20 May 2023

Sultan Süleyman 1520-66, military genius, patron of the arts and filicide

Süleyman (1494–1566)’s political career began in his teens as a provincial governor and a key participant in his father Selim I’s (r1512-20) rebellion securing dad the throne. But Suleyman was exposed to brutal violence whenever Selim decided to slaughter his own father, two brothers and multiple nephews. Meantime Selim captured lands in Egypt, Syria and Arabian Peninsula, and then he  pushed on to capture Mecca and Medina.

Süleyman, by Titian c.1530 
Wikimedia
 
Selim left his son an emerging empire with a stake in regional and global commerce and a sophisticated cultural identity. And when Süleyman became Sultan in Sept 1520, his kingdom already cov­er­ed the territories of the Balkans, Anatolia, Levant and Egypt. In the first 6 years, Süleyman expanded his empire to take Belgrade & Rhodes. In 1526, he also enjoyed a clear victory against the Hungarian Kingdom and allies at the Battle of Mohács, sparking border disputes among Habsburg Austria, Ottomans, Croatia and Hungary.

Süleyman's empire was multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-confessional. The Ottoman state had little interest in radically changing the practices of local groups, if they were peaceful, so its offic­ials had to have a knowledge of local practices and norms.

In his long reign, Süleyman played a pivotal role in Eur­opean affairs. He pledged assistance to Protestant causes in order to undermine the Habsburgs etc. And he did not hinder Protestantism taking root in Hungary or Transylvania. He formed an alliance with the French against the Habsburgs and transformed much of the Med­it­erranean Sea into an Ottoman lake for decades to come.

The Ottoman world was one in which Islam was privileged and Süley­man’s reign marked an ongoing interest in Islamic religious matters. From then, all Sultans saw themsel­ves as Caliph and head of all Sunni Musl­ims. Süley­man waged 3 major wars against Persia. The first (1534–5) was in Iraq. The second (1548–9) brought the Lake Van area under Ottoman rule. And the third (1554–55) warned the Ot­tomans of the dif­ficulty defeating Persia’s Ṣafavid state. So a formal peace bet­ween the Ottomans and Ṣafavids was signed!

Süleyman's reign continued affecting Europe eg campaigns led to the em­erg­ence of 3 dis­tinct Hung­arys: Habsburg Hungary in north & west; Ottoman Hungary along the middle Danube centred on Buda; and the vassal state, Transylvania.   
Ottoman-Hungarian Wars, Battle 1526
fineartamerica

Beyond military conquest, Süleyman also standardised and cent­ralised legal system for the Ottoman state. He collected and edited the various law books of his forbearers, added statutes to create a more universally applic­ab­le text and specified the punishments for off­en­ces.

For all the cultural splendour and military success of Süley­man's rule, it was also brutal like his father’s. Marriage to his second consort Hurr­em Sultan (c1502–58) caused endless controversy because he was the first Sultan since the early years of the Empire to marry. He was deeply devoted to his wife and she amassed great power in her own right. But this mar­riage caused gos­sip that she was a witch who was behind the Sultan’s intrigues. And political intrigue followed him. He was forced to kill his dear friend, long serving grand vizier Ibrah­im (d1536) because he took too many roy­al rights for him­self. Worse still, he ordered his politically popul­ar son Must­afa (d1556) then son Beyzid (d1561) execut­ed.

Süleyman’s rule was a turning point in Ottoman history and across its empire. Histor­ians argued that Sül­eyman repr­es­ented the apogee of Ottoman pow­er and statecraft, and his death st­arted a long decline. Under Süleyman the Ottomans largely reached the limitat­ions of their supply lines and infrastructure, leading to a focus on int­ernal affairs, not territ­orial expans­ion. Although lat­­er Sul­tans did conq­uer more territory, they often found that wars gained little.

The sys­­tem of cent­ral­ised rule finalised under Süleyman was quickly ad­apt to the rap­idly changing world and the crises that later rock­ed Eur­ope. The empire began a control­led decent­ral­is­at­ion in response to the need for tax and chan­ges in war­fare in Eur­ope eg gunpowder.

Süleyman recognised the need for flexib­il­ity and it was this adaptab­ility during crises that made the difference. Where other empires and kingdoms collaps­ed, the Ottoman Empire lasted into the C20th!

Süleymaniye Mosque, built 1550–7
Taghribnews

He was a major patron of the arts whose cultural legacy remains. He often reflected in his poetry on the passing nature of rule, life and power. The NGA book Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1987) accompanied the first major Turkish art exhibition dev­ot­ed to the Sultan's reign. The sophisticat­ed patron­age of Süleyman and his court nurtured the high standards that typified C16th Ottoman art. See 200+ works of art: manuscripts, jew­elled vess­els, silks and ceramics, created in the Sultan’s imperial studios. And architecture - along with other beautiful buildings in Is­t­anbul, the mosque was already built by the Chief of the Corps of Royal Architects, Mimar Sinan in 1550–7.

Süleyman’s reign lasted 46 years,  the longest in Ottoman history. The elderly Süleyman died in his command tent while leading a military campaign ag­ainst Szigetvár Hungary in 1566.  

Conclusion
He rose to be one of the most powerful, influential mon­ar­chs in European history, the foremost military power, even during the time of powerful rulers: Francis 1 (1494-1547); Henry VIII (1491-1547); Charles V (1500-58); and Ivan IV (1530-84). Suleyman con­quered new lands, exp­anded the Empire, built up Constant­inople as the Empire’s capital and introduced coffee houses. 

Expansion of the Ottoman Empire,
with conquests by Süleyman indicated in green.  Wiki, 
Press to expand



18 comments:

roentare said...

Suleyman is a name I finally learnt to familiarise after your post. What a history.

Train Man said...

He didn't like the Hapsburgs much, did he? and it was probably mutual.

Hels said...

roentare

you are not alone. I did history for 6 years in high school and 4 years at university, and studied in depth British, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Israeli, Australian, New Zealand, Indian, Chinese history etc. But I knew sod all about Selim, Süleyman or any other Ottomans. Shame on the curriculum designers, back then.

Hels said...

Train Man

Because the Ottomans seemed a serious threat to the European powers, Ottoman–Habsburg wars were fought constantly, together with the Habsburg allies: Kingdom of Hungary, Poland, Romania and Habsburg Spain. What I hadn’t understood was 1] the role of the Protestant Reformation and 2] the role of the French. And I had to examine carefully how much the Ottomans were forced to divert their attention to the Persian Empire. When the central part of the Kingdom of Hungary was reduced to the status of an Ottoman colony, I think both sides were surprised.

jabblog said...

What an extraordinary man - ruthless and no doubt charming and not to be judged by current standards. Empires rise and fall inexorably.

Hels said...

jabblog

Yes! I know Sultan Süleyman's exact dates. But it is very difficult to tell what a new dynasty started and finished; we only know retrospectively when we can give specific dates. And even then, the neighbouring dynasties might not agree that the power balance permanently changed.

Let me give a good example: The Mughal empire was said to be founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior chieftain from Uzbekistan, who swept down the plains of North India WITH his allies. Later the empire was formally dissolved by the British Raj, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Amazon said...

The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent,
by Esin Atil,
Published by ‎Harry N Abrams, March 1987

Examines the textiles, ceramics, furniture, illustrated books and other decorative art of the 16th century Turkish empire.


Hels said...

Brilliant, thank you.

Since many people will not be able to locate and admire the art works where they are held, the Esin Atil book will be an essential reference.

Fun60 said...

It is hard to get a feel for the person behind the name. I am very familiar with the name after travelling through Turkey, Iran etc in the 70s but more than knowing about his extensive empire my knowledge is sadly lacking.

Hels said...

Fun60

Even if we know a great deal about British, French, German and Italian history, and understand it thoroughly, we may not have any knowledge or understanding of the Ottoman Empire or its Islamic colonies. Joe and I toured around Turkey very slowly and loved it, but I doubt if I'd have known Sultan Süleyman if we shared a coffee table together.

Thus the avid reading now :)

DUTA said...

The profile photo of Suleyman by Titan, is impressive!
It appears, Suleyman was a successful ruler expanding and managing his vast empire with considerable pragmatism. After his rule, there came the decline of Otoman Power.
As a patron of the arts , his contribution to works of art (poetry, ceramics, architecture...) seems to be quite significant!

Hels said...

DUTA

Titan's portrait probably didn't exaggerate Sultan Suleyman's impressiveness. It is true that Selim really did start the growth of the Ottoman Empire, but Suleyman expanded and consolidated the Empire beyond what anyone had imagined.

That he could edit and consolidate the nation's law books in a professional way was totally unexpected (for me). That he could patronise great projects in architecture and the arts was not unexpected, but it was hugely important in Ottoman culture. What a man!

Luiz Gomes said...

Boa tarde de segunda-feira e obrigado pela visita.
Excelente matéria minha querida amiga.
Luiz Gomes

My name is Erika. said...

I've heard the name Suleyman, but I knew nothing about him. Therefore this was a really interesting read. I hope now when children study history in school it's a little more world oriented and not just Eurocentric and American which is all I learned.

Hels said...

Luiz

it was an amazing empire, wasn't it?

Hels said...

Erika

that reminds me of another historical area of ignorance. After 1952, when the Australian Government started giving assisted passage to many Greeks, my city of Melbourne had more Greek citizens than any place on earth except for Athens and Salonika. I realise the Greek war of independence (1821) finally led to Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, but surely Melbourne children should have learned Greek history at school.

mem said...

Wow what a man . And what a turban . Thanks for this I had very little knowledge of him although I had read about his love affair with his wife who apparently was quite "low born" and probably a captive made by the army as it invaded I think somewhere around the Balkans . I may be wrong about this its a long time ago .

Hels said...

mem

that is so true for all of us! We only read journal articles, wrote essays and sat for exams on the areas that we HAD to know about. And since for some of us, the 1960s focused on European and British Empire history, certainly not Sultan Suleyman and his allies/enemies. My eyes ignore blog topics that aren't interesting, but I was rapt in learning about Suleyman