In 1520,
following his father, Selim
I, died, Suleyman became sultan. One year later, Suleyman led
his army in the conquest of Belgrade. During the following spring,
the Knights of Rhodes were finally defeated and Rhodes became a territory
of the empire. His initially military successes inspired him to invade
Hungary in 1526. At the battle of Mohacs the Hungarians' defensive
forces were soundly defeated and Hungary was relegated to vassal status.
Suleyman saw to it that John Zapolya was appointed as the country's figurehead
ruler. Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, was greatly alarmed by
the Ottoman advances and he sent his brother, Ferdinand, to retake the
Hungarian capital of Buda. Ferdinand was successful and he deposed
John Zapolya. However, Suleyman was not ready to except defeat.
In 1529, a massive Ottoman army swept across Eastern Europe. The
Ottomans quickly retook Buda and returned Zapolya to the throne.
The army did not stop there; it continued to march all the way to Vienna.
After a three-week siege, the Ottomans withdrew from the walls of the city.
Charles V still refused to give up Buda to the Ottomans. Two years
later, he sent Ferdinand to retake to the city. Ferdinand was unsuccessful
in his efforts. Buda and most of Hungary would remain Ottoman for
the next 155 years.
Finally,
Charles V realized that he stood little chance of recovering Buda.
So he turned his attentions elsewhere. He sent his navy to seize
Ottoman possessions on the Adriatic. Despite, initial success Suleyman
sent the Ottoman naval hero, Hayreddin Barbarossa, to the region.
Barbarossa is able to retake the lost territories and repel Charles V's
navy. Satisfied with his western conquests, Suleyman turned his sights
elsewhere. In 1533, the Ottoman fleet, under control of Admiral Barbarossa,
captured the Barbary Coast port of Tunis. The following year, Ottoman
armies conquered the Persian held cities of Tabriz and Baghdad. In
1535, Suleyman faced another challenge from Charles V. The Holy Roman
Empire's fleet began to bombard the newly acquired city of Tunis; the city
eventually fell to the Europeans. Despite their defeat at Tunis,
the Ottomans were able to destroy a Crusader Fleet at the Battle of Preveza
in 1538. This victory established Ottoman naval superiority in the
Mediterranean until their defeat at Lepanto in 1571. 1538 was also
a year for military gains on land. The Emir of Basra was defeated
and forced to recognize Ottoman suzerainty. After their victory at
Basra, Suleyman's armies continued to march eastward.
In
1541, the Ottoman ally, John Zapolya died in Hungary. Charles V took
advantage of the opportunity and sent Ferdinand to retake Buda once
more. Again, he was unsuccessful. Angered by his brother's
failure, Charles V dispatches his fleet to Algiers where the Ottomans defeated
it. In 1548, Ottoman forces moved against Safavid Persia. (Seven
years later, the Safavids were forced to sign the treaty of Amasya, which
granted Ottomans Baghdad). In 1550 war broke out in the west when
Charles V ordered Ferdinand to invade Wallachia. Suleyman allied
himself with the French and the Schmalkalden League of Germany against
Charles V. this forced Ferdinand to withdraw from Ottoman territory
and Charles V was humiliated in the eyes of most Europeans. Having
defeated the Holy Roman Empire, Suleyman sent his navy to Africa where
they took Tripoli in 1551 and his armies to the Caucuses where they subjugated
the Khanates of Kazan in 1552. This action would seriously heightened
tensions between expanding Russian and Ottoman empires.
In
1553, Suleyman's son, Mustafa, mutinied. Suleyman was forced to have
his favorite son executed. Six years later, Suleyman's eldest son,
Beyezid, also revolted. Beyezid's forces were defeated and he fled to Persia.
He was apprehended there and executed two years later. Suleyman was
responsible for the death of his two most capable sons, Mustafa and Beyezid,
this allowed his inept and alcoholic son, Selim
II, to take the throne after his father's death in 1566. Leaving
his empire in the hand's of Selim was his only major fault.
During
his forty-six year reign of the empire, he proved himself to be a highly
capable leader. He is often called Suleyman the lawgiver because
he was responsible for the standardization of the kanun, the civil
legal code. He also was responsible for the building of many roads,
canals, and caravansaries, which allowed for a rapid growth in trade throughout
the empire. Suleyman ensured that all of his subjects were able to
benefit from the empire's booming economy. He developed a multi-tiered
welfare administration to provide social services to his subjects.
Europe would not develop similar systems until the nineteenth century.
Suleyman called for a strong investment in education both religious and
secular. He not only built medreses, but he also supported the study
of the sciences and mathematics. Ottoman art and architecture reached
their pentacle during his tenure as Sultan. Suleyman himself was
a talented poet and enjoyed making traditional Turkish handicrafts, most
notably jewelry. Undeniably, Suleyman I was deserving of his title,
Suleyman the Magnificent.