Suleiman the Magnificent
1494–1566 · Ottoman · Ottoman Golden Age
Known for: Personally led 13 major campaigns, expanding the Ottoman Empire to its zenith
Suleiman I was the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and its greatest ruler. He personally led his armies on 13 major military campaigns—conquering Belgrade, Rhodes, and most of Hungary, and besieging Vienna. Under his rule, the Ottoman Empire reached its maximum territorial extent and cultural flowering.
He was also 'the Lawgiver' (Kanuni) in Turkish tradition—he reformed Ottoman law, patronized architecture (the Süleymaniye Mosque is his masterpiece), and was a gifted poet who wrote under the pen name Muhibbi. He was both warrior and aesthete, conqueror and legislator.
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