Introduction
In 2011 a Turkish TV series swept across Turkey and most of the middle east, the show was called “Harem Sultan” it portrayed the life of huyam, the slave girl who rose through the ranks of the haremlik and stole the heart of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman. The show also significantly focused on Suleiman himself, showcasing the various policies, military campaigns and legislative matters that he dealt with during his reign. Many have pondered why the focus was on this specific sultan. It would have made more sense to portray Osman the first himself. However, to skip over such a vast array of sultans and choose this specific one was curious. Suleiman has been classified as one of, if not the greatest ottoman sultan to have ruled. His reign stretched from 1520 till 1566, making him the longest serving sultan in the empires history. His reign presided over some of the most significant changes in ottoman history, however were they so significant that they make him more “magnificent” than Mehmed the conqueror who brought about the fall of Constantinople in 1453, or Mehmed the first who reunited the empire after an interregnum period, etc. many sultans have accomplished tremendous things during their reign in a significantly lesser time than Suleiman. So what makes Suleiman stand out in comparison to the other sultans. To offer a fair assessment of him as a sultan, this paper will delve away from the personal issues that plagued his reign and will focus only on his policies regarding the empire, so as to provide a fair and sustainable way of evaluating his accomplishments.
Accession to the throne and military conquests
Suleiman took over the rule of the Ottoman empire in 1520 from his father Selim I. by 1526, he had already taken over many parts of Hungary, crushed numerous major European cities and by 1529 arrived in Vienna. His use of his military was instrumental in expanding the Ottoman empire westwards well beyond Europe’s doorsteps. His military acumen was bolstered by his ingenious techniques to destabilize his opponents from within before proceeding to attack them.
A prominent example of his destabilization tactic has created such a global political, social and religious ramification that is not commonly known to this day is how he took advantage of the slowly growing protestant movement and used it to destabilize Europe by financing them. This tactic not only aided Suleiman in achieving his objectives, but also led to a major shift in Europe’s social structure and caused major socio-religious conflicts for the considerable future. Suleiman needed to divide Europe and hence he “poured financial support into Protestant countries in order to guarantee that Europe remain religiously and politically destabilized and so ripe for an invasion.”
However, that is one side of the argument, Suleiman in comparison to his predecessors failed to consolidate complete control over certain lands that he had conquered. In Tabriz for example, although conquered, never had an established ottoman rule over it, neither was there any form of mechanism to assist in transportation and supply, the same problem that led to his failure in consolidating control in Vienna. Navally Suleiman never truly consolidated Ottoman power either within the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean as he failed to implement a policy that solidified Ottoman presence which was built upon raiding under the principle jihad. He failed to capitulate on his spies in Europe that provided him with ample evidence of Europe’s increasing interests in the Americas, however he failed to act upon them and alter his naval policies. This ultimately led to the decline over time of Ottoman naval dominance.
Suleiman El-Kanuni
One of Suleiman’s most famous honors is the title of El-Kanuni or “the lawgiver”. This honor was bestowed on Suleiman for his efforts towards completely changing the Ottoman legal code in such a manner so as to stabilize the country from within and better prepare it for the future. He set about compiling all the legal declarations made by sultans before him alongside Islamic rulings on various issues and he weeded out any conflicting rulings whilst ensuring no Islamic doctrine is contradicted within them. What was compiled and released thereafter came to be known as ottoman law code. It is necessary to note that Mehmed I had collected the laws primarily before Suleiman, however Suleiman was the one who officially codified them and ensured that there are no more revisions to the laws so as to create a stable and sustainable judicial system. We see here Suleiman’s focus on matters within the empire that deal with sustaining it rather than merely reaping gains. Such focus within is a very stark difference between him and his predecessors who focused mainly on external issues of the empire, primarily military conquests.
Suleiman, as opposed to previous sultans was very keen in the affairs of his subjects, it is well known that he would often hide during court cases so as to ensure justice was rightly served. He tackled corruption within the empire like no sultan before or after him, creating precedent in such controversial issues at the time. The most prominent of which was his appointment of Ibrahim Pasha as his grand vizier, Ibrahim at the time was a slave. Such acts set a message to all those within the empire who sought to reap benefits through favors and connections that the sultan would inevitably choose merit.
Cultural and architectural revolution
From a very young age Suleiman was brought up studying science, literature, philosophy and theology. He took a deep interest in artistry and poetry as his reign is considered to be a revolutionary phase in terms of the arts and architecture. Suleiman sought to establish Istanbul as the cultural and architectural capital of the Islamic world. He commissioned some of the greatest architectural projects that rivaled any of those occurring anywhere around the world.
Suleiman, in his focus on architecture truly elevated the prestige of the empire both within and outside. As Jesse Haris stated architecture is “an expression of the strengths of the society as well as their technological progress.”Suleiman set out to portray the empires strength with every project he commissioned. Using the unrivalled talents of his chief architect Mimar Sinan. Sinan is one of the most renowned architect in history, he was personally responsible for the architectural designs of over 300 buildings ranging from mosques, schools, palaces, aqueducts, hospitals, bridges and store houses etc. This architectural revolution brought about an aura of greatness within the empire while also creating jobs, developing the scientific capital within the empire as architecture requires multiple disciplinary fields in order to accomplish a structure. Not only were new buildings set up but old structures were renovated and expanded upon. The most notable of these renovations include the Dome of the Rock in Palestine as well as in Madina and Mecca, the two holiest sites in Islam. This initiative to develop the architecture within the city led to the Ottomans attaining a high level of prestige on the international scale due to not only their efficiency when it came to how they conquered lands, but also how they developed and renovated them and turned them into vibrant prosperous cities. Among other notable examples that are usually overshadowed by Sinan include the great calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari who designed some of the most legendary designs that are used to this day in qur’anic texts. The developments carried out by these two men alone, let alone the others that Suleiman had commissioned and gave full authority to experiment within their crafts changed Muslim artistry completely.
This seismic change is what differentiates Suleiman to a great extent from his predecessors, his effect transcends mere geographical accomplishments and has disseminated across numerous spheres throughout the centuries and has created an impact that lasts to this day. Evaluating the success of a ruler or sultan in this case is commonly biased towards the short term accomplishments that they produce, however that is faulty due to the fact that their accomplishments and actions need to be evaluated by time itself. And Suleiman wins the battle of time in terms of how long lasting his policies and decisions have been overall relative to those of his predecessors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Suleiman has definitely made remarkable strides for the empire during his reign. Changes made under him have not only revolutionized the Ottoman Empire but also Turkish, Muslim and Arab culture, science, architecture and literature to this day. His conquests, judicial management and his way of dealing with the people have truly made him standout amongst a long line of sultans who have come before and after him. The decline in the empire after him as well as the ongoing list of sultans who have failed to live up to the standards that he has set after his death stands to show just how successful his reign was What can definitely be said about Suleiman is that his reign was nothing short of, magnificent.
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