Süleyman the Magnificent and the Ottoman Empire

Suleyman I became the ruler of the Ottoman Empire in 1520, and his ascension to the throne was considered a lucky event because he had been born in the tenth century after the founding of Islam and was the tenth sultan of the Ottoman dynasty. When Suleyman died after reigning for forty-six years he had brought the Ottoman Empire to its greatest heights of power and prestige and was known as Suleyman the Magnificent. In "Suleyman the Magnificent and the Ottoman Empire," author Miriam Greenblatt looks at not only the sultan's major military campaigns on land and sea, but his accomplishments in the fields of law and art. The book in the Rulers and Their Times series will also cover how the Ottomans lived and worked, and provides a section that shares their letters, poems and stories to learn about their feelings and beliefs. PART ONE: "Lord of the Age," is the biography of Suleyman the Magnificent. Greenblatt explains how the time was opportune for Suleyman to invade Europe and looks at his capture of Rhodes, fighting in Central Europe, the campaigns of Barbarossa, and fighting in Asia. A map shows the extent of the Ottoman Empire, while the accompanying illustrations are all art contemporary to the period. Other chapters are devoted to Suleyman as a lawgiver and as a patron of the arts, as well as telling about his royal routine and some the intrigues in his harem, and his final years. Again, the contemporary PART TWO: Everyday Life in the Ottoman Empire, provides a concise look at several topic: religious beliefs and practices, governing an empire, fighting wars, and city life in Constantinople. Other chapters are devoted to more mundane things like housing and furniture, food, clothing and jewelry, the ceremonies of life, medical matters, getting an education, earning a living, art, and having fun. PART THREE: The Ottoman Turks in Their Own Words, begins with a letter written by Suleyman to King Francis I of France, poems by Mesihi and Kayikci Kul Mustafa, and the folktale of "The Lion's Den." Finally, there is a humorous story by Nasreddin Hodja. In the back of the book there is a Glossary of a couple of dozen terms, a trio of books and websites For Further Reading, and a Bibliography of the works Greenblatt consulted in writing this volume. "Suleyman the Magnificent and the Ottoman Empire" is a solid little intermediate book, that gets young students well beyond an introduction to the ruler and his times (such as you might find in a standard World History textbook). Other volumes in the Rulers and Their Times series (listed chronologically) are devoted to "Hatshepsut and Ancient Egypt," "Alexander the Great and Ancient Greece," "Augustus and Imperial Rome," "Charlemagne and the Early Middle Ages," "Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire," "Lorenzo de Medicie and Renaissance Italy," "Isabel, Ferdinand and Fifteenth-Century Spain," "Elizabeth I and Tudor England," "Peter the Great and the Tsarist Russia," "Louis XVI, Marie-Anto