Istanbul

Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent used war and conquest to expand the Ottoman Empire during his bloody but prosperous reign in the 16th century. In addition to the honorific ‘the Magnificent’, he is also known as ‘the Lawgiver’. He was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled much of the world for 623 years. During his 45 years as sultan, from 1520 to 1566, Suleiman ordered two of his sons slain (one by strangulation); killed an official of his government who had been a long-time friend; ruled a society rife with slavery; and killed multitudes with his wars. Yet society remembers Suleiman as “the Magnificent.” It is said that the victors write history. Perhaps they also bestow their own