Page 19 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent
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formative  years  of the  Ottoman  state  Osman's  descendants
    took  Bursa  (Brusa),  which  became  the first capital; then  they
    moved  into  tznik  (Nicaea),  and  izmit  (Nicomedia), crossed
    the  Dardanelles into  Thrace,  and  entered  Edirne (Adrianople),
    which  was  chosen  as the  second  capital. The Ottomans  soon
    extended  their  rule  into  central,  northeastern,  and  southwest-
    ern  Anatolia as  well  as into  Macedonia,  Bulgaria, Serbia, and
    Romania.
      The emirate  of Osman  became  a world-renowned  empire
    during  the  reign  of Mehmed  II (1451-1480).  In  1453
    Mehmed,  known  as the  Conqueror,  captured  Constantinople,
    the  capital of the  Byzantine Empire, moved  his court  there,
    and  founded  the  Topkapi  Palace, which  became  the  adminis-
    trative  seat  of the  state.  He then  undertook  systematic  cam-
    paigns  to  expand  his realm  and  to  form  a  protective ring
    around  his new  capital, now  called Istanbul. In the  west  his
    armies  swept  through  Greece, Albania, and  Yugoslavia,  infil-
    trating  the  Balkans as  far as  Belgrade. His navy  overpowered
    the  Venetians,  captured  several  islands in  the  Aegean,  and
    landed  at  Otranto,  the  tip of the  Italian peninsula. In Anatolia
    he  put  an  end  to  the  Greek rule in Trabzon (Trebizond),
    wiped  out  the  remaining Turkish emirates in the  south,  and
    inflicted  serious defeats upon  the  Mamluks,  who  were ruling
    in  Syria and  Egypt. The  Crimea  was  annexed  together  with
    regions  bordering  the  Sea of Azov. The  Ottomans  were  now
    the  rulers of Anatolia and  the  eastern  Balkans, controlling  Fig.  1. Portrait  of Sultan  Süleyman attributed to Titian,  c.  1530  (Vienna,
    these  lands from  their  court  in Istanbul.              Kunsthistorisches Museum, 2429)
      After  a  brief period  of consolidation  under  Bayezid II
    (1480-1512),  the  expansion  of the  Ottoman  frontiers contin-
    ued  with  the  ensuing  sultans.  Selim  I  (1512-1520)  cam-  claimed  Egypt, Sudan,  Somalia, Ethiopia, Libya, Tunisia, Al-
    paigned  in the  south  and  southeast;  he  captured Azerbaijan  geria,  and  part  of Morocco.  The  Black Sea,  Arabian  Gulf,  Red
    and  the  Safavid  capital  of Tabriz; then  he  defeated  the  Mam-  Sea,  and  a  major  portion  of the  Mediterranean  were  con-
    luks  at  Maj  Dabiq and  Cairo, incorporating  into  his  empire  trolled  by the  Ottoman  navy.
    Syria,  Palestine,  and  Egypt as well  as the  Hijaz.  The  Ottoman  In Turkish history  Süleyman  is known  as Kanuni,  the
    sultan  was  now  the  protector  of Islam  and  the  guardian of  Lawgiver,  in  reference  to  his  legislative acts,  which  helped  to
    Mecca,  Medina,  and  Jerusalem,  the  three  holy  cities of the Is-  form  the  basis of many  national  constitutions;  in  Europe  his
    lamic  world;  he  also  ruled  over  the  renowned  cultural  centers  honorific  is the  Great  or  the  Magnificent due  to  his  outstand-
    of  Damascus  and  Cairo. The  Ottomans  were  firmly  en-  ing  political and  cultural achievements.  He was  a brilliant
    trenched  in  the  strategic lands linking three  continents  (Asia,  military  strategist and  statesman,  and  an  acclaimed  legislator
    Africa,  and  Europe) and  dominated  the  surrounding  seas.  who  determined  the  administrative, fiscal, military,  and  social
      This powerful  and  vast  empire  was  inherited  by  Süleyman  I  laws that  regulated  his state  and  its subjects. Although  the
    (1520-1566),  the  tenth  ruler  of the  house  of Osman.  He was  $eriat  (Islamic jurisprudence  based  on  the  Koran)  was  the  law
    the  Ottoman  sultan  with  the  longest  rule—forty-six  years—  of  the  empire,  the  Ottoman  sultans  reserved  the  right  to  issue
    and  the  one  who  more than  doubled  the  extent  of his realm. 1  decrees  on  matters  not  covered  in  Islamic traditions.  These
    At  the  time  of his death  the  Ottoman  Empire included  in  the  decrees,  called fermans,  became  the  kanuns  (sultanic laws) of
    west  Greece,  Albania,  Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Romania,  Hun-  the  empire.  Süleyman  issued  hundreds  of decrees  that  cov-
    gary,  and  parts  of Czechoslovakia, stretching  up  to  Vienna,  ered  every  subject  from  landrights, taxation,  concessions
    the  capital  of the  Habsburg Empire;  in  the  north  it  incorpo-  given  to  foreign merchants,  war  declarations,  peace  treaties,
    rated  the  Crimea  and  the  provinces  between  the Don and  the  and  investiture  of titles to  endowments  of social  and  chari-
    Dnieper  rivers;  in the  east  and  southeast  its boundaries  table  institutions. 2
    touched  the  Caspian  Sea,  ruling  over  parts  of Georgia, Azer-  Süleyman  had  been  superbly  trained  for the  sultanate,  hav-
    baijan,  western  Iran,  the  central  Islamic lands,  and  the re-  ing  been  in  charge  of the  sancaks  (provincial districts) of Bolu,
    gions  along  the  Arabian  Gulf  and  the  Red  Sea;  in  the  south  it  Kefe  (Kaffa),  and  Manisa  since  he  was fifteen, following  the


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