SÜLEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT
Under the rule of Süleyman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire reached its zenith. Beginning in 1520 when Prince Süleyman became the sultan and for 46 years until his death in 1566, there was a true Ottoman Renaissance underway.So brilliant was Süleyman that it was actually the Europeans who added the sobriquet "the Magnificent" to his name. During his reign, he more than doubled the Ottoman territories inherited from his father, creating a multi-national multilingual empire stretching from Vienna in the west to the upper Arab peninsula in the east, the Crimea in the north to the Sudan in the south. Süleyman maintained sovereignty over all of Islam's holiest places and, with "thanks given to God", he considered himself "head of the community of Muhammad."
The sultan didn't expend all his energy as a military strategist; he busied himself on the home front, too. Architectural growth abounded. He had public baths, bridges, religious schools, and grand mosque complexes erected (including the incomparable Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, built by master architect Sinan). Economic wealth spilled over into other fine arts. At the Palace Studio, 29 painters, half of them European, created a new aesthetic direction with their miniature paintings.
The 16th century is still acknowledged as the golden age of Ottoman classical verse and Süleyman himself--along with his accomplishments as an excellent goldsmith--proved himself a formidable word smith as well, recognized for his fine poetry.
The sciences, theology, and judicial system with its concept of "justice" as the cornerstone, flourished. Süleyman the Magnificent left a legacy of riches that continue to influence the people of today. It seems ironic that the seeds for the eventual fall of the Ottoman Empire were sown during this apex of Ottoman rule, for the sultan's descendants were unable sustain his accomplishments and the gradual 300-year decline of the empire ensued.
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