Celebrating historic triumphs is a favourite pastime for many Turks. Tales of how Turkic peoples emerged from Central Asia, crossed the steppes to Anatolia, established the Ottoman Empire and ruled for centuries over large swaths of Europe and Asia are the subject of countless legends, poems and books. – Stephen Kinzer
Suleiman 1, also known as Suleiman the Magnificent, was the 10th and longest reigning leader of the Ottoman Empire. Previously he had been governor in western Turkey but immediately ascended to the throne after his father’s death in 1520.
His time as a leader is known to be an era of military conquests and expansion. He moved into Europe and started taking countries or parts of them, one by one.
Suleiman also had one of the most advanced navies of his time and in fact his could control most of the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean at that time, hence, it is no surprise that his influence was also felt in Asia, especially by the Portuguese with whom they were at war with through out the 15th and 16th centuries.
While Europe was less advanced, the Ottomans had one of the largest impacts on the modern world through their era of reforms and achievements under Suleiman the Magnificent, which is known as the Golden Age of Islam. Advancements in science, math, engineering, philosophy, medicine, literature, economics, and law came about during the Golden Age of Islam. Moreover Ottoman architecture and tax breaks were also discovered during his time as leader.
He was known to be just and religious and continued to rule for 46 years before his death.