A full life and times biography of Suleyman, the longest reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Suleyman, who ruled the Ottoman Empire between 1520 and 1566, was a globally recognized figure during his lifetime. His domain extended from Hungary to Iran, and from the Crimea to North Africa and the Indian Ocean. The wealth of his treasury, the strength of his armies, and his personality were much discussed by historians, poets, courtiers, diplomats and publics across Eurasia.
Suleyman was engaged in bitter rivalries with the Catholic Habsburgs in Europe and the Shiite Safavids in the Middle East. He presided over a multilingual and multireligious empire that promised peace and prosperity to its subjects. During his reign, the Ottoman Empire became a truly global power. Imperial governance expanded considerably, and the law was emphasized as the main bond between the ruler and the ruled. Suleyman's prolific poetic output, his frequent appearances during public ceremonies, his charity, and his patronage of arts and architecture enhanced his reputation as a universal ruler with a well-rounded character. Behind the public facade of might and glory, Suleyman led a complicated life. He grew up with an overbearing father whose legacy was both an advantage and a burden. Defying established practice, he married a concubine named Hurrem whose love and affection became a true refuge. Towards the end of his life, he had to overcome both debilitating sickness and the agitations of his sons to remain on the throne. Nearly half a millennium after his death, the life of Suleyman has been obscured by romanticized and exoticized narratives. Based on original sources in multiple languages, Peerless among Princes narrates Suleyman's achievements as well as his failures. What emerges is a compelling account of a ruler, his family, his close associates, and the Ottoman imperial project itself during the transformational sixteenth century.
By:
Kaya Sahin
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780197531631
ISBN 10: 0197531636
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 25 May 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Family Background and Formative Influences, c. 1300-c. 1500 Chapter 2: Raising a Prince: Childhood and Adolescence, 1494/5-1509 Chapter 3: Service as Provincial Governor: Apprenticeship, 1509-1520 Chapter 4: Coming to the Throne: Transition, 1520-1525 Chapter 5: A New Imperial Vision: Partnership, 1525-1533 Chapter 6: The Middle Years: Maturation, 1533-1553 Chapter 7: The Final Years, 1553-1566 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index
Kaya Sahin is Associate Professor of History and director of the Islamic Studies Program at Indiana University. He is the author of Empire and Power in the Reign of Suleyman: Narrating the Sixteenth-Century Ottoman World.
