Solyman

Solyman, or SULEIMAN II., surnamed 'The Magnificent,' the greatest of the Ottoman sultans, was born in 1496, and at twenty-four succeeded his father Selim I. His first care was to refund a large amount of property that had been unjustly confiscated, his next to remove incompetent and corrupt officials, and to begin a comprehensive scheme of internal reform. But before this task was completed he led an army into Hungary, to extort the tribute that its king refused to pay him at his accession. He took Schatz, Semlin, and Belgrade (1521), and left Turkish garrisons in them. Then he carried a very formidable army to attack the Knights of St John at Rhodes; they had beaten off a Turkish army with a loss of 25,000 forty years previously. On this occasion they inflicted a loss of nearly four times that number upon the Turks before surrendering (1523) after a six months' siege. The following three years were devoted by Solyman to the internal government of his domains. But in 1526 he again led a force of 100,000 men into Hungary, slew King Louis at Mohacs (29th August) and all but annihilated his army, and pushing on farther captured both Buda and Pesth. He was recalled by tidings of an outbreak in Asia Minor. By 1529, however, he was back again in Hungary, ostensibly as the supporter of John Zapolya, who claimed the crown of Hungary against Ferdinand of Austria. Ferdinand was turned out of Buda and driven back into Vienna, which city the sultan besieged (September to October). After delivering a desperate assault, which cost him 40,000 soldiers, he was obliged to retreat without taking it. Returning home he directed his arms against Persia, and conquered (1534) large portions of Armenia and Persia proper, including the strong cities of Tabriz and Bagdad. At the same time he sent out his fleets against the Christian powers of the Mediterranean, and his lieutenants (Barbarossa, Piyala, and others) conquered the whole of the north of Africa except Morocco—Egypt was his already. But Tunis was recovered by Charles V. in 1535. In 1542 the widow of John Zapolya appealed to Solyman to aid her son against Ferdinand. Solyman allowed the young prince to retain Transylvania, but Hungary he kept for himself. Six years later a truce was made between the Turks and imperialists, Solyman being left in possession of the greater part of Hungary and Transylvania, and being granted a yearly tribute of 50,000 ducats. In 1565 the fleet and army of Solyman sustained a severe reverse in an unsuccessful attempt to reduce Valetta, the headquarters of the Knights of St John in Malta. And in the following year, whilst besieging the small fortress of Szigeth in Hungary, the great sultan died (4th September). Solyman is equally renowned as a lawgiver and just ruler, as a patron of learning and an encourager of the fine arts.