450 years ago, on September 6, 1566, during a military campaign, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman the Magnificent died. Several years ago, the Turkish TV series “The Magnificent Century” dedicated to the era of this sultan enjoyed considerable popularity in Russia. The main character of the series is the Russian slave Alexandra, aka the famous Roksolana, Hurrem Sultan, wife of Suleiman.
Left: Karl Anton Hickel. "Roksolana and the Sultan". 1790
Right: Sultan Suleiman in the film "The Magnificent Century"
She arrived in the capital of the Ottoman Empire as a captive (from the territory of modern Ukraine), but managed to achieve the position of the legal wife of the ruler of the strongest state in the world at that time. The film is based on real events, Roksolana is a real historical figure, like the other characters in the film, although, as its authors have repeatedly warned, the film is “a fiction inspired by history.”
The whole film was apparently conceived as a kind of big advertising video for the new Ottoman Empire that Mr. Erdogan is now building. Although later, as often happens (this happened to us, for example, with Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Ivan the Terrible”), the work went beyond this initial framework and even caused criticism from the customers, that is, the Turkish government, for “distorting history.” Indeed, the film turned out well frankly revealing, although, perhaps, against the will of its creators, the general impression is something like this: continuously peppering their speech with pious remembrances of the Almighty, raising their eyes to grief and praying, its heroes commit absolutely any atrocities and crimes. They send each other poisonous snakes in a casket or poisoned ones. caftans, add poison to food, throw in plague-infected scarves and give other equally “pleasant” gifts. The Sultan himself, this example of nobility and conscience (as emphasized many times in the film), contrary to the oaths he had previously sworn, executes his closest relatives and executes them. friends, including his own two sons and young grandchildren (the youngest of whom was only 3 years old), in general, as soon as one of the Sultan’s sons ascends the throne, he, according to tradition, immediately gives the order to execute all his brothers. And this is by no means arbitrary; on the contrary, it is accepted and required - there is also a corresponding Islamic fatwa that allows this fratricide from the point of view of Sharia and law. (True, Suleiman himself, upon ascending the throne, avoided this “beneficent fratricide,” but he had no merit in this - it’s just that all his brothers died earlier themselves, from illnesses).
In one of the episodes, the mother of Sultan Suleiman expresses confidence that the son she raised “will never become a tyrant.” At first it is not very clear what she actually means, because the power of the Sultan is absolute and completely unlimited, and no one even tries to argue with this. But it turns out that she meant something else: that he would not shed the blood of members of his dynasty, that is, his own family. This is the measure and boundary between “tyranny” and “non-tyranny”. However, this boundary is violated extremely easily, as noted above.
What can we say about the attitude of the rulers of the empire towards ordinary people? It is all expressed in the phrase of the main character: “They killed my horse! And my maid...”. A maid costs and is valued much less than a horse. This, one might say, is a paraphrase of the famous dialogue from Mark Twain’s novel about Huckleberry Finn (about slave-owning America):
"On the ship, our cylinder head exploded.
- Lord have mercy! Was anyone hurt?
- No, ma'am. Killed a black man.
- Well, you're lucky; and sometimes it happens that someone gets hurt..."
All the thinking and behavior of the film’s characters have an equally pronounced class character. For example, in one of the episodes, the Sultan gives the order after the trial to hang one of his influential and noble associates, Iskander Celebi. And he’s terribly worried about his execution. Although, if you believe the film, this figure committed all the most serious state crimes imaginable - for example, he was preparing the defeat of his own Ottoman army. And in another case, a simple warrior-courier brings unpleasant news to the Sultan - he does not believe the news and, without blinking an eye, immediately, without any trial or clarification, orders the messenger's head to be cut off. And he doesn’t feel any worries or remorse when it later turns out that the messenger was telling the pure truth. Of course! After all, this is an ordinary warrior, and not some rich man and aristocrat from a noble family. His head is worth nothing...
However, if you do not pay attention (or, rather, keep in mind) that the entire series is thoroughly saturated with monarchical and clerical ideology, then you can find a lot of interesting things in it. For example, the repeatedly repeated phrase is good: “Remember that any privilege granted by the Ottoman Empire brings you closer to death!” This is usually said by a superior person when promoting and re-assigning officials.
Executioners execute the eldest son of Sultan Suleiman, Shahzade Mustafa (still from the film)
Sultan Suleiman with the body of his son executed on his orders (still from the film)
It must be admitted that both the Sultan, this son and grandson killer, and the main character in the film are not at all devoid of a certain charm. They are simply, like flies in a web, woven into a certain historical fabric, within which they are forced to act. It's hard to blame them for this. But what about those who want to resurrect this historical fabric of 450 years ago and are resurrecting it in our reality, in the 21st century? After all, in 2011, when the series just started, one could think that it was of purely historical interest. That all these wonderful realities: slave markets, the capture and sale of gentile slaves into slavery, cruel executions of heretics and gentiles... have irrevocably sunk into the past. And in June 2014, when the last episode of the series was shown, there were only a couple of weeks left before the resurrection of all this within the framework of the newly created Caliphate (by the way, Sultan Suleiman also at one time assumed the title of Caliph, that is, the ruler of all the faithful).
So, peering into the historical abyss of the past, of course, can be interesting, but you shouldn’t admire it too much, otherwise the abyss can be reflected in us and you can easily, without even noticing it, fall through the screen and wake up on the other side of it...
He became, if not the greatest, then one of the greatest monarchs of Turkey in its entire history. In Europe he is known as the “Magnificent” conqueror, remembering large-scale military campaigns, conquests in the Balkans, Hungary, and the siege of Vienna. At home, he is also known as a wise legislator.
Family and children of Suleiman the Magnificent
As befits a Muslim ruler, the Sultan had many wives and concubines. Any Russian-speaking reader is familiar with the name of Roksolana, a slave-concubine who became the ruler’s beloved wife and an important person in the management of state affairs. And thanks to the incredible popularity of the series “The Magnificent Century,” the intrigues of the Sultan’s harem and the long-term confrontation between the Slav Khyurrem Sultan (Roksolana) and the Circassian Makhidevran Sultan became widely known. Of course, over time, all the children of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent were drawn into this long-term feud. Their fates turned out differently. Some remained in the shadow of their blood relatives, while others managed to brightly write their name into the pages of Turkish history. Below is the story of the children of Suleiman the Magnificent. Those of them who managed to leave any significant mark.
Children of Suleiman the Magnificent: Sehzade Mustafa and Selim II
These princes became rivals in a dispute begun by their mothers. These are those of Suleiman the Magnificent who were drawn into the bitter feud between Hurrem and Mahidevran. Both were not the firstborn of their mothers and were not initially considered direct contenders for the throne. But the twists and turns of fate made them so. However, it was largely resolved by those who started it. Roksolana managed to win the Sultan's sympathy and become his beloved wife. Makhidevran was actually exiled to Manisa along with her son Mustafa. However, the tragic vicissitudes of Prince Mustafa's fate were just beginning. Soon rumors begin to spread throughout the empire that Mustafa is preparing a conspiracy against his father. Suleiman believed these rumors and ordered the execution of his son while they were both on one of their military campaigns. Thus, Selim's rival for the throne was eliminated. did not subsequently become such a wise and decisive ruler as his father. On the contrary, it is with his reign that historians associate the beginning of the decline of the majestic Ottaman port. And the reason for this was not only objective socio-economic prerequisites, but also the personal qualities of the heir: weak character, laziness, short-sightedness and, most importantly, heavy drinking. He was remembered by the Turkish people as a drunkard.
Children of Suleiman the Magnificent: Shehzade Mehmed and Shehzade Bayezid
Both of them were the sons of the Sultan by Roksolana. Mehmed was her first son, but could not be considered an heir, since his son Mahidevran Mustafa was older than him. However, when the latter fell into disgrace, it was Mehmed who became his father’s favorite. He was appointed governor of the city of Manisa in 1541. However, he was never destined to become a great sultan, nor did he die of illness in 1543. The heir, Bayazid, grew up as a brave and desperate young man from an early age. Already in the early
aged he took part in military campaigns, establishing himself as a talented commander. After Mustafa's death, he began to be considered the main contender for his father's legacy. In subsequent years, a real war broke out for the throne between the brothers Bayezid and Selim, in which the latter won.
Mihrimah Sultan
She became the only daughter of the magnificent Sultan. Her mother was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska. Mihrimah received an excellent education, thanks to which she later became an important assistant to her mother in managing state affairs (at a time when Suleiman was on his countless campaigns).
Archaeologists have announced that they have discovered the possible tomb of Suleiman I the Magnificent - in their opinion, it is located on the territory of modern Hungary. The discovery is reported in a statement by the University of Pécs.
Magnificent and Fair
Suleiman I (1494–1566), the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, is called the Lawgiver and the Just in Turkey, and the Magnificent in Europe. Contemporaries spoke of him as the greatest reformer and commander, who significantly expanded the territory of his state. During his 46-year reign, the Sultan annexed large parts of the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East to the Ottoman Empire.
At that time, the Ottoman Empire also belonged to the Crimean Khanate, which made relations between the Moscow state and Suleiman’s country very tense. Thus, the Ottomans even took part in the adventures of the Crimean Khanate against Moscow, Tula and Astrakhan.
And the Kazan and Siberian khans at different times recognized vassal dependence on the Ottoman Sultan.
In domestic politics, Suleiman showed himself as an ardent fighter against bribery and a patron of science and art. “He won the favor of the people with good deeds, released artisans who were forcibly removed, built schools, but he was a ruthless tyrant: neither kinship nor merit saved him from his suspicion and cruelty,” wrote the German historian Georg Weber about the Sultan.
Suleiman I the Magnificent died in his tent during the siege of the small fortress of Szigetvár in Hungary. According to historians, the death of the 71-year-old Sultan was natural, but stress and fatigue from the protracted battle played a role. Suleiman never learned that the Turks eventually took the fort and won the battle.
Cardinal Richelieu later called the Battle of Szigetvár “the battle that saved civilization.”
Suleiman's death ultimately delayed the Ottoman Empire's attack on Vienna. Without it, it is unknown how far the Turkish army could have advanced.
The body is separate, the insides are separate
Suleiman's body was sent to Constantinople and buried in a türb (Ottoman tomb of the nobility) in the cemetery of the Suleymaniye Mosque, next to the mausoleum of the beloved woman of Sultan Roksolana. Contemporaries wrote that Roksolana, born Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya, the daughter of an Orthodox priest from Rohatyn (now Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine), who went from a concubine to the wife of the Magnificent, knew how to cast a spell and simply bewitched the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.
Traditionally, the Sultan's favorites, after the birth of a child, went to raise the child in a remote province. In addition, in the Ottoman Empire there was a rule according to which one favorite of the Sultan should have no more than one son.
Roksolana broke both covenants: she gave birth to Suleiman five sons and one daughter and did not even think about leaving the capital.
It is widely believed among historians that the Sultan’s body went to Constantinople (officially renamed Istanbul in 1930) without a heart and internal organs - the latter were buried in the place where the political leader’s tent stood. Selim II (known as Selim the Blonde and Selim the Drunkard), the eleventh Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and son of Suleiman and Roksolana, ordered the erection of a tomb on this site. A short time later, the tomb was destroyed.
Not one hundred percent
Historian Norbert Pap from the University of Pécs believes that during archaeological excavations in the area of Žibot (modern Hungary) under his leadership, researchers discovered possible remains of Suleiman's tomb. According to the historian, next to the supposed grave of the Sultan there are the ruins of a small mosque and a tekke - the abode of adherents of Sufism. In addition, archaeologists found the remains of decorative elements reminiscent of decorations from the Sultan’s tomb in Istanbul.
“Now everything suggests that we have found Suleiman’s tomb,” says Norberg Pap. “However, to be one hundred percent sure of this, it is necessary to excavate and study other objects located around this site.”
Excavations that will finally confirm or refute Norbert Pap's theory will take place in the spring of 2016. Archaeologists also plan to explore the site where the Battle of Szigetvár took place.
By the way, according to Papa, the entrails and heart were removed from the dead body to avoid the terrible stench emanating from the corpse. The fact is that the Sultan’s associates hid Suleiman’s death for 48 days (until the capture of the fort) and hid his body from the troops in order to avoid unnecessary panic before the decisive battle.
The image of Suleiman I the Magnificent does not lose popularity to this day.
For example, in the cult computer game Assassin’s Creed, the sultan acts as an ally of the main character, and in the strategy Civilization V, the historical character is the head of the Ottoman Empire (in the story, the player creates and develops his own civilization from ancient times to the near future). In addition, the series “The Magnificent Century” was recently released, which tells about the most notable events of the Sultan’s reign and his relationship with Roksolana.
In Christian countries he is called the Magnificent, and in the Muslim world he is better known by the nickname Qanuni, which means “legislator” or “law.” This Turkish word is associated with justice. The biography of Suleiman the Magnificent is known quite well. He was born in 1494. His father was Sultan Selim I.
From a young age, Suleiman participated in various campaigns of the Ottoman army, so he acquired serious military experience. He ascended to the throne of the empire in 1520. The biography of Suleiman the Magnificent is rich and rich in interesting events. He set out to expand the borders of the country and began to prepare for wars. In addition, he carried out many important reforms in the state, which during his reign reached the peak of its power.
Wars
The biography of Suleiman the Magnificent is replete with military campaigns. The young ruler declared the first war on Hungary. In 1521, a huge army approached the banks of the Danube and took Belgrade. After this, the Mediterranean island of Rhodes was conquered. Its siege began in 1522. Troops were landed on the shore, and the fleet blocked a piece of land from the sea. Despite stubborn resistance, the Knights of St. John were forced to surrender, having exhausted their food supplies. This was greatly facilitated by the diplomatic gift of Suleiman, who agreed to give the vanquished the opportunity to leave the island.
In 1526, the second Ottoman invasion of Hungary began. Their army numbered more than 80 thousand people and had about 300 guns. The Hungarians were able to gather a 30,000-strong army and 80 cannons. They were commanded by King Lajos II. The prudent Ottoman ruler agreed with the Poles on neutrality so that Polish troops could not help the Hungarians.
The biography of Suleiman the Magnificent suggests that he was a talented politician. A general battle took place near the town of Mohács. The Hungarians and their allies, despite heroic resistance, were defeated, and King Lajos, fleeing from the battlefield,
Three years later, the Turkish ruler began a large-scale war against the Austrian Habsburgs. His army approached Vienna and besieged the city. The garrison steadfastly withstood all attacks and bombardment from heavy guns. The besieged were helped by the fact that significant food supplies were stored in the city, as well as large warehouses with ammunition. The general assault ended in failure, and the Turks were forced to retreat beyond the Danube. The Magnificent's war includes three more wars with the Austrians.
The result was the division of Hungary and the imposition of tribute to the Austrians, as well as a significant increase in Ottoman influence on the politics of European states. In addition, he conducted active military operations against Persia. His fleet won many victories in the Mediterranean.
Suleiman the Magnificent: biography, family
The Sultan, as is customary in the East, had many concubines, but the Slavic slave Roksolana (Hurrem in the Turkish version) deserves special attention. She was Suleiman’s favorite, and later he even took her as his wife, which was nonsense for that time. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska had a great influence on the Sultan, and their relationship was so lively and romantic that they wrote poems to each other. Roksolana gave birth to six children to Suleiman, one of whom died in childhood. The Sultan also had a son, Mustafa, from another concubine, the Circassian woman Medikhevran, who was older than the children of Hurrem and was supposed to inherit the throne, but was then executed on the orders of Suleiman himself. Many believe that the reason for this was the intrigues of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, since the death of Mustafa was very beneficial to her. As a result of what happened, her son Selim inherited the Turkish throne.
He was the greatest of the sultans of his dynasty, and under him the Ottoman Empire reached its greatest development. In Europe, Suleiman is known by the nickname Magnificent, and in the East this ruler deserved, perhaps, a less colorful, but much more honorable nickname - Kanuni, which means “Fair”.
In all its splendor
The Venetian ambassador Bragadin, in a letter dated June 9, 1526, wrote about him like this: “He is thirty-two years old, he has a deathly pale skin color, an aquiline nose and a long neck; He doesn't look very strong, but his arm is very strong, which I noticed when I kissed it, and they say he can bend a bow like no one else. By nature, he is melancholic, very partial to women, generous, proud, quick-tempered and at the same time sometimes very gentle.”
Suleiman became famous for his military campaigns, wise rule and love story that connected his name with a woman who received the nickname Roksolana.
Military campaigns
Suleiman I, son of Sultan Selim I Yavuz and daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray Ayse, tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was born in November 1494, his reign began in September 1520, when he was 26 years old. Suleiman I died in September 1566.
Suleiman I spent his entire life on military campaigns.
Before he could sit on the throne of the Ottoman Empire, he began to expand its borders. In 1521, Suleiman took the Šabac fortress on the Danube and besieged Belgrade. After a long siege, the city fell. In 1522, Suleiman landed on Rhodes with a large army. This island at that time was the support base of the Knights of the Order of St. John, who felt themselves masters in this part of the Mediterranean litter. However, not even a few months had passed before the fortified citadel of the knights fell.
Having gained a foothold in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, Suleiman set about the Red Sea, where Portuguese sailors were in charge at that time. In 1524, a Turkish fleet sailed from the port of Jeddah (modern Saudi Arabia) into the Red Sea and cleared it of Europeans. In 1525, Suleman captured Algiers.
From 1526 to 1528, Suleiman waged continuous wars in eastern Europe. He conquered Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slavonia, and the rulers of Hungary and Tansylvania recognized themselves as vassals of Suleiman. Turkish troops invaded Bulgaria and Austria.
Suleiman returned from these campaigns with rich booty, he ravaged cities and fortresses, and drove thousands of inhabitants into slavery. Austria recognized Turkey's dominance over central and eastern Hungary, pledging to pay Suleiman an annual tribute.
Not satisfied with victories in the west, Suleiman also fought with the eastern countries. In 1533, Suleiman began a campaign against the Safavid state (modern Azerbaijan). After capturing the Safavid capital Tabriz, he moved towards Baghdad and captured it in 1534. Not only the rulers of Baghdad and Mesopotamia, but also the princes of Basra, Bahrain and other states of the Persian Gulf submitted to him.
By the 50s of the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire extended from Hungary to Egypt, from the Balkan Peninsula to Iran and Transcaucasia. In addition, Suleiman had possessions in northern Africa, he controlled the Mediterranean Sea and seriously threatened Rome itself.
Suleiman also caused a lot of trouble to Russia. The Crimean Khan was his vassal. At different times, Kazan and even Siberian khans recognized themselves as Suleiman’s vassals. The Turks more than once took part in the campaigns of the Crimean khans against Moscow.
Suleiman set out on his last campaign on May 1, 1566. The Turkish army moved into eastern Hungary and besieged the Szigetvár fortress. This was the thirteenth campaign in which the Ottoman ruler took direct part. Thirteenth and last. On the night of September 5, the ruler died in his camp tent. The tireless conqueror was 72 years old at that time.
Domestic policy
Suleiman took his father's throne as a young man, but a fairly experienced ruler. He, as was customary in the Ottoman dynasty, during his father’s lifetime became the ruler of one of the regions of the empire centered in the city of Manisa.
When the next sultan took the throne, a series of executions began in his family. According to bloody custom, the Sultan destroyed all possible rivals from among the contenders for the throne. Since each of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire had a huge harem, the sons of all the Sultan’s concubines could be considered such applicants. Ensuring a calm reign for himself, the new ruler did not spare anyone, not even small children. It was not for nothing that there was a special cemetery at the Sultan’s palace for little “shah-zade” - princes who became victims of intrigues and wars of adults.
Suleiman's reign began without such horrors. It so happened that all his little brothers died in infancy from illnesses.
In addition, the first step of the young Suleiman was a good deed: he released the Egyptian captives who were kept in chains by his father.
It was not in vain that Suleiman earned the honorary nickname “The Just”. He fought against corruption and became known as an ardent enemy of the abuses of officials. They said about him that he, like the legendary Harun al-Rashid, walks around the city, dressed in simple clothes, and listens to what people say about him and about the order in his capital.
But you should not imagine Suleiman as an ideal ruler, kind to his subjects but harsh to the enemies of the empire. He was as cruel, suspicious and despotic as all representatives of the Ottoman dynasty, mercilessly executing anyone who, in his opinion, could pose a danger to him or simply caused displeasure. As an example, we can cite the fates of three people close to Suleiman, whom he, in his own words, once loved.
His eldest son and heir Mustafa, the son of a concubine named Mahidevran-sultan, was executed on his orders and before his eyes. Suleiman suspected that Mustafa wanted to take the throne without waiting for his father to die from natural causes.
Ibrahim Pasha, nicknamed Pargaly, the grand vizier and Suleiman's closest friend since his youth in Manisa, was also executed by order of the Sultan on suspicion of certain intrigues. Suleiman, in his youth, swore that Pargaly would never be executed while he, Suleiman, was alive. Deciding to execute yesterday's favorite, he resorted to the following trick: since sleep is a kind of death, let Ibrahim Pasha be executed not while Suleiman was alive, but when the ruler was sleeping. Ibrahim Pasha was strangled after a friendly dinner with the ruler.
Finally, one of his concubines, Gulfem Khatun, was also strangled by order of Suleiman. In her youth, she was his favorite and gave birth to an heir for the ruler. However, the child soon died of smallpox. Suleiman, contrary to custom, did not drive Gulfem away, but left her in his harem. And although she never returned to his bed, he considered her a friend, valued conversations with her and her advice. However, the end of Gulfem Khatun’s life was the same silk lace.
The portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent would not be complete without mentioning his love for the arts. Under him, Istanbul was decorated with magnificent buildings, mosques and bridges. He loved poetry and composed poems himself, which are considered excellent in Turkey to this day. In addition, Suleiman was fond of blacksmithing and jewelry, and became famous for making jewelry himself for his favorite concubines.
Love for Hurrem
And, of course, when talking about Suleiman the Magnificent, one cannot help but recall his love for his concubine, who received the nickname Roksolana in European diplomatic correspondence.
Who this woman was is not known for certain today. The nickname given to her clearly hints at Slavic, even Russian origin, since it was Russians who were called “Roxolans” in the Middle Ages. Considering the numerous military campaigns of Turkish and Crimean troops in the territories occupied by Ukraine today, such an origin of this girl can be considered quite probable. According to tradition, Roksolana is considered the daughter of a priest from the western regions of Ukraine and is called Alexandra Lisovskaya, but there is no documentary evidence of this. The Sultan noticed and brought this girl closer to him, and gave her the name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, which means “Joy”. Apparently, the Slavic woman had a really cheerful disposition. Hurrem Sultan managed the impossible: she achieved that Suleiman released her and made her his legal wife, which had never happened in the Sultan's harem before. Moreover, she had a serious influence on the foreign and domestic policies of the Sultan, which was noted by all diplomats who visited Istanbul.
It was Hurrem Sultan who was the mother of Shah-Zade Selim, who became the next ruler of the empire after Suleiman.
When Hurrem died, Suleiman ordered the construction of an ornate mausoleum for her. A tomb was erected next to this mausoleum, in which the great conqueror himself rested.
