Sultan · 1494 – 1566

Suleiman I

Little-Known Facts

  • In the West he was called 'the Magnificent', but to his own people he was known above all as 'Kanuni', the Lawgiver.
  • He elevated Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana) from the harem to become his legal wife, an unusual break with Ottoman custom.

Myths & Misconceptions

Did Suleiman capture Vienna?

No. His 1529 siege of Vienna failed, and the city marked the furthest limit of Ottoman expansion into central Europe under his rule.