Suleiman The Magnificent; He is the 10th sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the 89th Islamic caliph. He was called “the Lawgiver” because of his just administration. He was known all over the world as “The Magnificent Suleiman” or “The Great Solomon”. Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest reigning sultan, ruled for 46 years. The sultan, who went on great expeditions 13 times, spent 10 years and 1 month in total. He is the sultan who made the most expeditions and carried out the longest expeditions of the Ottoman Empire.
Suleiman the Magnificent, who was born in Trabzon in 1494, Yavuz Sultan SelimHe is the only son of His mother is Hafsa Sultan. Hz. He got it from Solomon. He spent his childhood years in Trabzon, where his father was the sancakbeyi. While in Trabzon, he learned goldsmithing from Greek jewelers, together with his foster brother, Kadı Ömer Efendi’s son Yahya. During his period, he gave importance to jewelry and even made jewelry designs himself.
After his father ascended the throne, he was sent to Manisa as the sancakbeyi as the heir to the throne in 1513. After his father’s death, he came to Istanbul in 1520 and took the throne. He reached 14 million 893 thousand kilometers with the conquests of the Ottoman land, which was 6 million 557 thousand kilometers when he took over. Although he did not have the strength to fight on horseback when he was 72 years old, he participated in the Zigetvar Expedition and was martyred during the siege. The death of Suleiman the Magnificent was kept secret for 42 days. After his death in 1566, his son Selim II succeeded him.
Wives and Children of Suleiman the Magnificent
The only officially married wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, who has four wives, is Hürrem Sultan. Other wives are; Mahidevran Sultan, Gülfem Hatun, Fülane Hatun. Suleiman the Magnificent has 11 known children. His first child is Şehzade Mahmut. Born from Fülane Hatun, Mahmut died on the day he was born due to an illness he had. His other child is Mustafa, his second son from Mahidevran Sultan. Mustafa held many positions during his princedom, but when rumors spread that he wanted to take the throne, he was executed by his father.
His third child is Şehzade Murat, who is known to be from Gülfem Hatun. Şehzade Murat passed away a few months after his birth. Her first child with Hürrem Sultan is Şehzade Mehmet. Mihrimah Sultan, the only daughter of the sultan, was born from Hürrem Sultan. The name of another prince thought to be from Hürrem is Abdullah. He did not live long in Abdullah and died a few years after his birth. Other children born to Hürrem Sultan are Cihangir and Beyazıt. Şehzade Beyazıt lost his struggle for the throne with his brother Selim II and fled to Iran. He was later strangled and killed by his father. Cihangir got sick and died. His son, who ascended the throne after Kanuni Sultan Selim II, also known as Sarı Selim, is the son of Hürrem Sultan.
The Reason for Hiding the Death of Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent made many conquests after he came to the throne. With the conquest of Belgrade, the gates of central Europe were opened to the Ottomans. Rhodes was conquered and dominance was achieved in the Mediterranean. An army of 60 thousand people fought the Hungarian army with 300 cannons and a great victory was won in a short time like 2 hours. The last expedition of Suleiman the Magnificent was on Zigetvar. Before embarking on the expedition, he visited the tomb of Eyüp Sultan and his ancestors and distributed a large amount of alms to the poor in the tomb. On the way to the expedition, the sultan left Istanbul with a magnificent ceremony on a horse in his white clothes. Historians of the period say that the sultan’s white beard and white dress resembled a light minaret.
While going on the expedition, he was accompanied by Kanuni, especially the grand vizier, as well as all the viziers, the janissary agha, the treasurers and the leading bureaucrats. Despite his advanced age, the sultan, who went on an expedition, did not have the strength to stand on the horse due to his illness. When he set out after the first accommodation, his discomfort increased, and he got into the car with the help of Sokullu Mehmet Pasha. Suleiman the Magnificent, who went to Zigetvar Castle by car, got out of the car when he came to the city center and got on a horse despite all his discomfort in order not to lose his glory.
While Zigetvar Castle was besieged and was about to fall completely, Süleyman the Magnificent died on the night of 6 September in 1566. Since the siege of Zigetvar was coming to an end, his death was concealed in order not to cause demoralization of the soldier. The closest relatives, who were aware of the death of the sultan, kept the situation a secret. Under the leadership of Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmet Pasha, what was necessary was done; His body was washed, his prayers were performed, the internal organs of the sultan were removed and he was buried under the ground where he lay. The outer part of the body was covered with various substances to prevent it from smelling and was put in a coffin.
In order to seize the castle as soon as possible, the Grand Vizier told the army commanders about the sultan, “Thank God, the sultan’s health is about to improve. But he is uneasy because of the delay in the conquest of the castle. The order of the Sultan is the conquest of Zigetvar today”. With the order, the last attack preparations were made and the Zigetvar Castle was captured.
After the conquest of the castle, the Grand Vizier sent a letter to Prince Selim, the heir to the throne, who was the sancakbeyi of Kütahya, informing him that his father had died, and summoned him to the head of the army. The death of the sultan continued to be concealed until the arrival of Prince Selim, and daily routine works were continued by the grand vizier. Successful people were dressed in hilats, appointments were made, and the dead soldiers were recorded in the notebooks.
In time, rumors spread among the army due to the fact that the sultan did not appear at all. After 22 days hidden by various tricks, the army asked the sultan to come and give a tip. Thereupon, the news that Kanuni would hold a council meeting was announced to the soldiers. At the council meeting, it was decided that the soldiers should be made to believe that the sultan was alive. For this reason, the sultan’s mouth, addressing the janissaries, said, “Be berhudar and let their faces be white, and their accident be blessed. Let them complete the Fellowship and restore the castle to good condition. All the tips and raises should be given.” The edict was read.
After the death of Suleiman the Magnificent was hidden for 42 days, the way back was started. Because he resembled Kanuni, Hasan Ağa wore his clothes and saluted the army with his hand from inside the car. When Istanbul was approached, the Quran began to be read, and the soldiers who understood the situation were very upset. The actual burial ceremony of Suleiman the Magnificent took place almost 50 days later.
