سلطان سليمان اول
(Sultan Suleiman the First)
personal life
Suleiman the Magnificent, or Suleiman bin Selim Khan, was born on November 6, 1494 at Trabzon (in present-day Turkey). He was born to Selim I and Hasfa Sultan as their only son together, leaving Suleiman with the throne following his father's death, in 1520. He gained his knowledge by attending and studying at the Topkapi Palace, where he learned how to fluently speak six languages. He was a follower of the religion of Sunni Islam and, along with becoming the Ottoman's Empire most appreciated ruler, he was an appraised poet. He grew up to marry Roxelana (among his other wives), and had many children. He reigned for 46 years.
his reign
At a young age (15-17), Selim I appointed Suleiman to be governor of Kaffa. At this time, he learned about politics, military tactics, and the characteristics of being a fair ruler. After his father died, he easily came into rule, for everybody knew he was strong enough to be the Sultan. He started his reign by conquering Christian European lands like Belgrade and Rhodes, then moved onto Central European lands, Middle Eastern lands, and some African lands; and he took control of the Mediterranean. In Hungary, he conquered lands like Budin, and later led an unsuccessful beseige on Vienna, in which he withdrew because of the harsh winter weather. Suleiman died a day after the Ottomans defeated Hapsburgs at the seige Szigetvar in 1566. All in all, we can see he greatly expanded the Ottoman Empire, further into Egypt and Persia. Thanks to all of his military accomplishments and cultural achievements, Suleiman became called the Kanuni or "lawgiver" because of his fairness and he was said to have led the "Golden Age" of the Ottoman Empire.
Our thoughts
As most of us believe, Suleiman the Magnificent really did seem to be magnificent. Not only did he lead a great rule through his military expansion, but he also emphasized the importance of culture and arts (he was even a poet himself, with poems that changed history). Even though he did many great things, he also had some bad times, like when he suffered his first loss at Vienna, or when he had someone strangle Bayezid and his four other sons to death, leading way for his son Selim to rule (some say he was influenced by Roxelana). But we can all agree that Suleiman led a great life and was favored by all, for he was fair and lawful.