Having ascended the throne as the 10th ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman (the biography of the Sultan will be discussed later) lived only a quarter of a century before this event. However, he unexpectedly deceived the expectations of the Ottoman elite and, disdaining a vicious lifestyle, spent almost his entire reign personally leading military campaigns in Europe, Africa and Asia. He died, already seriously ill, while leading the Hungarian campaign. Of all the lands he fought for, the only ones he failed to conquer were Vienna in Europe, the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, and Ethiopia in eastern Africa. His reign was the peak of the power and prosperity of the Ottoman Empire, which stretched (with small free enclaves) from the northwest tip of North Africa to Iran and from Vienna to Ethiopia.
What can be said about the biography of Sultan Suleiman Khan Hazret? He was considered fair. Being the Caliph of all Muslims and the Great Padishah of the Turks, he did not oppress other religions, and primarily Christianity. Under him, trade and art flourished, fair laws were introduced and, most importantly, observed, life became easier for the common people, which, in fact, is a unique situation for empires waging constant wars.
The Ottoman Empire existed for more than 6 hundred years, disintegrating only following the results of World War I. The family and biography of Sultan Suleiman Khan Hazret Leri will be discussed a little below. In the meantime, the first nine Ottoman sultans:
The future 10th Sultan of the Ottomans and the 89th Caliph of all Muslims was born six years before the onset of the 16th century in the family of the governor of Trabzon and the future Sultan Selim I the Terrible. He became the long-awaited first-born among boys. His mother (very beautiful woman) Hafize Aishe was the daughter of the Crimean Khan. After the death of Suleiman’s grandmother, whom he loved very much, it was she who raised her son single-handedly. Sultan Suleiman, whose biography and personal life is full of amazing events, grew up surrounded by eminent teachers and, surprisingly, studied jewelry art. Subsequently, he was known not only as a connoisseur of jewelry, but also as a good blacksmith, and even personally participated in the casting of cannons.
Interesting! Suleiman's father Selim received the sultan's power as a result of a fierce struggle with his father Bayezid II and (for the first time in the history of the Ottomans) the latter's voluntary resignation as sultan.
We continue to study the biography of Sultan Suleiman Khan Hazret Leri. After his father's accession, at a very young age he became the ruler of Manisa, and subsequently of two more provinces. Thus, he gained management experience as governor.
Describing the biography of Sultan Suleiman Khan the Magnificent, which was his name in Europe, the Ambassador of Venice noted his long neck and aquiline nose, as well as the pale (he even put it more sharply - deathly pale) appearance of his skin. He was unusually strong, which you couldn’t tell the first time you looked at Suleiman. Hot-tempered and proud, like all Ottomans, he was at the same time melancholic, complacent and generous. And, importantly, he was not a fanatic like his father.
It was a tradition in their family to write poetry and favor various arts. During his military campaign life, Suleiman I wrote more than 2000 works, mostly lyrical, which are still in demand.
The biography of Sultan Suleiman Khan is quite interesting. Suleiman inherited the Magnificent throne without the horrors of fratricide, since all his brothers died much earlier. Upon his accession to the throne, as an act of goodwill, he sent the Egyptian captives home. He zealously fought against corruption, introduced (and ensured their strict observance) fair laws that worked well until the 20th century, and really cared about the welfare of his subjects, especially those who were not very rich, which earned him the nickname “Fair” among them.
However, he was not perfect. If we consider the biography, Sultan Suleiman broke his own vow, which was that the friend of his youth, Ibrahim Pasha Pargaly, would live as long as Suleiman himself lived. However, by order of the Sultan, he was strangled, although while Suleiman himself was sleeping (a pathetic scholastic trick). By his own order, his son Mustafa, who allegedly intended to become sultan ahead of schedule, was strangled.
The first great military success in the biography of Sultan Suleiman was the conquest of Algeria and the capture of Belgrade, which happened in the fifth and sixth years of his reign (before this there were also victories, but local ones - on the Danube and the island of Rhodes). Hungary and Austria paid tribute to him, and all the khanates of the former Golden Horde recognized themselves as vassals. In the thirties of the 16th century, he captured Western Georgia, Baghdad, Basra and Bahrain.
The first concubine of Sultan Suleiman Khan, Hazret Leri, was barely 17 years old, the same young Fulane (later her son Mahmud died of smallpox). A similar story happened with the second concubine Gulfem Khatun, who, no longer a mistress, remained his friend and adviser for half a century. In 1562, on the orders of Suleiman, she was mercilessly strangled. The third favorite, Makhidevran Sultan, also did not become an official wife. For more than two decades, she was an influential figure in the palace, but she left with her son Mustafa to the province he headed, where he was subsequently executed.
And then she came - Roksolana, as she was called in Europe. Who she is and where she comes from is not known exactly. The Slavic slave - a beautiful, intelligent and rather cynical young girl - immediately fell in love with Sultan Suleiman Khan Hazret Leri, and he was crazy about her until her death. The concubine, who became the official wife (the marriage took place in 1534) and the mother of the next sultan, Hurrem Haseki Sultan, rested in a mausoleum and tomb specially built for her. After her death, Suleiman the Magnificent no longer officially married.
She was always cheerful, smiling, danced well and played musical instruments, which is why she received the nickname Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, which means “laughing”. She gave birth to the Sultan's daughter Mihrimah and five sons. Naturally, she also participated in palace intrigues and influenced politics both through her husband and children, and through her son-in-law Khirvat Rustem, whom she helped become grand vizier.
Sultan Suleiman Khan Hazret Leri died at the age of 72 and was buried next to the tomb of his wife Hurrem Haseki Sultan in the second largest mosque in Istanbul - Suleymaniye, built by him. Many legends and mysteries accompany the death and funeral of Suleiman the Magnificent. Immediately, as soon as he died, they killed all his doctors so that his son Selim would be the first to enter the capital: this automatically made him the sultan. Before his death, Suleiman allegedly asked to be buried with with open hands, as if showing that the Great Sultan cannot take anything with him. And there were a lot of similar rumors.
Selim II, the son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Roksolana, ruled until 1574, having lost his father's inheritance a little. He was the eleventh Ottoman Sultan and the first to be born and die in Istanbul. But all its differences from its predecessors did not end there:
His father trusted him so much that in 1548, while leaving for the Persian campaign, he left Selim as regent in Istanbul, and in 1953 he declared him his first heir.
In his youth, Selim was a rare reveler and drunkard, even receiving the nickname Ayash, but on the throne he began to abuse this much less, and according to one version, he very abruptly put an end to bad habits, which, according to his doctor, even harmed his health.
Following traditions, Selim II also wrote poems, but dedicated them only to his beloved wife Nurban, whose son Murad became the 12th Sultan.
In modern Turkey, Suleiman I the Just was chosen as a role model. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sympathizes with him and often refers to him. And this is not surprising, since the father of all Turks, Kemal Ataturk, advocated a secular society and, although he restored the country, but not the empire.
So, we looked at the family and biography of the Sultan. Suleiman Khan Hazret Leri the Magnificent - “the shadow of Allah on Earth” - demonstrated such a tolerant attitude towards religious faiths and was so monogamous in relation to his legal wife Hurrem Haseki Sultan that in those distant times he surprised not only Muslims, but even Christians.
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 home country.
The future Sultan Suleiman I received a brilliant education for those times at the palace school in Istanbul, and spent his childhood and youth reading books and spiritual practices. WITH early years 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.
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 about 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.
By the end of the reign military biography Suleiman I had 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.
Black Sea and East End The 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.
It was not for nothing that Suleiman received the nickname Magnificent: the ruler’s life was filled not only with military successes, the Sultan also succeeded in internal affairs states. 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 brushes right hand.
The wise ruler of the state, where representatives of different religions coexisted, considered it necessary to weaken the pressure of Sharia and attempted to create secular laws. But some of the reforms never took root due to constant wars.
Changed in better side and the education system: one after another began to appear primary schools, and graduates, if desired, continued to gain 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.
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, 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 no different outstanding talent autocrat, loved to drink and take walks. 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.
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.
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. In the role Ottoman ruler performs, whose charisma is felt even from the photo.
The image created by the actor is recognized best incarnation Sultan's power in cinema. She plays the concubine and wife of the ruler; the actress with German-Turkish roots also managed to convey the main features of Hurrem - spontaneity and sincerity.
Suleiman the Magnificent and his “Magnificent Century” Vladimirsky Alexander Vladimirovich
Last trip
Lonely in his personal life after the death of Roksolana, the Sultan withdrew into himself, becoming more and more silent, with a more melancholy expression on his face and eyes, more distant from people.
When, under more favorable circumstances, Piale Pasha returned with a fleet to Istanbul after his historic victories at Djerba and Tripoli, which had established Islamic dominance over the Central Mediterranean, Busbeck wrote that “those who saw the face of Suleiman in that hour of triumph could not detect there was not even the slightest trace of joy on him... The expression of his face remained unchanged, his hard features had not lost anything of their usual gloom... all the celebrations and applause of that day did not evoke in him a single sign of satisfaction.”
Busbeck claimed that with age, Suleiman became very pious and superstitious, as he thought more and more about how to get to heaven more reliably after death:
“Day by day, the Sultan is becoming more and more scrupulous in observing religious rules and customs; one might say, he has become more superstitious. Previously, he used to enjoy listening to a choir of boys who sang and played for him; however, after the intervention of some fortune teller, who announced that in future life terrible punishment awaits him if he does not give up this entertainment, the Sultan put an end to this. He was so intimidated that he ordered everything to be broken down and set on fire. musical instruments, even though they were painted with fine gold script and studded with precious stones. Usually he was served food in silver dishes, but someone discovered this was a sin, and now he eats from earthenware.”
The Sultan prohibited the import into Istanbul of any wine whose consumption was prohibited by the Koran. Non-Muslim communities rebelled here. They tried to prove that such a drastic change in diet could cause illness or even death among the Christian population. The Divan, perhaps with the knowledge of the Sultan, somewhat softened the ban and allowed non-Muslim communities to receive a weekly portion of wine once a week, unloaded especially for them on the shore at the Sea Gate of the capital.
And here is how Suleiman describes his appearance in Last year life secretary of the Venetian ambassador:
“For many months of this year His Majesty was very weak in body and was on the verge of death. His legs were swollen from dropsy, his appetite was gone, and his face became puffy and had a very bad color. Last month of March he blacked out four or five times and has since had another attack. During such attacks, the servants who looked after him could not determine whether he was alive or dead, and thought that he was unlikely to recover from them. By all accounts, his death is not long in coming, despite the strong medications his doctor is resorting to.”
Judging by this description, Suleiman suffered from general heart failure.
But what depressed the Sultan most was the humiliation he experienced after the failure of the expedition to Malta. No fasting or other mortification of the flesh could help here. Although Suleiman felt very unwell, he was eager to go on a new campaign in order to win new high-profile victories and save his wounded pride. And Suleiman was going to conduct the last victorious campaign, designed to once again prove the invincibility of Ottoman weapons, in Europe. He first vowed to personally attempt to capture Malta the following spring. However, realizing the weakness of his fleet, he decided to conduct a land campaign in Hungary and Austria, where Ferdinand's successor, Maximilian II, not only did not intend to pay tribute, but also periodically launched raids on Hungary, capturing small fortresses. Suleiman also wanted to take revenge for the failures of his troops at Szigetvár and Eger.
The Sultan had plans for the future. The desert steppes of Ukraine did not attract the attention of Suleiman. Here he did not see a serious object for conquest. In these steppes one could not count on rich booty. But the Sultan regretted that it was not possible to recapture Astrakhan from the Muscovites. Suleiman never thought about reaching the Kazan Khanate.
Turkish ships could enter the Don, which flows into the sea beyond Azov. In the area where the Don comes closest to the Volga, it was possible to build a canal. Turkish engineers considered the project feasible. Then Turkish Ottoman ships from the Sea of Azov could pass into the deep Volga and capture Kazan in the north and Astrakhan in the south, or even establish Turkish dominance in the Caspian Sea itself and deal a mortal blow to the Safavid Empire. But the Volga-Don Canal project was not implemented, including due to the enormous cost and lack of necessary human and material resources in the Black Sea region of the empire. And it is unlikely that such a complex structure could have been built then.
At the end of his life, Suleiman the Magnificent titled himself “Ruler of thirty-seven kingdoms, ruler of the states of the Romans, Persians and Arabs, ruler of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the glorious Kaaba and the blessed Medina, the great Jerusalem and the throne of Egypt, Yemen, Aden, Sanaa, Baghdat, Basra Al- Akhsa and the cities of Nushirivan, Azerbaijan, Algeria, the lands of the Tatars and the Kipchak steppes, Luristan, Kurdistan, Anatolia, Rumelia, Karaman, Wallachia, Moldavia, Hungary and many other lands and kingdoms. Sultan and padishah."
It is difficult to say whether in his last campaign to Hungary he wanted to annex new Austrian or Hungarian lands to the empire, or whether the matter should have been limited to the capture of several fortresses with the subsequent return of the army to Istanbul before the winter cold.
The Austro-Turkish War of 1566-1568 was fought for the possession of the Principality of Transylvania, which was at that time a vassal of the Ottoman Empire.
By that time, the Sultan himself had not directly commanded the troops for 11 years, but was with them mainly to raise the morale of the soldiers. Setting out on his last campaign, Suleiman was already seriously ill, suffering from heart failure and gout. When the troops left Istanbul on May 1, 1566, Suleiman was unable to sit on a horse, and he was carried in a covered horse-drawn carriage, where the Sultan could no longer sit without outside help. Suleiman suffered from severe gout. During the siege, the Sultan received all reports from the Grand Vizier and made the final decisions.
The Turkish army numbered, according to some possibly exaggerated estimates, up to 100 thousand people, including up to 80 thousand Ottoman Turks, 12–15 thousand. Crimean Tatars and 7 thousand Moldovans.
The campaign to Szigetvar, thanks to the untimely zeal of the quartermaster, was completed, contrary to orders, in one day instead of two, which completely exhausted the Sultan, who was in poor physical condition. He became so angry that he ordered the quartermaster to be beheaded. But the Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha Sokollu convinced him not to do this, since the enemy would be intimidated by the mere fact that the Sultan, despite his old age, could still endure the hardships of a forced day's march, as in the days of his youth. Then Suleiman softened a little and ordered the execution of the governor of Buda for incompetence in his field of activity.
The initial goal of the campaign was to capture the fortified city of Szigetvár in southern Hungary, where there was a garrison of 2,300 Hungarian and Croatian infantry under the command of the Bann (ruler) of Croatia, Count Miklós Zrinyi.
The Turks had been besieging the Szigetvár fortress since August 6. Zrinyi and his comrades closed themselves in the citadel and raised a black flag, thereby declaring their determination to fight until last person. Admired by such heroism, but nevertheless upset by the delay in capturing such a minor fortress, Suleiman offered generous terms of surrender, seeking to entice Zrinyi with the prospect of serving in the Turkish army as the de facto ruler of Croatia, but now as a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan rather than the Habsburgs. Zrinyi and his comrades rejected such a generous offer with contempt.
The siege was led by the Grand Vizier. Under his command, about 50 thousand people from the army were involved in the siege with 17 heavy battering rams and 280 conventional guns. After this, in preparation for the decisive assault, Turkish sappers placed a powerful mine under the main bastion within two weeks. On September 5, the mine was detonated, causing devastating destruction and fire that severely damaged the citadel. But contrary to expectations, the defenders of the fortress did not surrender.
A few hours before his death, while in his tent on Mount Similhof, Suleiman said to the Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha Sokoll, who actually commanded the siege army: “The great drum of victory should not yet be heard.”
Suleiman the Magnificent died on the night of September 5-6, 1566. heart attack in a camp near the besieged Szigetvár.
The Turkish batteries continued to bombard the fortress until the citadel was completely destroyed, with the exception of one tower, and only 600 men, led by Zrinyi, remained alive from the garrison. On September 8, a decisive battle took place near the walls of Szigetvár. The count brought them out for the last battle, luxuriously dressed and decorated with jewelry, as if on a holiday, to show the Turks how Christians know how to die. When the Janissaries broke into their ranks with the aim of capturing Zrinyi, he fired such a powerful charge from a large mortar that hundreds of Turks fell dead; then, with a saber in their hands, Zrinya and his comrades fought heroically until everyone died. Zrinyi managed to plant a landmine under an ammunition depot, which exploded, killing approximately 3 thousand Turks. In total, the Turks during the siege of Szigetvar lost about half of the siege corps, i.e. up to 25 thousand people.
Only seven of the besieged made it through the Turkish lines. And of the prisoners, only four were subsequently ransomed from the Turks. Among them was Gašpar Alapić, the nephew of Miklós Zrinjí, who became the new Bann of Croatia, and the former chamberlain of Zrinjí, Franjo Crnko, who left a description of the siege of Szigetvár. The death of the Sultan ruled out a campaign against Vienna, and there is no reliable evidence that such a campaign was actually planned by Suleiman at that moment. In any case, even if Suleiman had remained alive, the Turkish army would not have had enough time to siege at least one more fortress before the onset of the autumn thaw and winter cold.
Suleiman's death was hidden from the army.
Grand Vizier Sokollu wanted the succession to the throne by Selim, to whom he sent news of his father's death by express courier to Kütahya, in Anatolia, to be peaceful. He didn't reveal his secret for several more weeks. The government continued to conduct its affairs as if the Sultan was still alive. Orders came out of his tent as if under his signature. Appointments to vacant positions, promotions, and awards were made in the usual manner. A divan was convened, and the traditional victory reports were sent on behalf of the Sultan to the governors of the provinces of the empire. After the fall of Szigetvár, the campaign continued as if the Sultan were still in command, with the army gradually withdrawing towards the Turkish border, carrying out a small siege along the way, allegedly ordered by the still living Suleiman.
Looking ahead, we will say that under the terms of the peace treaty concluded at the end of 1568, the Austrian emperors still had to pay an annual tribute to Istanbul, but there were no changes in the borders.
All orders were made on behalf of the late monarch in in writing. Sokollu revealed the secret only to his secretary Feridan Bey and the squire of the late Sultan Jafer Agha. Jafer Agha, who knew the Sultan's office well, easily forged Suleiman's handwriting. Moreover, besides the listed persons and Prince Selim, it is unlikely that anyone else had a clear idea of the Sultan’s handwriting. Internal organs Suleiman was buried and his body was embalmed. Now it was on its way home in his closed palanquin, accompanied, as when he went on campaign, by his guard. Mehmed Pasha himself was constantly following the palanquin on horseback. At each halt, Suleiman’s body was carried in a palanquin to the Sultan’s tent and seated there on the throne, after which the Grand Vizier entered the tent, as if to report and receive orders.
Sokollu advised Selim to meet the army on the way back. Only when the Grand Vizier received news that Prince Selim had already officially taken the throne in Istanbul and had now arrived in Belgrade, did he inform the soldiers that Sultan Suleiman had died. The army stopped for the night at the edge of a forest near Belgrade. The Grand Vizier summoned the reciters of the Koran to stand around the Sultan's palanquin, glorifying the name of God, and read a prayer for the deceased. The army was awakened by the call of the muezzins, singing solemnly around the Sultan's tent. This was the notice of the death of the Sultan.
In total, the Grand Vizier managed to hide the death of the Sultan for 54 days. When Prince Selim II arrived from Manisa, his main task was to build a monumental tomb on the spot where his father died. It was a structure with columns made of monolithic marble, and its roof was made of pure gold. This monument was later damaged twice by the Austrians. Its marble elements were sent to a museum in Italy, and the gold from the roof was sold in Vienna. But what hurts most is that this monument, symbolizing the greatness of the empire and splendor in the very center of Europe, was neglected by subsequent generations. Today there is only a tiny church made from what remains of the monument, and a wall from the church with a marble tablet on which the years of the reign of Sultan Suleiman I are written.
After arriving in Istanbul, the Janissaries routinely threatened rebellion and demanded an increase in salary and other privileges from the new Sultan. Selim, on the advice of the Grand Vizier, fulfilled all these requirements. The day after returning to Topkapi Palace, Selim buried his father at the Suleymaniye Mosque.
The last refuge of Suleiman the Magnificent was a huge octagonal mausoleum, built by Sinan for him next to the tomb of Roksolana.
Suleiman was buried in the mausoleum of the Istanbul Suleymaniye Mosque along with his beloved wife, in the shade of cypress trees.
The poet Baki wrote an elegy on the death of the Sultan, which included the following lines:
You showed everyone what justice is,
It was moved from east to west
your armed comrades,
Like a swing of a sword...
Fifty years after the death of Suleiman in Protestant England, the respectable Richard Knolles wrote the following about the Sultan: “Mohammed Pasha, after appointing a Turkish governor to Szigetvar, called together the scattered soldiers and retreated to Belgrade. He kept Suleiman's dead body seated in a palanquin, making it appear that the Sultan was suffering from gout. The Janissaries easily believed this, knowing that the Sultan had been transported in this way for many years. They still considered his presence a guarantee of success, although now he was incapable of anything. (There is some irony in this last march of the dead Sultan at the head of the army, which he taught to discipline and order.)
He was tall, like a statue, thin, with a long neck, had a pale complexion, a long, hooked nose, and an ambitious and generous character. Suleiman was true to his word and promise more than any other of the Mohammedan kings who preceded him. He wanted nothing more worthy than to take possession of a huge empire, but an empire that is happy with faith in Christ.”
From the book Conquest of Siberia: Myths and Reality author Verkhoturov Dmitry NikolaevichThe Last Campaign Throughout the summer of 1584, Ermak took no action. This is understandable, because the army, no matter how small it was left, needed to regain strength after a disastrous famine. There is no information left about what Kuchum and Seitek were doing at that time. Most likely also
From the book 100 Great Mysteries of the 20th Century authorTHE LAST CAMPAIGN OF THE KURSK (Material by E. Pavlov) The unique operation to lift the nuclear submarine Kursk from the bottom of the Barents Sea, in the successful completion of which not everyone believed, was a success. Having decided to raise a giant submarine, the command of the fleet and
From the book Aryan Rus' [The Heritage of Ancestors. Forgotten gods of the Slavs] author Belov Alexander IvanovichThe Last Campaign We find a similar story in the Mahabharata. After a long battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, which led to the death of entire tribes, King Yudhisthira began to spin. “Everything around was empty, the mighty Ganga flowed quietly, but its appearance was joyless...”
From the book Autocrat of the Desert [1993 edition] author Yuzefovich LeonidThe last trip The first to start fighting, Ungern provided his worst enemies with a truly invaluable service: he gave Moscow the long-awaited pretext for invading Mongolia. A year ago, the Reds did not dare to do this, for fear of being drawn into a war with China, but their victories under
From the book Autocrat of the Desert [2010 Edition] author Yuzefovich LeonidThe last campaign On July 119, Ungern sent one of the Mongols to Urga with a letter to the Bogd Gegen. “At the present time,” he wrote to the Khutukhta, “having learned about the state of affairs in general and, in particular, about Dzhambolon-van, I am extremely ashamed not only before Bogd Khan, but before the last
From the book White Guard author Shambarov Valery Evgenievich118. The last campaign...Having abandoned our home, abandoning our families, we gathered in the ranks of battle. We did not go for joy, for a difficult feat, We did not expect rewards from people. Along the way, destroying barriers, we completed the Way of the Cross alone... Lieutenant General Pepelyaev If the history of the White Movement in
From the book Rurikovich. Gatherers of the Russian Land author Burovsky Andrey MikhailovichThe last campaign of Genghis Khan From 1202 until the end of his life, Genghis Khan conquered peoples Central Asia And Southern Siberia. The last campaigns were carried out by his sons. Ogedei defeated the Jurchens Far East and destroyed their state in 1235. Kyrgyz Khaganate in Southern Siberia
From the book Emergency Incidents in the Soviet Navy author Cherkashin Nikolay Andreevich6. “My first and last trip...” Captain 2nd rank Mars Yamalov came to serve on the S-178 as a lieutenant. First mate Sergei Kubynin introduced me to him. We went into a glass shop on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, remembered the dead, remembered everything how it was... Mars Yamalov: - After college I was eager to serve
From the book The Age of Paul I author Balyazin Voldemar NikolaevichThe last step - the campaign to India Historians who studied the last months of Paul's reign agree that the most unpopular action of the emperor was the insane, suicidal campaign of the Don Cossacks to India, planned overnight by Paul and just as quickly
From the book Roksolana and Suleiman. Beloved of the “Magnificent Century” [collection] author Pavlishcheva Natalya PavlovnaLast campaign Lonely in his personal life after the death of Roksolana, the Sultan withdrew into himself, becoming more and more silent, with a more melancholic expression on his face and eyes, more distant from people. When, under more favorable circumstances, Piale Pasha returned with the fleet to
From the book of Genghis Khan by Maine John11 The Last Campaign In 1224, Genghis finally had his hands free to deal with Xi Xia, the Tangut kingdom, which had refused him reinforcements five years earlier. He perceived the refusal as a slap in the face, which was awarded to him by his inferior, as an insult that could not be borne
From the book Saint Louis and His Kingdom by Garro Albert From the book The Greatest Mysteries of the 20th Century author Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai NikolaevichTHE LAST CAMPAIGN OF THE KURSK The unique operation to lift the nuclear submarine Kursk from the bottom of the Barents Sea, in the successful completion of which not everyone believed, was a success. Deciding to raise a giant submarine, the fleet command and the Dutch company
From the book Babur the Tiger. Great conqueror of the East by Harold LambThe last campaign The army, stretching along the Khyber Gorge in the harsh December days of 1525, relied entirely on its leader. People were united only by his will, spurred on by determination and the hope that luck, one way or another, would be on his side. Babur, again
From the book The People of Muhammad. Anthology of spiritual treasures of Islamic civilization by Eric Schroeder From the book Princess Olga author Dukhopelnikov Vladimir MikhailovichSVYATOSLAV'S LAST CAMPAIGN Svyatoslav could not sit in Kyiv. He was constantly drawn to the Balkans, to Bulgaria, closer to the borders of Byzantium. Under 968, the chronicler records that Svyatoslav is again going to the Danube. To this Olga answered him: “You see, I’m sick; where do you want to go from
Portrait of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
In 1494, in the city of Trabzon, a boy was born into the family of the great Ottoman dynasty. At birth he was given the name Suleiman. His father was Sehzade Selim and his mother was Ayse Hafsa.
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was the tenth sultan of the great Ottoman Empire. The history of his reign began in the fall, on September 22, 1520. And it lasted until September 6, 1566.
The first thing Sultan Suleiman I did when he ascended the throne was to release all the Egyptian captives from noble families whom the previous sultan had kept in chains. Europe was incredibly happy about this fact. But they missed the fact that Suleiman, although not as cruel and bloodthirsty as Suleiman, was still a conqueror. In 1521, Sultan Suleiman conducted his first military campaign against Belgrade. Since then, he constantly fought and captured cities and fortresses, subjugating entire states.
Sultan Suleiman set out on his last military campaign on May 1, 1566. On August 7th, the Sultan's army moved to capture Szigetvarai. But in September of the same year, during the siege of the fortress, Sultan Suleiman died in his tent from dysentery. Suleiman was then 71 years old.
The Sultan's body was taken to the capital Istanbul and buried in the Suleymaniye Mosque, next to the mausoleum of his beloved wife Hurrem Sultan.
Sultan Suleiman I was creative personality. He loved peace and tranquility. He was also famous as a skilled jeweler, wrote beautiful poetry, and loved philosophy. Suleiman also had blacksmithing skills and even personally participated in casting the cannons.
Sultan Suleiman at jewelry work in the series The Magnificent Century During the reign of Suleiman, grandiose buildings were created. Palaces, bridges, mosques, especially the world famous Suleymaniye Mosque, which is the second largest mosque in Istanbul - they all show us the unique style of the Ottoman Empire.
Sultan Suleiman fought uncompromisingly against bribery. He severely punished all officials who abused their position. The people loved the Sultan for his good deeds. He built schools so children could get an education. Suleiman released all the artisans who were forcibly taken from their cities. But Georg Weber wrote that “he was a ruthless tyrant: neither merit nor relationship saved him from his suspicion and cruelty.”
But he was not a tyrant. On the contrary, Sultan Suleiman was a fair ruler and never ignored his people and helped everyone in need.
Suleiman had a habit of dressing up as a poor man or a rich foreigner so that no one would recognize him. In this form it entered the market. So he found out the news in the city and what his people thought about him and his rule.
Sultan Suleiman was an excellent strategist. He conquered many states and subjugated the inhabitants of many cities, for which he received the nickname “Lord of the World.”
Suleiman treated him with respect family traditions and never went against the family. He especially revered his mother Hafsa Valide Sultan. He developed a warm and trusting relationship with her. But after the appearance of the concubine Hurrem in the life of the Sultan, the relationship between mother and son began to crack.
Sultan Suleiman and his mother Valide Sultan in the series Magnificent Century Valide was against her son’s marriage to Hurrem. However, Suleiman, for the first time in his life, disobeyed her and performed a nikah ceremony with Hurrem, making her his legal wife. After this act, Hafsa Valide Sultan deprived her son of her trust. In response to this, the Sultan stopped coming to his mother every morning for a blessing. But Suleiman continued to love his Valide.
The Sultan’s communication with the sisters was also warm and friendly. He always helped them and even listened to their advice. The sisters saw him as an ideal. But just like with Valide, their relationship deteriorated after Suleiman announced his love for Hurrem. It was after this that the Sultan’s sisters took up arms against their brother.
Suleiman's sisters in the series The Magnificent Century The ruler treated his first wife, Makhidevran, with respect. He loved his son Mustafa very much, whom she bore to him. And he was pleased with the way she raised him. But after Mahidevran tried to get rid of Hurrem, her main rival, Sultan Suleiman did not even want to see his wife.
Mahidevran Sultan and Sehzade Mustafa Suleiman treated all his sons equally. He loved each of them and did not single out anyone. He also did not like quarrels among his heirs and therefore always strived to improve relations with each shehzade.
The sons of Sultan Suleiman in the series The Magnificent Century Hurrem was the closest and dearest person to the Sultan. He loved her cheerful disposition and cheerful character. It was for this that he gave her the name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, which meant “bringing fun and joy.” Suleiman forgave her all her antics and was ready to do anything for the sake of his beloved.
However, discord appeared in their relationship after the death of Shehzade Mustafa and Cihangir. And when Suleiman learned about Hurrem’s incurable illness, their love bond only became stronger. But everything stopped after the death of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Sultan Suleiman suffered terrible grief. He declared mourning in the palace. He banned bright clothes, jewelry and any holidays.
Death of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska in the TV series The Magnificent Century Suleiman, as expected, had his own harem. He first became a father at the age of 18. His first-born son Mahmud, who was born in 1512 from his first favorite Fulane. But, alas, during a smallpox epidemic in 1529, the boy died at the age of 9 years. But his mother did not take any serious role in the life of the Sultan, and in 1550 she died.
Murad's second son was given to Suleiman in 1513 by his second favorite Gulfem. But this boy was also destined to die from smallpox during the epidemic. Gulfem ceased to be the Sultan's concubine and no longer bore him children. But she stayed for a long time true friend Sultan Suleiman. In 1562, on the orders of Suleiman, Gulfem was strangled.
Mahidevran Sultan and little Mustafa Mahidevran Sultan was the third favorite of the Sultan, who gave birth to several shehzade. She gave birth to the well-known Shehzade Mustafa in 1515. Mustafa was very popular among the people of Turkey. Mustafa was accused of rebellion against his father, Sultan Suleiman, and was executed on his orders. His mother was exiled to Bursa, where she died in complete anguish and poverty in 1581. She was buried in Bursa, next to her son in the mausoleum of Sehzade Mustafa.
Having become the fourth and only favorite of the Sultan, in 1534 she was able to become the legal wife of Suleiman. She became the mother of his six children. Their firstborn in 1521 was their son Mehmed. Then in 1522 their daughter Mehrimah was born. After this, Hurrem in 1523. gave birth to a son, Abdullah, and in 1524. gave birth to the Sultan another son, Selim. In 1525, she again gave the Sultan a son, who was named Bayezid. But that same year she lost her second son Abdullah. In 1531, Hurrem gave birth to her last son, Cihangir.
Hurrem's protege for the post of Grand Vizier was Rustem Pasha, to whom the Sultan's only daughter Mehrimah was married. In Europe, the news that the Sultan's daughter married a former groom was ridiculed. After all, they are accustomed to equal marriages. However, for Sultan Suleiman, human qualities, intelligence and insight were primarily important.
Mehrimah Sultan and Rustem Pasha It is possible that Sultan Suleiman had another daughter who was able to survive in infancy and survive all illnesses. Razie Sultan. Who her mother is and whether she really was the blood daughter of the Sultan is not known. This is indirectly indicated by the inscriptions on the burial in Yahya Efendi’s turba: “Carefree Razi Sultan, blood daughter of Kanuni Sultan Suleiman and spiritual daughter of Yahya Efendi.”
Towards the end of the reign of Sultan Suleiman I, it became obvious that a struggle for the throne among his remaining sons was inevitable. Shehzade Mustafa was executed as a rebel (it is not known whether he was actually a rebel or he was slandered), Mustafa's seven-year-old son Mehmed was also strangled. The son of Hurrem and Suleiman Mehmed died in 1543. But Cihangir was very weak physically and died soon after the execution of Shehzade Mustafa. They say that he died of longing for his murdered older brother.
Shehzade Selim and Shehzade Bayazid Suleiman had only two sons left, who began to fight for the right to inherit the throne. After the death of Hurrem Sultan, Sehzade Bayezid rebelled against his older brother Selim and was defeated. The rebellious Shehzade was executed by the verdict of his father, the Sultan, in 1561. His five sons were killed along with him. .
During the reign of this man, the Ottoman Empire could not only proudly bear the name Great, but also lay claim to the title of a world state. Its territories stretch over thousands of kilometers in Asia, Europe and even Africa. For a long time, the army of this country was considered invincible and undaunted, and the treasures and riches belonging to the ruler were countless and incalculable.
He almost subjugated Vienna, but the Europeans called him “the gentle lamb” and depicted him smelling flowers. Compatriots called Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver, and foreigners dubbed him the Magnificent. The tenth ruler of the Ottoman dynasty truly made his country incredibly powerful, laying the foundation for its existence and prosperity in advance. However, very few people know what he really was like, what he was interested in and how he died, so it is worth correcting this shortcoming.
The great conqueror about whom we're talking about, truly led his country to unprecedented power. When he ascended the Ottoman throne at the age of twenty-five, many predicted a short career and a quick death in the seraglio due to his disordered lifestyle and excesses. However, more than forty years later, when his colossal army stood under the walls of one of the Hungarian fortresses, Europeans were already pretty feverish just at the mention of his name alone. He managed to overcome the heroic path, leading a multimillion-dollar country stretching from Algeria to the very border with Iran.
The Chancellor of the English State and Archbishop of York, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, once visited the Sultan and immediately formed his own insightful opinion about him. One day he told the Venetian ambassador at the ruler's court Henry VIII Tudor, that this guy, although young, is full of ambitions and not without common sense. He believed that one should be wary of his prudence, which he learned from his own father.
By right of birth, he was initially supposed to become the ruler of a huge country, created by his ancestors long before his birth. As befits a young shehzade (prince), he received an excellent education: he studied exact sciences, was well versed in the arts, he himself was a skilled jeweler and connoisseur of jewelry, wrote prose and poetry, practiced blacksmithing in his spare time and easily taught foreign languages mastering them perfectly.
Already in adulthood, after the death of his father, he headed the state and multiplied everything that had been done before him. Contrary to expectations, he turned out to be a warlike ruler and carried out many campaigns, most of which ended in favor of the Ottomans. Without hesitation, Suliman can be credited with the total defeat of the Hungarian army and the Portuguese fleet, which had long been considered dominant on the water. Transylvania, Bosnia, Tunisia and Moldova - all of them, and not only, bowed before the greatest commander they had ever seen. During the reign of Suleiman I, the country reached its maximum prosperity, followed by a slow decline. I was able to stop it only after several centuries. great politician and the reformer Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who created a new power on the ruins of the empire - Turkey.
The ninth sultan of the Ottoman dynasty, Selim I Yavuz, which translated means “formidable,” was the son of the famous warlike Bayezid II. He inherited from his father tenacity and the will to win, as well as a warlike disposition. Like all Ottomans, he had several wives. According to surviving historical documents, the mother of the future ruler is called differently: Aishe-Hafsa, Hafrize or simply Aishe. Some researchers believe that she could have been the daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli I Giray, but this data has not been confirmed. He was born in a picturesque town called Trabzon on the Black Sea coast.
The exact date of birth of Suleiman the Magnificent is unknown. The most likely dates are the sixth of November 1494 or the twenty-seventh of April next year. Contrary to his parent's expectations, he became the only male heir (the rest were executed in 1514), so his fate was sealed from the moment of his birth - he had to inherit the throne in order to extend the dynasty. The famous poet, philosopher and astronomer Mevlana Hayreddin from northern city Kastamonu. The famous master Konstantin Usta undertook to teach the boy the art of jewelry. He spent his entire childhood reading and spiritual practices, while also studying public administration.
In ancient times, in this country it was customary to prepare boys for adult life from an early age, especially when it came to the descendants and direct heirs of rulers. Therefore, as soon as they reached the age of ten or thirteen, they were taken with them on military campaigns and forays, which sometimes ended tragically for the children. Selim loved his only son, so he carefully protected him from danger.
Worth knowing
There is a legend that, not wanting to transfer power to the shehzade, Selim I the Terrible decided to eliminate him from the road using a very unique method. He sent the guy gifts, among which was an incredibly luxurious caftan, embroidered with gold threads and decorated with precious stones. Suleiman's assistant and his faithful servant suspected something, since the parent had never previously been particularly generous towards his offspring, and forced one of the servants who delivered the gifts to wear clothes. As a result, the slave died, and the young heir managed to escape danger.
As soon as the boy reached the age of thirteen, Selim Yavuz sent him to learn how to govern the state in practice. He made him a beylerbey, that is, he was an official of the highest rank who was directly subordinate exclusively to the ruler, in our case, the Sultan. The boy coped well with his duties in Kaffa (Genoese fortress, near modern Feodosia, Russian Federation). After that, by the age of sixteen, a “promotion” awaited him, as well as leadership of a more serious part of the state. He was to become governor of the city and province of Manisa (historical name Magnesia u Sipila). The legendary assassination attempt using a caftan sprinkled with poison occurred, according to rumors, during this period.
In the twentieth year of the sixteenth century, Selim the First suddenly fell ill and soon died. Historical documents indicate the cause of death as “sudden illness” anthrax. However, many assumed a departure, which, however, remained unproven. So, at the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, the young man became a ruler. From this moment begins the history of the reign of Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent. He began by releasing all the slaves from the nobility, merchants and artisans, whom his father had kept in dungeons.
Foreign ambassadors to the Ottoman Empire wrote to their friends in Europe and Asia that the “mad lion” had been replaced by a “gentle lamb,” but they could not even imagine how intelligent, powerful and wise this man, clearly in his place, would turn out to be. Suleiman decided to break long-standing traditions and was not the first to execute relatives en masse. Mercy to all the captives released to their homeland helped to establish trade and commercial relations between the country and its neighbors.
In the breaks between endless military campaigns, and not a single sultan could do without it, he patronized the sciences and carried out a favorable period for his own people. domestic policy. Suleiman became the first Islamic ruler to trample on the tenets of Sharia in order to introduce secular laws for a multimillion-dollar country in which not only Muslims lived. Judge Ibrahim of Aleppo compiled for him a set of laws that worked successfully until the mid-twentieth century.
He actively developed education, built schools and mosques. Sultan Suleiman devoted years of his life to erecting magnificent architectural monuments: Shehzadebashi (Shehzade Mosque), Suleymaniye (the first largest mosque in modern Istanbul), Selimiye in Edirne and much more. In his spare time he carved beautiful precious stones the most beautiful decorations and built palaces that amaze with their splendor.
Europe joyfully accepted the accession of the new Ottoman monarch, since his father was not short of bloodthirstiness. Venice was friendly and even calmly watched how the Ottomans were preparing for war with Rhodes and Hungary. This turned out to be a fatal oversight. The new “ruler of the world” turned out to be much calmer, but no less militant. At that time they did not yet understand who Suleiman was, but they soon figured it out.
Interesting
In the twentieth year of the sixteenth century, after his accession, the young Sultan sent a letter to the Hungarian ruler of Hungary and the Czech Republic, Louis II (Lajos). In it, he demanded to pay the tribute established by his father. The young king turned out to be too young and careless to figure out what was what and to resist the oligarchs, who contemptuously rejected his timid requests to pay for the necessary funds. After just six years they regretted it the decision taken, and the unfortunate king himself drowned in a swamp while fleeing from the Ottoman army.
By the end of his reign, the Sultan's military practice included thirteen victorious campaigns. Moreover, ten of all campaigns were carried out in Europe. The possessions of the Ottoman Empire at the time of Suleiman's death extended almost from the gates of Vienna to Egyptian lands, from Iran to Algeria itself. The army was so numerous and strong, and the ruler himself seemed so powerful that they began to compare him with the Antichrist. Transylvania, Hungary, Slavonia, Herzegovina and Bosnia were subordinate to him. He even took a swing at Vienna, but Austria managed to survive, and even then only thanks to the bubonic plague epidemic, which began to decimate the ranks of the Ottoman army.
World rulers often suffer from excessive public attention, which is why their personal lives do not work out. However, with the Ottoman sultans, if this happened, they could radically solve the problem by replacing one wife with another - special harems were kept for them, which sometimes included up to several thousand concubines and free women, as well as wives. Those who were able to give the Sultan a legitimate heir were most respected in the harems.
The padishah's first beloved concubine was Fulane, who bore him a son, Mahmud, who died at the age of eight from smallpox. Gulfem Khatun gave birth to a baby named Murad in 1513. He also caught smallpox and died, and the girl herself was no longer allowed to see the Sultan. The Circassian Makhidevran Sultan (Gulbahar) had a son, Mustafa, who was subsequently executed after organizing a conspiracy (possibly due to slander). It is believed that he was very friendly with youngest son the legal wife of his father, but this has not been proven, and he had to leave the palace when Jihangir was only two years old.
The fourth and main favorite of Suleiman was the unforgettable Hurrem Sultan, with whom he entered into a nikah - an official marriage. She is better known under the name Roksolana, and there are many legends about her origin. Perhaps it was brought from the territories of modern Western Ukraine, which previously belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Poland).
His beloved wife died before her husband, in April 1958. Some said that she was seriously ill, which was carefully hidden, while others were inclined to think about poisoning. There were rumors that the ruler had another surviving daughter, Raziye Sultan. However, who was her mother and whether she was really the child of the great Ottoman has not been clarified. Her existence is evidenced only by the inscription on the turban of Yahya Effendi, who allegedly was her spiritual mentor. She may have died at an early age, but most likely this girl had nothing to do with the ruling dynasty.
Like a real warrior, this man died practically in battle, and not surrounded by his wives and children. In May 1965, he led his huge fleet to the shores of Malta, where an army of thirty thousand landed. However, the Johannite knights turned out to be no fool and repelled all attacks, and the Turks had to retreat. In the spring of the following year, Suleiman decided to try his luck again and set out on a new campaign, which became his last. By the end of summer, the regiments advanced in Eastern Hungary to the Szigetvár fortress. On September 5, just at the height of the siege, the Sultan died in his own tent.
It is clear that hostilities immediately stopped, and the soldiers brought the ruler’s body to Istanbul. He was buried in a tomb next to Roksolana in the very famous Suleymaniye Mosque. Mosques and barracks were erected at the site of his actual death, but in subsequent wars they were completely destroyed. Thus, the question of how long Sultan Suleiman lived can be answered simply - exactly seventy-one years.
In addition to numerous architectural objects that have preserved the name of this great man for posterity, there are geographical points. A fairly popular tourist route, which starts in Vienna and ends only in Istanbul, is called the Suleiman Trail. It passes through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries. It was not named this way by chance, because it almost exactly repeats the route taken by the Ottoman troops during his campaigns of conquest.
The memory of the conqueror and reformer, who could not stand bribe-takers and bribe-takers, is captured by many artists and cultural figures. Artists, poets and musicians dedicated their creations to him. For example, the painting by the Czech writer Anton Hikel “Roksolana and Suleiman the Magnificent” is kept in the museum of Koblenz in Germany. In 2003, Turkish film companies produced a short series “Hurrem Sultan”, and in 2011 - “The Magnificent Century”, consisting of four seasons. In addition, it is this ruler who is the sultan in computer games Age of Empires III, as well as Civilization IV and V.
