The Rise of a Sultan: Suleiman’s Early Ambitions

Suleiman I, known as “the Magnificent” in Europe and “the Lawgiver” in the Islamic world, ascended to the Ottoman throne in 1520. His reign marked the zenith of Ottoman power, as he sought to expand his empire both on land and at sea. By the 1530s, Suleiman had already secured significant victories in Europe, including the conquest of Belgrade and Rhodes. However, his ambitions extended beyond the Mediterranean.

The Portuguese, under the leadership of explorers like Vasco da Gama, had established dominance in the Indian Ocean, threatening the traditional trade routes that connected the Red Sea and Persian Gulf to the lucrative markets of Asia. Suleiman, like his father before him, viewed this as a direct challenge to Ottoman economic and political interests.

The Red Sea Gambit: Challenging Portuguese Supremacy

In 1538, Suleiman launched a bold naval campaign to counter Portuguese influence in the Indian Ocean. While his famed admiral, Barbarossa, battled the fleets of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in the Mediterranean, a second Ottoman fleet set sail from Suez under the command of Suleiman the Eunuch, the governor of Egypt. This fleet, consisting of over 70 well-armed ships and a formidable contingent of Janissaries, aimed to secure Ottoman interests in the Red Sea and beyond.

The immediate objective was to assist Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, who had sought Ottoman aid against both the Portuguese and the encroaching Mughal Empire. Suleiman the Eunuch’s forces captured Aden, executing its rebellious chieftain and securing the entrance to the Red Sea. However, the campaign in India faltered. Despite besieging the Portuguese stronghold at Diu, logistical challenges and shifting alliances forced the Ottomans to withdraw.

The Struggle for the Persian Gulf and the Fall of Piri Reis

Undeterred, Suleiman continued his efforts to challenge Portuguese dominance. In 1551, he dispatched the renowned admiral and cartographer Piri Reis to expel the Portuguese from Hormuz, a strategic chokehold in the Persian Gulf. Though Piri Reis captured Muscat, he failed to take Hormuz itself. His subsequent retreat and execution for abandoning his fleet underscored the difficulties the Ottomans faced in projecting power so far from home.

Sidi Ali Reis, another Ottoman commander, attempted to break through the Portuguese blockade but was ultimately defeated by storms and enemy forces. His subsequent journey across Central Asia, documented in his writings, became a testament to Ottoman resilience—but also highlighted the limits of their naval reach.

The Mediterranean Front: The Siege of Malta

While the Indian Ocean campaigns proved challenging, Suleiman’s forces remained dominant in the Mediterranean. The aging sultan turned his attention to Malta, the last major Christian stronghold in the central Mediterranean. In 1565, a massive Ottoman fleet besieged the island, defended by the Knights Hospitaller under Grand Master Jean de Valette.

The siege was brutal. The Ottomans captured Fort St. Elmo after a month of fierce fighting, but at a devastating cost. The Knights, though outnumbered, repelled repeated assaults on their remaining fortresses. By September, the arrival of Spanish reinforcements forced the Ottomans into a humiliating retreat. The failure at Malta marked a turning point—Suleiman’s dream of total Mediterranean control was dashed.

The Final Campaign: Death at Szigetvár

Determined to restore his prestige, Suleiman launched one last campaign in 1566, targeting Hungary. Though frail and unable to ride, he personally led his army to besiege the fortress of Szigetvár. The defenders, led by Croatian nobleman Nikola Zrinski, resisted fiercely. On the eve of the fortress’s fall, Suleiman died in his tent—his death kept secret to prevent disarray.

Zrinski and his men made a final, suicidal stand, detonating their powder stores and killing thousands of Ottoman soldiers. It was a pyrrhic victory for the Ottomans, and Suleiman’s death marked the end of an era.

Legacy of Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman’s reign was a golden age for the Ottoman Empire. He expanded its borders, reformed its legal system, and fostered a cultural renaissance. Yet, his death also signaled the beginning of decline. His successors lacked his vision and military prowess, and the empire gradually lost its edge.

The struggles against Portugal in the Indian Ocean and the failure at Malta revealed the limits of Ottoman naval power. Still, Suleiman’s ambition to make the Ottomans a global power foreshadowed later geopolitical rivalries. His life—a blend of conquest, lawmaking, and cultural patronage—cemented his place as one of history’s most formidable rulers.

As the poet Baki wrote in his elegy:

“The drum of departure sounds—your journey begins,
Behold, before you lie the fields of Paradise…”

For Suleiman, the warrior-sultan, it was a fitting end.