|
Knights Hospitallers-Suleiman the Magnificent
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Suleiman was born November 6, 1494, and he died September 6, 1566. He was the tenth leader of the Ottoman Empire, its leader from 1520 to 1566. Born in modern day Turkey, Suleiman made the Ottomans a great world power. At a young age he studied science, literature, and military techniques in a school in the Istanbul palace. His father was Selim, the leader of the Ottomans before Suleiman, had conquered the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. |
|
|
|
After his father’s death, Suleiman began capturing cities and provinces right away. In 1521, he captured the city of Belgrade. Using 400 ships, in 1522, he conquered Rhodes, the property of the Knights Hospitallers. In 1526, Suleiman defeated 15 year old King Louis II of Hungary.
The Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire had been rivals for a very long time. Suleiman tired of this rivalry and decided to unify the two. The Safavid Empire ruled over Persia and Iraq. In 1534 Suleiman conquered Baghdad. In 1555, while Suleiman was trying to take over more of the Safavid Empire, the invasion failed. The result ended in a signed treaty between the two empires.
When the Hospitallers reestablished in Malta in 1530, Suleiman was unhappy. In 1565, a year before Suleiman’s death, he attacked Malta. The attack seemed to be a repeat of the invasion on Rhodes, but a relief force from Spain came and killed more than 30,000 Ottoman soldiers.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
