State · 1520–1566
Suleiman the Magnificent and the Ottoman zenith
Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul (Türkiye)
Suleiman I, sultan from 1520 to 1566, had the longest reign of any Ottoman ruler. He took Belgrade in 1521 and Rhodes in 1522, broke the Kingdom of Hungary at Mohács in 1526, besieged Vienna in 1529, annexed Iraq in wars with Safavid Iran, and built a fleet that dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf.
His chief architect, Mimar Sinan, is credited with over 300 buildings, including the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul.
Why it mattered
His reign marked the peak of Ottoman power and culture, ruling at least 25 million subjects, while the failed siege of Vienna set the limit of the empire's advance into central Europe.
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