How long did suleiman rule

It was under his reign that Ottoman institutions reach the supposed peak of their classical form, a largely hermetic system staffed by individuals trained internally rather than accessible to outsiders. They largely reached the limitations of their supply lines and infrastructure, leading to a greater focus on internal affairs rather than a pressing need for territorial expansion.

Although later Sultans did conquer more territory, they often found wars to be rather prolonged affairs with multiple fronts and little gain. The empire began a controlled decentralization in response to the need for tax in kind, changes in the nature of warfare, the Little Ice Age , and other transformations in Europe. It was this adaptability—rather than clinging to raw power—that allowed the Ottoman Empire to weather these crises. Where so many other empires and kingdoms collapsed, the Ottomans survived into twentieth century.

The Sultan often reflected in his poetry on the transitory nature of rule, life, and power. His poetry characterizes the world as a trap, filled largely with misery.

Given the events of his long reign, he likely felt keenly the repercussions of rule. Despite the pains power caused him, he knew that nothing, including his own reign, lasts forever. Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Stanton Foundation.

Skip to main content. Thus, at the age of 26, upon the death of his father, Suleiman ruled a substantially more powerful Empire and Sultanate, which he would continue to expand until his death in Military Achievements Capture of Belgrade Upon succeeding his father, Suleiman began a series of military conquests, first putting down a revolt led by the Ottoman-appointed governor of Damascus in By August, , he had completed the capture of the city of Belgrade from The Kingdom of Hungary, penetrating deeper into the heart of Central Europe.

Suleiman was so taken with the city of Jerusalem and its plight having suffered centuries of neglect under Mameluke rule , that he ordered the construction of a magnificent surrounding fortress-wall that still stands around the Old City. Rhodes Selim had planned to assault the Christian stronghold of Rhodes prior to his death.

Also, his Viziers were all experienced men so if he showed any weakness his position would have been under threat. He responded by launching a series of initially successful campaigns. Suleiman set his sights on the capture of Belgrade, something his grandfather, Mehmed II, failed to achieve. By capturing the city from the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottomans could remove the threat of the Hungarians and Croats.

They were the main obstacle in the path of further Ottoman expansion in Europe because the Bulgarians, Byzantines, Serbs, Albanians, and Bosniaks had already been defeated.

Suleiman surrounded Belgrade and captured the city in August Selim also left his son a powerful navy, a first for a Turkic ruler. Suleiman's father entrusted his son with the governorships of different regions within the Ottoman Empire from the age of When Suleiman was 26 in , Selim I died and Suleiman ascended the throne.

Although he was of age, his mother served as co-regent. The new sultan immediately launched his program of military conquest and imperial expansion. In , he put down a revolt by the governor of Damascus, Canberdi Gazali. Suleiman's father had conquered the area that is now Syria in , using it as a wedge between the Mamluk sultanate and the Safavid Empire, where they had appointed Gazali as the governor.

On January 27, , Suleiman defeated Gazali, who died in battle. He used both a land-based army and a flotilla of ships to blockade the city and prevent reinforcement. Belgrade, part of modern Serbia, belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary in Suleiman's time. The city fell to Suleiman's forces on August 29, , removing the last obstacle to an Ottoman advance into Central Europe.

Before he launched his major assault on Europe, Suleiman wanted to take care of an annoying gadfly in the Mediterranean—Christian holdovers from the Crusades , the Knights Hospitallers. This group, based on the Island of Rhodes, had been capturing Ottoman and other Muslim nations' ships, stealing cargoes of grain and gold, and enslaving the crews. The Knights Hospitallers' piracy even imperiled Muslims who set sail to make the haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Selim I had tried and failed to dislodge the Knights in During the intervening decades, the Knights used the labor of enslaved Muslims to strengthen and reinforce their fortresses on the island in anticipation of another Ottoman siege.

Suleiman sent out that siege in the form of an armada of ships carrying at least , troops to Rhodes. They landed on June 26, , and laid siege to the bastions full of 60, defenders representing various western European countries: England, Spain, Italy, Provence, and Germany.

Meanwhile, Suleiman himself led an army of reinforcements on a march to the coast, reaching Rhodes in late July. It took nearly half a year of artillery bombardment and detonating mines under the triple-layer stone walls, but on December 22, , the Turks finally forced all of the Christian knights and the civilian inhabitants of Rhodes to surrender. Suleiman gave the knights 12 days to gather their belongings, including weapons and religious icons, and leave the island on 50 ships provided by the Ottomans, with most of the knights immigrating to Sicily.

The local people of Rhodes also received generous terms and had three years to decide whether they wanted to remain on Rhodes under the Ottoman rule or move elsewhere. They would pay no taxes for the first five years, and Suleiman promised that none of their churches would be converted into mosques.

Most of them decided to stay when the Ottoman Empire took nearly complete control of the eastern Mediterranean. Suleiman faced several additional crises before he was able to launch his attack into Hungary, but unrest among the Janissaries and a revolt by the Mamluks in Egypt proved to be only temporary distractions. In April , Suleiman began the march to the Danube. The Hapsburgs marched into Hungary and took Buda, placing Ferdinand on the throne and sparking a decades-long feud with Suleiman and the Ottoman Empire.

In , Suleiman marched on Hungary once more, taking Buda from the Hapsburgs and then continuing to besiege the Hapsburg capital at Vienna.