Suleiman I

Süleyman the Magnificent was born at Trabzon on Monday, 27 April 1495. His father was Selim I, his mother Hafsa Hatun. He was round-faced and hazel-eyed, with a broad forehead, tall, and thinly bearded.

The age of Süleyman was the age in which Turkish power reached its height. His father Selim I began to raise him with great care from his earliest years, and he received an education and upbringing without parallel. His first schooling came from his mother and his grandmother Gülbahar Hatun (Selim I's mother). At seven he was sent to Istanbul, to his grandfather Sultan Bayezid II, for his education; there Prince Süleyman took lessons in history, science, literature and religion from Kara Kızoğlu Hayreddin Hızır Efendi while also being taught the arts of war. He remained with his father until the age of fifteen and then, having asked for a province as the law required, was appointed first to Şarkî Karahisar, then to Bolu, and shortly afterwards to the governorship of Kefe (1509).

When Selim I came to the throne in 1512, Prince Süleyman was summoned to Istanbul and, during his father's struggles with his brothers, remained in the city as his deputy. He also held the governorship of Saruhan at this time. On the death of his father he came to the Ottoman throne on 30 September 1520, at twenty-five. As he had no brothers, his accession was easy and without conflict. A very serious and self-assured sultan, Süleyman was a man of determination and will. He never hurried in what he undertook, thought broadly, and never went back on an order he had given. He assigned duties to the men he appointed according to their abilities. He died on 7 September 1566, at the age of seventy-one, while directing the siege of Szigetvár.

He is called "Kanûnî", the Lawgiver, not because he invented new laws but because he had the existing laws written down and applied them with great rigour. Süleyman loved justice. Finding the tax that came from Egypt excessive, he had the matter investigated, concluded that the people were being oppressed, and replaced the governor of Egypt — clear proof of that love.

When he came to the throne the Ottoman state was the richest and most powerful in the world. His father's death and his own accession pleased Europeans, who thought "the lion is dead, a lamb has taken his place". They were not long in being disappointed.

A great statesman, Süleyman was also a famous poet. One of his best-known verses runs:

"Halk içinde muteber bir nesne yok devlet gibi,
Olmaya devlet cihanda, bir nefes sıhhat gibi.
Saltanat dedikleri bir cihan kavgasıdır,
Olmaya baht ü saadet dünyada vahdet gibi."

• Sons: Selim II, Bayezid, Abdullah, Murad, Mehmed, Mahmud, Cihangir, Mustafa
• Daughters: Mihrimah Sultan, Raziye Sultan

Source: Osmanlı Tarihi Interaktif CD-ROM (Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları XXXI. Dizi-Sa.2)