Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman I, commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent, was the Ottoman sultan from 1520 to 1566. His reign was the longest among the Ottoman sultans, bringing about a notable peak in the Ottoman Empire's economic, military and political power and raising the number of the empire's subjects to at least 25 million people. After succeeding his father Selim I on 30 September 1520, Suleiman began his reign by launching military campaigns against the Christian powers of Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean; Belgrade fell to him in 1521 and Rhodes in 1522, and at Mohacs in 1526 Suleiman broke the strength of the Kingdom of Hungary.