Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I , known as “ the Magnificent ” in the West and “ Kanuni ” ( the Lawgiver ) in the East , ( 6 November 1494 – 7 September 1566 ) was the tenth and longest - reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire , from 1520 to his death in 1566 . Suleiman became a prominent monarch of 16th - century Europe , presiding over the apex of the Ottoman Empire ' s military , political and economic power . Suleiman personally led Ottoman armies in conquering the Christian strongholds of Belgrade , Rhodes , as well as most of Hungary before his conquests were checked at the Siege of Vienna in 1529 . He annexed much of the Middle East in his conflict with the Safavids and large areas of North Africa as far west as Algeria . Under his rule , the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and through the Persian Gulf . At the helm of an expanding empire , Suleiman personally instituted major legislative changes relating to society , education , taxation , and criminal law . His canonical law ( or the " Kanuns " ) fixed the form of the empire for centuries after his death . Not only was Suleiman a distinguished poet and goldsmith ; he also became a great patron of culture , overseeing the " Golden " age of the Ottoman Empire in its artistic , literary and architectural development . Suleiman was well educated and spoke five languages . In a break with Ottoman tradition , Suleiman married Roxelana , a Christian girl from his harem , who became subsequently known and influential as Hürrem Sultan . Their son , Selim II , succeeded Suleiman following his death in 1566 after 46 years of rule . Alternative names and titles . He was known as , " Sultān Suleimān - i evvel " or , " Kānūnī Sultān Suleimān " , Modern Turkish : " I . Süleyman " ( ) or " Kanuni Sultan Süleyman " ; and in the East , as " The Lawgiver " ( ; , " al ‐ Qānūnī " ) where " evvel " means " early " ( the first ) and " kanuni " means " lawgiver " for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system . Early life . Suleiman was born in Trabzon along the east coast of the Black Sea , probably on 6 November 1494 . His mother was Aishe Hafsa Sultan or Hafsa Sultan , who died in 1534 . At the age of seven , he was sent to study science , history , literature , theology , and military tactics in the schools of the Topkapı Palace in İstanbul ( formerly Constantinople ) . As a young man , he befriended Pargalı Ibrahim , a slave who later became one of his most trusted advisers . From the age of seventeen , young Suleiman was appointed as the governor of first Kaffa ( Theodosia ) , then Sarukhan ( Manisa ) with a brief tenure at Adrianople ( now Edirne ) . Upon the death of his father , Selim I ( 1465 – 1520 ) , Suleiman entered Constantinople and ascended to the throne as the tenth Ottoman Sultan . An early description of Suleiman , a few weeks following his accession , was provided by the Venetian envoy Bartolomeo Contarini : " He is twenty - six years of age , tall , but wiry , and of a delicate complexion . His neck is a little too long , his face thin , and his nose aquiline . He has a shade of a moustache and a small beard ; nevertheless he has a pleasant mien , though his skin tends to be a light pallor . He is said to be a wise Lord , fond of study , and all men hope for good from his rule . " Some historians claim that in his youth Suleiman had an admiration for Alexander the Great . He was influenced by Alexander ' s vision of building a world empire that would encompass the east and the west , and this created a drive for his subsequent military campaigns in Asia and in Africa , as well as in Europe . Military campaigns . Conquests in Europe . Upon succeeding his father , Suleiman began a series of military conquests , eventually suppressing a revolt led by the Ottoman - appointed governor of Damascus in 1521 . Suleiman soon made preparations for the conquest of Belgrade from the Kingdom of Hungary — something his great - grandfather Mehmed II had failed to achieve . Its capture was vital in removing the Hungarians who , following the defeats of the Serbs , Bulgarians and the Byzantines , remained the only formidable force who could block further Ottoman gains in Europe . Suleiman encircled Belgrade and began a series of heavy bombardments from an island in the Danube . Belgrade , with a garrison of only 700 men , and receiving no aid from Hungary , fell in August 1521 . The fall of Christendom ' s major strongholds spread fear across Europe . As the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire to Constantinople was to note , " The capture of Belgrade was at the origin of the dramatic events which engulfed Hungary . It led to the death of King Louis , the capture of Buda , the occupation of Transylvania , the ruin of a flourishing kingdom and the fear of neighbouring nations that they would suffer the same fate . . . " The road to Hungary and Austria lay open , but Suleiman turned his attention instead to the Eastern Mediterranean island of Rhodes , the home base of the Knights Hospitaller . In the summer of 1522 , taking advantage of the large Navy he inherited from his father , Suleiman dispatched an armada of some 400 ships towards Rhodes , while personally leading an army of 100 , 000 across Asia Minor to a point opposite the island itself . Here Suleiman built a large fortification , Marmaris Castle , that served as a base for the Ottoman Navy . Following a siege of five months Siege of Rhodes ( 1522 ) with brutal encounters , Rhodes capitulated and Suleiman allowed the Knights of Rhodes to depart . ( The Knights of Rhodes eventually formed a new base in Malta . ) As relations between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire deteriorated , Suleiman resumed his campaign in Eastern Europe and on 29 August 1526 , he defeated Louis II of Hungary ( 1506 – 26 ) at the Battle of Mohács . In its wake , Hungarian resistance collapsed and the Ottoman Empire became the pre - eminent power in Eastern Europe . Upon encountering the lifeless body of King Louis , Suleiman is said to have lamented : " I came indeed in arms against him ; but it was not my wish that he should be thus cut off before he scarcely tasted the sweets of life and royalty . " While Suleiman was campaigning in Hungary , Turkmen tribes in central Anatolia revolted under the leadership of Kalender Çelebi . Some Hungarian nobles proposed that Ferdinand , who was ruler of neighboring Austria and tied to Louis II ' s family by marriage , be King of Hungary , citing previous agreements that the Habsburgs would take the Hungarian throne if Louis died without heirs . However , other nobles turned to the nobleman John Zápolya who was being supported by Suleiman . Under Charles V and his brother Ferdinand I , the Habsburgs reoccupied Buda and took possession of Hungary . As a result , in 1529 , Suleiman once again marched through the valley of the Danube and regained control of Buda and in the following autumn laid siege to Vienna . This was to be the Ottoman Empire ' s most ambitious expedition and the apogee of its drive towards the West . With a reinforced garrison of 16 , 000 men , the Austrians inflicted upon Suleiman his first defeat , sowing the seeds of a bitter Ottoman - Habsburg rivalry which lasted until the 20th century . A second attempt to conquer Vienna failed in 1532 , with Ottoman forces delayed by the siege of Güns , failing to reach Vienna . In both cases , the Ottoman army was plagued by bad weather ( forcing them to leave behind essential siege equipment ) and was hobbled by overstretched supply lines . By the 1540s a renewal of the conflict in Hungary presented Suleiman with the opportunity to avenge the defeat suffered at Vienna . In 1541 the Habsburgs once again engaged in conflict with the Ottomans , by attempting to lay siege to Buda . With their efforts repulsed , and more Habsburg fortresses captured by the Ottomans in two consecutive campaigns in 1541 and in 1544 as a result , Ferdinand and his brother Charles V were forced to conclude a humiliating five - year treaty with Suleiman . Ferdinand renounced his claim to the Kingdom of Hungary and was forced to pay a fixed yearly sum to the Sultan for the Hungarian lands he continued to control . Of more symbolic importance , the treaty referred to Charles V not as ' Emperor ' , but in rather plainer terms as the ' King of Spain ' , leading Suleiman to consider himself the true ' Caesar ' . With his main European rivals subdued , Suleiman had assured the Ottoman Empire a powerful role in the political landscape of Europe for some years to come . Ottoman – Safavid War . As Suleiman stabilized his European frontiers , he now turned his attention to the ever present threat posed by the Shi ' a Safavid dynasty of Persia . Two events in particular were to precipitate a recurrence of tensions . First , Shah Tahmasp had the Baghdad governor loyal to Suleiman killed and replaced with an adherent of the Shah , and second , the governor of Bitlis had defected and sworn allegiance to the Safavids . As a result , in 1533 , Suleiman ordered his Grand Vizier Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha to lead an army into Asia where he retook Bitlis and occupied Tabriz without resistance . Having joined Ibrahim in 1534 , Suleiman made a push towards Persia , only to find the Shah sacrificing territory instead of facing a pitched battle , resorting to harassment of the Ottoman army as it proceeded along the harsh interior . When in the following year Suleiman and Ibrahim made a grand entrance into Baghdad , its commander surrendered the city , thereby confirming Suleiman as the leader of the Islamic world and the legitimate successor to the Abbasid Caliphs . Attempting to defeat the Shah once and for all , Suleiman embarked upon a second campaign in 1548 – 1549 . As in the previous attempt , Tahmasp avoided confrontation with the Ottoman army and instead chose to retreat , using scorched earth tactics in the process and exposing the Ottoman army to the harsh winter of the Caucasus . Suleiman abandoned the campaign with temporary Ottoman gains in Tabriz and the Urmia region , a lasting presence in the province of Van , and some forts in Georgia . In 1553 Suleiman began his third and final campaign against the Shah . Having initially lost territories in Erzurum to the Shah ' s son , Suleiman retaliated by recapturing Erzurum , crossing the Upper Euphrates and laying waste to parts of Persia . The Shah ' s army continued its strategy of avoiding the Ottomans , leading to a stalemate from which neither army made any significant gain . In 1554 , a settlement was signed which was to conclude Suleiman ' s Asian campaigns . It included the return of Tabriz , but secured Baghdad , lower Mesopotamia , the mouths of the river Euphrates and Tigris , as well as part of the Persian Gulf . The Shah also promised to cease all raids into Ottoman territory . Campaigns in the Indian Ocean . Ottoman ships had been sailing in the Indian Ocean since the year 1518 . Ottoman Admiral s such as : Hadim Suleiman Pasha , Seydi Ali Reis and Kurtoğlu Hızır Reis are known to have voyaged to the Mughal imperial ports of Thatta , Surat and Janjira . The Mughal Emperor Akbar , himself is known to have exchanged six documents with Suleiman the Magnificent . In the Indian Ocean , Suleiman led several naval campaigns against the Portuguese in an attempt to remove them and reestablish trade with India . Aden in Yemen was captured by the Ottomans in 1538 , in order to provide an Ottoman base for raids against Portuguese possessions on the western coast of modern Pakistan and India . Sailing on to India , the Ottomans failed against the Portuguese at the Siege of Diu in September 1538 , but then returned to Aden where they fortified the city with 100 pieces of artillery . From this base , Sulayman Pasha managed to take control of the whole country of Yemen , also taking Sanaa . Aden rose against the Ottomans however and invited the Portuguese instead , so that the Portuguese were in control of the city until its seizure by Piri Reis in the Capture of Aden ( 1548 ) . With its strong control of the Red Sea , Suleiman successfully managed to dispute control of the Indian trade routes to the Portuguese and maintained a significant level of trade with the Mughal Empire of South Asia throughout the 16th century . His admiral Piri Reis led an Ottoman fleet in the Indian Ocean , achieving the Capture of Muscat in 1552 . In 1564 , Suleiman received an embassy from Aceh ( modern Indonesia ) , requesting Ottoman support against the Portuguese . As a result an Ottoman expedition to Aceh was launched , which was able to provide extensive military support to the Acehnese . Mediterranean and North Africa . Having consolidated his conquests on land , Suleiman was greeted with the news that the fortress of Koroni in Morea ( the modern Peloponnese ) had been lost to Charles V ' s admiral , Andrea Doria . The presence of the Spanish in the Eastern Mediterranean concerned Suleiman , who saw it as an early indication of Charles V ' s intention to rival Ottoman dominance in the region . Recognizing the need to reassert the navy ' s preeminence in the Mediterranean , Suleiman appointed an exceptional naval commander in the form of Khair ad Din , known to Europeans as Barbarossa . Once appointed admiral - in - chief , Barbarossa was charged with rebuilding the Ottoman fleet , to such an extent that the Ottoman navy equaled in number those of all other Mediterranean countries put together . In 1535 Charles V won an important victory against the Ottomans at Tunis , which together with the war against Venice the following year , led Suleiman to accept proposals from Francis I of France to form an alliance against Charles . In 1538 , the Spanish fleet was defeated by Barbarossa at the Battle of Preveza , securing the eastern Mediterranean for the Turks for 33 years until the defeat at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 . East of Morocco , huge territories in North Africa were annexed . The Barbary States of Tripolitania , Tunisia , and Algeria became autonomous provinces of the Empire , serving as the leading edge of Suleiman ' s conflict with Charles V , whose attempt to drive out the Turks failed in 1541 . The piracy carried on thereafter by the Barbary pirates of North Africa can be seen in the context of the wars against Spain . For a short period Ottoman expansion secured naval dominance in the Mediterranean . In 1542 , facing a common Habsburg enemy , Francis I sought to renew the Franco - Ottoman alliance . As a result , Suleiman dispatched 100 galleys under Barbarossa to assist the French in the western Mediterranean . Barbarossa pillaged the coast of Naples and Sicily before reaching France where Francis made Toulon the Ottoman admiral ' s naval headquarters . The same campaign had seen Barbarossa attack and capture Nice in 1543 . By 1544 , a peace between Francis I and Charles V had put a temporary end to the alliance between France and the Ottoman Empire . Elsewhere in the Mediterranean , when the Knights Hospitallers were re - established as the Knights of Malta in 1530 , their actions against Muslim navies quickly drew the ire of the Ottomans who assembled another massive army in order to dislodge the Knights from Malta . The Ottomans invaded in 1565 , undertaking the Great Siege of Malta , which began on May 18 and lasted until September 8 , and is portrayed vividly in the frescoes of Matteo Perez d ' Aleccio in the Hall of St . Michael and St . George . At first it seemed that this would be a repeat of the battle on Rhodes , with most of Malta ' s cities destroyed and half the Knights killed in battle ; but a relief force from Spain entered the battle , resulting in the loss of 30 , 000 Ottoman troops and the victory of the local Maltese citizenry . Administrative reforms . While Sultan Suleiman was known as " the Magnificent " in the West , he was always " Kanuni " Suleiman or " The Lawgiver " ( ) to his own Ottoman subjects . As the historian Lord Kinross notes , " Not only was he a great military campaigner , a man of the sword , as his father and great - grandfather had been before him . He differed from them in the extent to which he was also a man of the pen . He was a great legislator , standing out in the eyes of his people as a high - minded sovereign and a magnanimous exponent of justice " . The overriding law of the empire was the Shari ' ah , or Sacred Law , which as the divine law of Islam was outside of the Sultan ' s powers to change . Yet an area of distinct law known as the " Kanuns " ( , canonical legislation ) was dependent on Suleiman ' s will alone , covering areas such as criminal law , land tenure and taxation . He collected all the judgments that had been issued by the nine Ottoman Sultans who preceded him . After eliminating duplications and choosing between contradictory statements , he issued a single legal code , all the while being careful not to violate the basic laws of Islam . It was within this framework that Suleiman , supported by his Grand Mufti Ebussuud , sought to reform the legislation to adapt to a rapidly changing empire . When the Kanun laws attained their final form , the code of laws became known as the " kanun ‐ i Osmani " ( ) , or the " Ottoman laws " . Suleiman ' s legal code was to last more than three hundred years . Suleiman gave particular attention to the plight of the rayas , Christian subjects who worked the land of the Sipahi s . His Kanune Raya , or " Code of the Rayas " , reformed the law governing levies and taxes to be paid by the rayas , raising their status above serfdom to the extent that Christian serfs would migrate to Turkish territories to benefit from the reforms . The Sultan also played a role in protecting the Jewish subjects of his empire for centuries to come . In late 1553 or 1554 , on the suggestion of his favorite doctor and dentist , the Spanish Jew Moses Hamon , the Sultan issued a " firman " ( ) formally denouncing blood libels against the Jews . Furthermore , Suleiman enacted new criminal and police legislation , prescribing a set of fines for specific offenses , as well as reducing the instances requiring death or mutilation . In the area of taxation , taxes were levied on various goods and produce , including animals , mines , profits of trade , and import - export duties . In addition to taxes , officials who had fallen into disrepute were likely to have their land and property confiscated by the Sultan . Education was another important area for the Sultan . Schools attached to mosques and funded by religious foundations provided a largely free education to Muslim boys in advance of the Christian countries of the time . In his capital , Suleiman increased the number of " mektebs " ( , primary schools ) to fourteen , teaching boys to read and write as well as the principles of Islam . Young men wishing further education could proceed to one of eight " medreses " ( , colleges ) , whose studies included grammar , metaphysics , philosophy , astronomy , and astrology . Higher " medreses " provided education of university status , whose graduates became " imams " ( ) or teachers . Educational centers were often one of many buildings surrounding the courtyards of mosques , others included libraries , refectories , fountains , soup kitchens and hospitals for the benefit of the public . Cultural achievements . Under Suleiman ' s patronage , the Ottoman empire entered the golden age of its cultural development . Hundreds of imperial artistic societies ( called the " Ehl - i Hiref " , " Community of the Talented " ) were administered at the Imperial seat , the Topkapı Palace . After an apprenticeship , artists and craftsmen could advance in rank within their field and were paid commensurate wages in quarterly annual installments . Payroll registers that survive testify to the breadth of Suleiman ' s patronage of the arts , the earliest of documents dating from 1526 list 40 societies with over 600 members . The " Ehl - i Hiref " attracted the empire ' s most talented artisans to the Sultan ' s court , both from the Islamic world and recently conquered territories in Europe , resulting in a blend of Islamic , Turkish and European cultures . Artisans in service of the court included painters , book binders , furriers , jewellers and goldsmiths . Whereas previous rulers had been influenced by Persian culture ( Suleiman ' s father , Selim I , wrote poetry in Persian ) , Suleiman ' s patronage of the arts had seen the Ottoman Empire assert its own artistic legacy . Suleiman himself was an accomplished poet , writing in Persian and Turkish under the takhallus ( nom de plume ) " Muhibbi " ( , " Lover " ) . Some of Suleiman ' s verses have become Turkish proverbs , such as the well - known " Everyone aims at the same meaning , but many are the versions of the story " . When his young son Mehmed died in 1543 , he composed a moving chronogram to commemorate the year : " Peerless among princes , my Sultan Mehmed " . In addition to Suleiman ' s own work , many great talents enlivened the literary world during Suleiman ' s rule , including Fuzuli and Baki . The literary historian E . J . W . Gibb observed that " at no time , even in Turkey , was greater encouragement given to poetry than during the reign of this Sultan " . Suleiman ' s most famous verse is : Suleiman also became renowned for sponsoring a series of monumental architectural developments within his empire . The Sultan sought to turn Constantinople into the center of Islamic civilization by a series of projects , including bridges , mosques , palaces and various charitable and social establishments . The greatest of these were built by the Sultan ' s chief architect , Mimar Sinan , under whom Ottoman architecture reached its zenith . Sinan became responsible for over three hundred monuments throughout the empire , including his two masterpieces , the Süleymaniye and Selimiye mosques — the latter built in Adrianople ( now Edirne ) in the reign of Suleiman ' s son Selim II . Suleiman also restored the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem city walls ( which are the current walls of the Old City of Jerusalem ) , renovated the Kaaba in Mecca , and constructed a complex in Damascus . Personal life . Relationship with Hürrem Sultan . Suleiman was infatuated with Hürrem Sultan , a harem girl from Ruthenia , then part of Poland . In the West foreign diplomats , taking notice of the palace gossip about her , called her " Russelazie " or " Roxelana " , referring to her Ruthenian ( Ukrainian ) origins . The daughter of an Orthodox priest , she was captured by Tatars from Crimea , sold as a slave in Constantinople , and eventually rose through the ranks of the Harem to become Suleiman ' s favourite . Breaking with two centuries of Ottoman tradition , a former concubine had thus become the legal wife of the Sultan , much to the astonishment of observers in the palace and the city . He also allowed Hürrem Sultan to remain with him at court for the rest of her life , breaking another tradition — that when imperial heirs came of age , they would be sent along with the imperial concubine who bore them to govern remote provinces of the Empire , never to return unless their progeny succeeded to the throne . Under his pen name , Muhibbi , Sultan Suleiman composed this poem for Hürrem Sultan : " Throne of my lonely niche , my wealth , my love , my moonlight . My most sincere friend , my confidant , my very existence , my Sultan , my one and only love . The most beautiful among the beautiful . . . My springtime , my merry faced love , my daytime , my sweetheart , laughing leaf . . . My plants , my sweet , my rose , the one only who does not distress me in this world . . . My Constantinople , my Caraman , the earth of my Anatolia My Badakhshan , my Baghdad and Khorasan My woman of the beautiful hair , my love of the slanted brow , my love of eyes full of mischief . . . I ' ll sing your praises always I , lover of the tormented heart , Muhibbi of the eyes full of tears , I am happy . " Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha . Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha was the boyhood friend of Suleiman . Ibrahim was originally a Christian Greek from Parga , Epirus , and when he was young was educated at the Palace School under the devshirme system . Suleiman made him the royal falconer , then promoted him to first officer of the Royal Bedchamber . Ibrahim Pasha rose to Grand Vizier in 1523 and commander - in - chief of all the armies . Suleiman also conferred upon Ibrahim Pasha the honor of " beylerbey " of Rumelia , granting Ibrahim authority over all Turkish territories in Europe , as well as command of troops residing within them in times of war . According to a 17th - century chronicler , Ibrahim had asked Suleiman not to promote him to such high positions , fearing for his safety ; to which Suleiman replied that under his reign no matter what the circumstance , Ibrahim would never be put to death . Yet Ibrahim eventually fell from grace with the Sultan . During his thirteen years as Grand Vizier , his rapid rise to power and vast accumulation of wealth had made Ibrahim many enemies among the Sultan ' s court . Reports had reached the Sultan of Ibrahim ' s impudence during a campaign against the Persian Safavid empire : in particular his adoption of the title " serasker sultan " ( ) was seen as a grave affront to Suleiman . Suleiman ' s suspicion of Ibrahim was worsened by a quarrel between the latter and the Minister of Finance Iskender Çelebi . The dispute ended in the disgrace of Chelebi on charges of intrigue , with Ibrahim convincing Suleiman to sentence the Minister to death . Before his death however , Chelebi ' s last words were to accuse Ibrahim of conspiracy against the Sultan . These dying words convinced Suleiman of Ibrahim ' s disloyalty , and on 15 March 1536 Ibrahim was executed . Succession . Sultan Suleiman ' s two Haseki Sultan s had borne him eight sons , four of whom survived past the 1550s . They were Mustafa , Selim , Bayezid , and Cihangir . Of these , only Mustafa , the eldest , was not Hürrem Sultan ' s son , but rather Mahidevran Sultan ' s , and therefore preceded Hürrem ' s children in the order of succession . Hürrem was aware that should Mustafa become Sultan her own children would be strangled . Yet Mustafa was recognised as the most talented of all the brothers and was supported by Pargalı İbrahim Pasha , who was by this time Suleiman ' s Grand Vizier . The Austrian ambassador Busbecq would note " Suleiman has among his children a son called Mustafa , marvellously well educated and prudent and of an age to rule , since he is 24 or 25 years old ; may God never allow a Barbary of such strength to come near us " , going on to talk of Mustafa ' s " remarkable natural gifts " . Hürrem is usually held at least partly responsible for the intrigues in nominating a successor . Although she was Suleiman ' s wife , she exercised no official public role . This did not , however , prevent Hürrem from wielding powerful political influence . Since the Empire lacked , until the reign of Ahmed I , any formal means of nominating a successor , successions usually involved the death of competing princes in order to avert civil unrest and rebellions . In attempting to avoid the execution of her sons , Hürrem used her influence to eliminate those who supported Mustafa ' s accession to the throne . Thus in power struggles apparently instigated by Hürrem , Suleiman had Ibrahim murdered and replaced with her sympathetic son - in - law , Rüstem Pasha . By 1552 , when the campaign against Persia had begun with Rüstem appointed commander - in - chief of the expedition , intrigues against Mustafa began . Rüstem sent one of Suleiman ' s most trusted men to report that since Suleiman was not at the head of the army , the soldiers thought the time had come to put a younger prince on the throne ; at the same time he spread rumors that Mustafa had proved receptive to the idea . Angered by what he came to believe were Mustafa ' s plans to claim the throne , the following summer upon return from his campaign in Persia , Suleiman summoned him to his tent in the Ereğli valley , stating he would " be able to clear himself of the crimes he was accused of and would have nothing to fear if he came " . Mustafa was confronted with a choice : either he appeared before his father at the risk of being killed ; or , if he refused to attend , he would be accused of betrayal . In the end , Mustafa chose to enter his father ' s tent , confident that the support of the army would protect him . Busbecq , who claims to have received an account from an eyewitness , describes Mustafa ' s final moments . As Mustafa entered his father ' s tent , Suleiman ' s Eunuchs attacked Mustafa , with the young prince putting up a brave defence . Suleiman , separated from the struggle only by the linen hangings of the tent , peered through the chamber of his tent and " directed fierce and threatening glances upon the mutes , and by menacing gestures sternly rebuked their hesitation . Thereupon , the mutes in their alarm , redoubling their efforts , hurled Mustafa to the ground and , throwing the bowstring round his neck , strangled him . " Cihangir is said to have died of grief a few months after the news of his half - brother ' s murder . The two surviving brothers , Selim and Bayezid , were given command in different parts of the empire . Within a few years , however , civil war broke out between the brothers , each supported by his loyal forces . With the aid of his father ' s army , Selim defeated Bayezid in Konya in 1559 , leading the latter to seek refuge with the Safavids along with his four sons . Following diplomatic exchanges , the Sultan demanded from the Safavid Shah that Bayezid be either extradited or executed . In return for large amounts of gold , the Shah allowed a Turkish executioner to strangle Bayezid and his four sons in 1561 , clearing the path for Selim ' s succession to the throne seven years later . On 7 September 1566 , Suleiman , who had set out from Constantinople to command an expedition to Hungary , died before an Ottoman victory at the Battle of Szigetvár in Hungary . Legacy . At the time of Suleiman ' s death , the Ottoman Empire was one of the world ' s foremost powers . Suleiman ' s conquests had brought under the control of the Empire the major Muslim cities ( Mecca , Medina , Jerusalem , Damascus , and Baghdad ) , many Balkan provinces ( reaching present day Croatia and Austria ) , and most of North Africa . His expansion into Europe had given the Ottoman Turks a powerful presence in the European balance of power . Indeed , such was the perceived threat of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleiman that Austria ' s ambassador Busbecq warned of Europe ' s imminent conquest : " On [ the Turks ' ] side are the resources of a mighty empire , strength unimpaired , habituation to victory , endurance of toil , unity , discipline , frugality and watchfulness . . . Can we doubt what the result will be ? . . . When the Turks have settled with Persia , they will fly at our throats supported by the might of the whole East ; how unprepared we are I dare not say . " Even thirty years after his death " Sultan Solyman " was quoted by the English playwright William Shakespeare as a military prodigy in " The Merchant of Venice " ( Act 2 , Scene 1 ) . Suleiman ' s legacy was not , however , merely in the military field . The French traveler Jean de Thévenot a century later bears witness to the " strong agricultural base of the country , the well being of the peasantry , the abundance of staple foods , and the pre - eminence of organization in Suleiman ' s government " . The administrative and legal reforms which earned him the name Law Giver ensured the Empire ' s survival long after his death , an achievement which " took many generations of decadent heirs to undo " . Through his personal patronage , Suleiman also presided over the Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire , representing the pinnacle of the Ottoman Turks ' cultural achievement in the realm of architecture , literature , art , theology and philosophy . Today the skyline of the Bosphorus , and of many cities in modern Turkey and the former Ottoman provinces , are still adorned with the architectural works of Mimar Sinan . One of these , the Süleymaniye Mosque , is the final resting place of Suleiman and Hürrem Sultan : they are buried in separate domed mausoleums attached to the mosque .