Brief description of the reign and reforms of Suleiman the Magnificent. The power of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of its decline Love for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

Suleiman (1495-1566), nicknamed the Magnificent in Europe, the tenth and, as they say, the greatest sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was born on April 27, 1495 in Trabzon. The son of Sultan Selim I (reigned 1512-1520), took the throne after the death of his father in 1520 and reigned until the end of his life. He was an educated person, patronized science and art, reformed and codified Ottoman law.

During his thirteen imperial wars, Suleiman confronted the nation-states of Europe and Asia in the 16th century on an equal footing. Rhodes, the islands of the Aegean and Ionian seas, Algiers, Tripoli passed under the sovereignty of the Turks.

The Europeans called him the Magnificent, but the Turks themselves called him nothing other than "Kanuni", i.e. Legislator. The conquests of Suleiman I supplemented the Ottoman Empire in the west and east, so the reign of Suleiman looks like a period of consolidation of the conquests of his predecessors. Suleiman issued a series of laws that covered all aspects of government and society. For the first time, the system of government of the Ottoman Empire was set out in writing, and at the same time an attempt was made to bring it into line with Sharia.

Suleiman was a great connoisseur and connoisseur of art, talented in poetry and art. He is considered one of the best poets of Islam. During his era, Istanbul became a center for visual arts, music, poetry and philosophy. Suleiman patronized a whole army of artists, religious thinkers and philosophers, who made up the most educated court in all of Europe. This cultural growth during the reign of Suleiman became the most creative period in Ottoman history. He attracted to his country the best minds of that time, the most gifted people.

The era of Suleiman's reign became a period of great justice and harmony throughout the Islamic world.

However, during the reign of Suleiman, the seeds of the subsequent decline of the Ottoman Empire were sown. The initial successes of the Ottomans were due to the personal contribution of the first ten Ottoman sultans, who showed extraordinary ability in governing the Empire and led the armies themselves on campaigns. In his old age, Suleiman practically retired from business and handed them over to the Grand Vizier, who became the chief ruler and military leader. This made it possible for various factions in government and society to compete for military and administrative appointments and for succession to the throne.

Suleiman left a huge mark on the history of the Ottoman Empire. His enigmatic personality, the magnificent monuments erected during his reign and the records of his contemporaries have always aroused great interest. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire reached its peak of development and became the most powerful empire in cultural, social, political and military terms. Looking back at this period helps us to appreciate the heritage of history and culture that has had the greatest impact on the current appearance of modern Turkey. Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan Sultanov, the conqueror of three continents, who shook the whole world in the XIV century and raised the Ottoman Empire to unknown heights of greatness, this person attracted the attention of the whole world.

Suleiman I died on September 7, 1566 in Szegeshvar (Hungary) during his last campaign against the Habsburgs. The throne passed to his son Selim II, from which the period of decline of the Ottoman Empire began.

1. Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent

This cord of power, so beautifully woven, was in the hands of one owner - the monarch. (Prince Zbarazhsky)

– Who in the Ottoman Empire had this cord of power (Sultan)?
- Do you think the prosperity of the state will depend on the character and abilities of the Sultan?
The Ottoman Empire reached its highest power under Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman the Magnificent is the most famous of all the Ottoman rulers. During his long reign (1520-1566) he expanded the boundaries of his empire in Europe, Asia and Africa.
The Western world called him "Magnificent". For his subordinates, he was Suleiman "the Legislator".
Tall, thin, with a high forehead, an aquiline nose and very large eyes, radiating genuine greatness, Suleiman was a pious, wise, adamant and highly moral person, he forced others to respect his views.
Show on the map the territories included in mid-seventeenth century to the Ottoman Empire in Europe, Asia, Africa.
The territory of the Ottoman Empire expanded significantly, which required precise management. Suleiman promulgated the new secular legislation "Kanun", a kind of code of laws that ensures the strength and stability of the state.
The subjects of Suleiman, recognizing the fullness and importance of his work, gave their ruler the nickname "Legislator".
The Ottoman state had a centralized government, the seat of power was in the palace. At the head was the Sultan, who had all the rights and powers in his hands. All peoples were obliged to obey his decrees, he was “the shadow of God on Earth”, i.e. the spiritual head of the Muslims, the commander of the army, the supreme judge. However, he could not oppose the commandments of Islam.
The unlimited power of the Sultan, the support of his power: a large army and a Muslim church.

2. "Saber and religion are inseparable"

- What were the military forces of the Turks?

Janissaries- permanent foot troops.

The fate of the Janissary

During the war, the region where I was born was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, and I got into the Janissary army when I was still small.
You are the future warriors of Allah - the Janissaries - the backbone of the Ottoman Empire and the Sultan. You can't have families, you can't do anything other than military craft. With a saber, the kingdom of the Ottomans won with a saber will be held.
From the Janissaries, the Sultan was a personal guard. On holidays, we performed in all our glory at parades. There was no man who dared to oppose the Janissary. Even those close to the Sultan were afraid of our wrath. As a token of displeasure, we carried boilers out of the barracks and beat them, and then spread through the city, destroying everything in our path. But if the unfortunate person was able to hide in the Janissary cauldron, he became a friend of the Janissaries.
I had to participate in cruel wars. The Janissaries took heavily fortified cities, knights clad in armor fled from us. We killed and seized great wealth.
Once the Sultan himself noticed my courage and presented me with a skillfully decorated saber - about the star moment of my life. And now I am old, and the Janissaries are not the same now; They start families, do crafts, shout a lot in the squares and fight little. Is the Ottoman saber blunt? The Ottomans are waiting for death at the hands of enemies.

The sultans were the leaders of the Muslims in the holy war against the infidels and spent most of their lives on campaigns, even the rite of coronation of the Sultan did not consist in laying a crown, but in girdling with a “sacred ball”.
When, after the coronation, returning to the palace, the Sultan passed by the Janissary barracks, one of the commanders came out to meet him and brought a bowl of sherbet. After drinking sherbet and filling the bowl with gold coins, the sultan uttered the ritual phrase "Kyzyl elmada geryusyuruz." We will meet again in the country of the Golden Apple. This meant that the Janissaries had to prepare for a campaign to the west - to Christian Europe, which the Turks called the "Country of the Golden Apple."
In 1526, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, at the head of 100 thousand army with 300 guns, invaded Hungary. On August 29, on the field near Mohacs, the Turks met with the Hungarians. The Hungarian cavalry launched a desperate attack on the fortifications of the Janissaries and was shot at point-blank range by artillery. King Louis II drowned in a swamp while fleeing. The Turks took over for the most part Hungary and in 1529 moved to Vienna, all of Europe was seized with fear. It seemed that the Christians would not be able to stop the Muslim advance. At the end of September, the Ottomans besieged the Austrian capital and moved 300 cannons to its walls, the cannonade continued from morning to evening, the miners dug tunnels and blew up the fortifications. On October 9, the Turks launched an assault, which lasted continuously for 3 days, but the Janissaries failed to break the besieged; anticipating the onset of cold weather, the Ottoman army lifted the siege. Returning, the Turks ravaged the Austrian lands and captured more than 10 thousand peasants.
The war for faith did not know mercy, and neither Muslims nor Christians spared their opponents. However, any Christian captive could say: “I admit that there is no god but Allah,” and immediately get freedom.

- On the contour map, mark the places of the largest battles in Central Europe.

3. Condition of conquered peoples

The poem "Prayer Against the Turks" by the Croatian poet Marko Marulich (second half of the 15th-early 16th century) reflects the disasters of the Slavs on the Balkan Peninsula during the Ottoman conquest.

“The fields, and the whole, and the city, having robbed, the Turks burned.
He groans, old and young, he dragged everyone into slavery.
Yunakov's army fell, cut with a sword.
Who did not have time to run - groans under the scourge.
The enemy and children chopped in the arms of mothers,
Ruthlessly ruined the innocence of daughters,
He knew one self-interest, he tore families apart:
Here he sold his wife, and sold his husband there.
The altars were overthrown, the shrines were scolded,
He razed your monasteries to the ground,
Horses were brought into the temple with a cursed foot
Your sons trampled on the honest cross for shame.

– What disasters brought by the Ottoman conquest does the poet name? What mood of the people did he express in this poem?

– Where do you see the similarities in the position of the conquered peoples in Muslim countries?

Condition of conquered peoples:

- theft of the population into slavery;
- eviction from cities;
– heavy poll tax;
- humiliating prohibitions.

Fizminutka

4. Struggle of peoples against conquerors

- Who are the haiduks?

Gaiduks- Bulgarian and Serbian partisans.

- It is difficult to give a definite assessment to the haiduk movement. Identify strengths and weak sides this movement.

- Give facts proving that the peoples of the XVI Balkan Peninsula heroically defended their independence in the struggle against the Ottoman invasion.

5. The beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire

– What are the reasons for the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the 16th century. What did he show up in?

1. The struggle of the conquered peoples against the conquerors.
2. The transformation of the lands of warriors into their property, the weakening of the army.
3. Reducing the income of the treasury in connection with the termination of the conquerors.

The reign of Suleiman the Legislator, which begins in 1520 and lasts for forty-six years, began to be called the "Golden Age" even during the life of the Sultan himself. Suleiman himself was called none other than "The Magnificent".

Inheritance

Before starting the story of political life Suleiman, it should be noted that he inherited from his father Suleiman the Terrible an excellent economic base under which he was free to carry out the desired world and domestic policy. The Ottoman state treasury at the beginning of the 16th century was actually overflowing with finances, and the territory of the Porte was increased several times.

International "architect"

Destinations of the Sultan the Magnificent in foreign policy were so diverse that the Porta began to play an integral role in almost all corners of the world:

• Western and Central Europe. The Ottoman Empire, represented by Suleiman the Legislator, is the main enemy of Christian Europe. From the very beginning of his reign, the Sultan managed to subjugate Hungary. Immediately after this event, Europe was divided into two camps: those who supported the "infidel" (like the French Francis I) and those who were wary (like Karl Habsburg). Interest arose in the political and military organization of the Porte, and the Ottomans themselves began to play a huge role in Europe;
• Mediterranean. Suleiman constantly issued decrees for the expansion of territories mediterranean sea which significantly disrupted European trade. The Turks advanced to the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus;
• Moscow kingdom. After the Port captured the Transcaucasus, it began to successfully move towards the trade routes of the Volga and Caspian. A confrontation between the Ottomans and Ivan the Terrible became inevitable.

Thus, we can see the maximum achievement of Suleiman in the creation of the world Muslim Empire.

Domestic politics

The enormous conquests of Suleiman and his father required the satisfaction of the broad social base of the Porte. That is why, the Sultan went on a series of popular measures that presented his status in the eyes of the population. He reduced numerous taxes, repealed a number of laws on confiscation of property, reformed the administrative system, making it "democratic-despotic."

He was the greatest of the sultans of his dynasty, under him the Ottoman Empire reached its highest development. In Europe, Suleiman is known by the nickname the Magnificent, and in the East this ruler deserved, perhaps, a less bright, but much more honorable nickname - Kanuni, which means "Fair".

In all splendor

The Venetian ambassador Bragadin, in a letter dated June 9, 1526, wrote about him like this: “He is thirty-two years old, he has a deathly pale complexion, an aquiline nose and a long neck; he does not look very strong, but his hand is very strong, which I noticed when I kissed it, and it is said that he can bend a bow like no one else. By his nature, he is melancholy, very partial to women, generous, proud, quick-tempered and at the same time sometimes very gentle.

Suleiman became famous for military campaigns, wise rule and a love story that connected his name with a woman who received the nickname Roksolana.

Military campaigns

Suleiman I, son of Sultan Selim I Yavuz and daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray Aishe, tenth sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was born in November 1494, his reign began in September 1520, when he was 26 years old. Suleiman I died in September 1566.

Suleiman I spent his entire life in military campaigns.

Not having time to sit on the throne of the Ottoman Empire, he began to expand its boundaries. In 1521, Suleiman took the fortress of Šabac on the Danube and laid siege to Belgrade. After a long siege, the city fell. In 1522, Suleiman landed on Rhodes with a large army. This island at that time was the stronghold of the Knights of the Order of St. John, who felt themselves masters in this part of the Mediterranean litter. However, in less than a few months, the fortified citadel of the knights fell.

Having gained a foothold in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, Suleiman set about Red, where at that time the Portuguese sailors were in charge. In 1524, the Turkish fleet entered the Red Sea from the port of Jeddah (modern Saudi Arabia) and cleared it of Europeans. In 1525 Suleman captured Algiers.

From 1526 to 1528, Suleiman waged continuous wars in Eastern Europe. He conquered Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slavonia, the rulers of Hungary and Tansylvania recognized themselves as vassals of Suleiman. Turkish detachments invaded Bulgaria and Austria.

From these campaigns, Suleiman returned with rich booty, he ravaged cities and fortresses, drove thousands of inhabitants into slavery. Austria recognized Turkey's dominance over central and eastern Hungary, pledging to pay an annual tribute to Suleiman.

Not satisfied with the victories in the west, Suleiman fought with Eastern countries. In 1533, Suleiman launched a campaign against the Safavid state (modern Azerbaijan). After capturing the Safavid capital of Tabriz, he advanced towards Baghdad and captured it in 1534. Not only the rulers of Baghdad and Mesopotamia, but also the princes of Basra, Bahrain and other states of the Persian Gulf submitted to him.

By the 50s of the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Hungary to Egypt, from the Balkan Peninsula to Iran and the Transcaucasus. In addition, Suleiman had possessions in northern Africa, he controlled the Mediterranean Sea and seriously threatened Rome itself.

Suleiman and Russia caused a lot of trouble. The Crimean Khan was his vassal. IN different time Kazan and even Siberian khans recognized themselves as vassals of Suleiman. The Turks more than once took part in the campaigns of the Crimean khans against Moscow.

Suleiman made his last campaign on May 1, 1566. The Turkish army moved into eastern Hungary and laid siege to the fortress of Szigetvár. It was the thirteenth campaign in which the Ottoman ruler was directly involved. Thirteenth and last. On the night of September 5, the ruler died in his camp tent. The tireless conqueror at that time was 72 years old.

Domestic politics

Suleiman took his father's throne as a young man, but quite an experienced ruler. He, as was customary in the Ottoman dynasty, during the life of his father became the ruler of one of the regions of the empire with the center in the city of Manisa.

When the next sultan occupied the throne, a series of executions began in his family. According to the bloody custom, the Sultan destroyed all possible rivals from among the pretenders to the throne. Since each of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire had a huge harem, the sons of all the sultan's concubines could be considered such applicants. Providing himself with a calm rule, the new ruler did not spare anyone, even small children. Not without reason, at the Sultan's palace, there was a special cemetery for little "shah-zade" - princes who became victims of adult intrigues and wars.

Suleiman's reign began without such horrors. It so happened that all of his little brothers died in infancy from disease.

In addition, the first step of the young Suleiman was a good deed: he released the Egyptian captives, who were kept in chains by his father.

Suleiman not in vain deserved the honorary nickname "Just". He fought corruption, was known as an ardent enemy of the abuses of officials. It was said about him that, like the legendary Harun al-Rashid, he walks around the city, dressed in simple clothes, and listens to what people say about him and about the order in his capital.

But one should not imagine Suleiman as an ideal ruler, kind to his subjects, but harsh to the enemies of the empire. He was as cruel, suspicious and despotic as all the representatives of the Ottoman dynasty, mercilessly executing anyone who, in his opinion, could be a danger to him or simply caused displeasure. An example is the fate of three people close to Suleiman, whom he, in his own words, once loved.

His eldest son and heir, Mustafa, the son of a concubine named Mahidevran-sulta n, was executed on his orders and before his eyes. Suleiman suspected that Mustafa wanted to take the throne without waiting for his father's death from natural causes.

Ibrahim Pasha, nicknamed Pargaly, the Grand Vizier and Suleiman's closest friend since his youth in Manisa, was also executed on the orders of the Sultan on suspicion of some intrigue. Suleiman swore in his youth that Pargaly would never be executed as long as he, Suleiman, was alive. Deciding to execute yesterday's favorite, he resorted to the following trick: since sleep is a kind of death, then let Ibrahim Pasha be executed not during his life - Suleiman's wakefulness, but when the ruler is sleeping. Ibrahim Pasha was strangled after a friendly dinner with the ruler.

Finally, on the orders of Suleiman, one of his concubines, Gulfem-Khatun, was also strangled. In her youth, she was his favorite and gave birth to the ruler of the heir. However, the child soon died of smallpox. Suleiman, contrary to custom, did not drive Gulfem away, but left her in his harem. And although she never returned to his bed, he considered her a friend, appreciated conversations with her and her advice. Nevertheless, the same silk lace became the finale of Gulfem-Khatun's life.

The portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent will not be complete without mentioning his love for the arts. Under him, Istanbul was adorned with magnificent buildings, mosques and bridges. He loved poetry, he himself composed poems, which are considered excellent in Turkey to this day. In addition, Suleiman was fond of blacksmithing and jewelry, and became famous for making jewelry for his favorite concubines.

Love for Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska

And, of course, when talking about Suleiman the Magnificent, one cannot help but recall his love for his concubine, who received the nickname Roksolana in European diplomatic correspondence.

Who this woman was is not known for certain today. The nickname given to her unequivocally alludes to the Slavic, even Russian origin, since it was Russians who were called "Roksolans" in the Middle Ages. Considering the numerous military campaigns of Turkish and Crimean troops in the territories that Ukraine today occupies, such an origin of this girl can be considered quite probable. According to tradition, Roksolana is considered the daughter of a priest from the western regions of Ukraine and is called Alexandra Lisovskaya, but there is no documentary evidence for this. The Sultan noticed and brought this girl closer to him, and gave her the name Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, which means "Joy". Apparently, the temper of the Slav was really cheerful. Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska managed the impossible: she achieved that Suleiman let her go free and made her his lawful wife, which has never happened in the Sultan's harem so far. Moreover, it had a serious influence on the foreign, domestic policy of the Sultan, which was noted by all the diplomats who were in Istanbul.

It was Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska who was the mother of Shahzade Selim, who became the next ruler of the empire after Suleiman.

When Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska died, Suleiman ordered the construction of an exquisitely decorated mausoleum for her. A tomb was erected next to this mausoleum, in which the great conqueror himself rested.