On this day in 1520, Suleiman the Magnificent became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, succeeding his father, Selim I. He was 25 years old and ready-for-action. He promptly initiated bold military campaigns against various European and Mediterranean Christian powers—Belgrade, Rhodes, Hungary—expanding his Empire and imposing his religion and laws on these colonies. His reign represents the highpoint of the Ottoman Empire, a territory of 25 million inhabitants. Besides military conquests, he was known for "harmonizing" (blending) the religious laws with the monarchic laws, thus he is sometimes called "Suleiman the Lawgiver" (especially in the Islamic world). He was also a great patron of the arts, literature and fine culture.
Suleiman married Roxelana, an Orthodox Christian woman (who had converted to Islam). She has a compelling and dramatic biography. She lived in what is now Ukraine and was enslaved (around the age of 15) by Ottoman troops for the sultan's harem. She became a favorite of Suleiman (and her red hair made her very unusual). She gave him six children, including five sons. (One son would die of smallpox, two others were executed at Suleiman's orders, and one succeeded him as sultan—Selim II). Eventually, Suleiman freed Roxelana and married her legally—a highly unusual and controversial event. She reportedly had a close and loving relationship with Suleiman and became one of the most influential women in Ottoman history. She died in 1558 in the Topkapi Palace (Istanbul) and is buried in a beautifully-decorated mausoleum at the nearby Süleymaniye Mosque complex nearby. Her husband died eight years later and is buried in an adjacent mausoleum.
The cast iron bookends, shown above, capture the delicate beauty of an Ottoman architectural archway. They were cast in the Twenties by Bradley & Hubbard in Meriden, Connecticut. Click on the photo above to learn more about them.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.