Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent used war and conquest to expand the Ottoman Empire during his bloody but prosperous reign in the 16th century. In addition to the honorific ‘the Magnificent’, he is also known as ‘the Lawgiver’. He was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled much of the world for 623 years. During his 45 years as sultan, from 1520 to 1566, Suleiman ordered two of his sons slain (one by strangulation); killed an official of his government who had been a long-time friend; ruled a society rife with slavery; and killed multitudes with his wars. Yet society remembers Suleiman as “the Magnificent.” It is said that the victors write history. Perhaps they also bestow their own nicknames. When Suleiman rose to power as sultan, the Ottoman Empire controlled Anatolia, the Balkans, Egypt and the Levant (the lands around the eastern Mediterranean). He conquered and would add Hungary, parts of Persia, Mesopotamia and North Africa to his empire. Suleiman ruled vast territories in Europe, Africa and Asia. The Ottoman Empire had an estimated population of at least 25 million under his reign, and as we will see, many of them were slaves. Long-Lost Tomb Belonging to Suleiman the Magnificent Believed to be Found Hurrem Sultan, the Cheerful Rose of Suleiman I and a Powerful Woman of the Ottoman Empire Read moreSection: NewsHistoryFamous PeopleRead Later