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Great Lives from History: The Incredibly Wealthy

Süleyman the Magnificent

by Jack Ewing

Ottoman sultan and military leader

Süleyman the Magnificent earned his sobriquet during a long reign as sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Although he was a feared military leader, a capable administrator, a dynamic builder and reformer, and a noted poet, he most impressed visitors with the splendor and opulence of his fabulous palace compound.

Sources of wealth: Inheritance; conquest

Bequeathal of wealth: Children

Early Life

Süleyman (sew-lay-MAHN) the Magnificent was the only son of Selim, who as Sultan Selim I ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1512 through 1520; Süleyman’s mother was Aisah Sultan. By the time of Süleyman’s birth, the Ottoman Empire was the dominant power in southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean and included what is now Turkey and the Balkan countries. Süleyman’s father, Selim I, extended the empire, establishing Ottoman rule in Egypt, and Süleyman would continue this expansion.

As a boy, Süleyman grew up in the Topkapi Palace at the empire’s capital at Constantinople (now Istanbul), where he received a fully rounded education in religion, history, science, literature, art, and military strategy. After his father became sultan, the teenaged Süleyman was appointed governor at outposts on the Black Sea, in Armenia, and in western Turkey in order to learn how to administer the powerful and far-flung empire.

Upon his father’s death in 1520, Süleyman ascended to the Ottoman throne as the tenth sultan. He immediately embarked upon military campaigns, waging constant warfare throughout his reign. In 1521, he captured Belgrade, an important stronghold of the Kingdom of Hungary. The following year, he captured the Christian-held island of Rhodes. In subsequent battles, Süleyman. leading seasoned, professional troops and commanding vast fleets of ships, would defeat Hungary, besiege Vienna, encroach deep into Persia (now Iran), dominate North Africa, and sweep across the Mediterranean, greatly expanding the Ottoman Empire.

First Ventures

These conquests added vast territories to the Ottoman sway and brought in enormous wealth in booty, tribute, and gifts that made Süleyman incalculably rich. This money was used to finance imperial troops, and untold treasure was spent to add to the glory of the sultan’s residence at Topkapi. Süleyman expanded and renovated the palace compound until it covered about 700,000 square yards, adding kitchens, gardens, fountains, libraries, mosques, schools, aviaries, and stables. Sporting a huge turban, Süleyman received emissaries while sitting on a jewel-encrusted throne in a gilded hall, ate from solid gold plates, and never wore the same clothing twice. He enjoyed the favors of a three-hundred-woman harem, and one of the women, Roxelana, became his second wife.

Mature Wealth

Süleyman the Magnificent.

ph_0111204970-Suleyman.jpg

(Library of Congress)

Despite his opulent lifestyle, Süleyman was generous toward his subjects. He welcomed Christians and Jews into his domain and passed decrees protecting them. He freed slaves. He reformed outmoded laws governing criminal conduct, taxation, and inheritance. In Constantinople, he paid for the construction of many mosques, including the massive Süleymaniye Mosque, as well as schools, hospitals, public baths, aqueducts, bridges, and facilities for the poor. He rebuilt religious shrines in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. He promoted a strong agricultural base to make his empire as self-sufficient as possible.

Even at the end of his long reign as sultan, the ambitious Süleyman continued to expand the sphere of Ottoman influence. In 1566, he died of natural causes while commanding his troops during another expedition to conquer the Hungarians.

Legacy

Middle Eastern culture flourished during Süleyman’s reign. He was a devoted patron of art, literature, and music, and he became a renowned poet himself, using the pseudonym Muhibbi (lover). Süleyman’s sponsorship resulted in the creation of artistic societies that attracted many of the empire’s painters, jewelers, goldsmiths, and other craftspeople, and the members of these societies produced artworks and jewelry for the sultan and his court.

After Süleyman’s death, the Ottoman Empire began a long, slow decline under the rule of weak, often incompetent sultans before dissolving in 1921 after more than six centuries. In the twenty-first century, many of Süleyman’s architectural works continued to stand in Istanbul and elsewhere in Turkey, including the Süleymaniye Mosque, where he is buried. Remnants of his fabulous wealth can be seen in the imperial treasury at Topkapi Palace, now a museum that houses collections of porcelain, arms and armor, miniatures, portraits, and many priceless golden, bejeweled objects.

Further Reading

1 

Clot, André. Suleiman the Magnificent. Translated from the French by Matthew J. Reisz. London: Saqi Books, 2004.

2 

Lybyer, Albert Howe. The Government of the Ottoman Empire in the Time of Suleiman the Magnificent. Whitefish, Mont.: Kessinger, 2007.

3 

Turnbull, Stephen. The Ottoman Empire, 1326-1699. New York: Osprey, 2003.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Ewing, Jack. "Süleyman The Magnificent." Great Lives from History: The Incredibly Wealthy, edited by Howard Bromberg, Salem Press, 2010. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GLIW_1387369001387.
APA 7th
Ewing, J. (2010). Süleyman the Magnificent. In H. Bromberg (Ed.), Great Lives from History: The Incredibly Wealthy. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Ewing, Jack. "Süleyman The Magnificent." Edited by Howard Bromberg. Great Lives from History: The Incredibly Wealthy. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2010. Accessed October 22, 2025. online.salempress.com.