruled a diverse population. They were separated by differences in race, language, religion, and customs. Muslims were favored, because they followed the state religion, which was Islam. Others, for example Jews and Christians, had a lesser position but still were allowed to have their own religion. Throughout Suleiman's reign, the government was made up of the Ruling Institution. This institution included the family of the sultan, the ministers of the sultan, and the army. During Suleiman’s reign, it can be said that the Muslim Institution had more power and influence than the Ruling Institution. However, the Muslim Institution was aiming to catch up with the Sharia Institution.
Successor of Suleiman.
Suleiman wanted to keep the power to himself. To prevent his son Mustafa from taking power with a coup, Suleiman had Mustafa strangled in 1553. Several other sons also died. Suleiman’s successor was his son Selim II. He came to the throne during civil conflicts with his surviving brothers. Selim II had the urge to live a life of pleasure, instead of focusing on the difficult task of governing. He assigned affairs of state to his grand vizier (chief minister) and son-in-law, Mehmed Sokullu.
After Selim II came to power to follow Suleiman, the reign of the Ottoman Empire steadily went downhill, because Selim II was more focused on his personal pleasure.
Death of Suleiman.
Suleiman passed away on September 7th 1566. He died during the war with Austria. After his death, he was moved back to Istanbul. He was buried in Mimar Sinan’s biggest mausoleum.