For centuries the Ottoman Empire was led by warrior-sultans who rode at the head of their armies. They took Constantinople, humbled Persia, conquered Egypt and carried their banners to the walls of Vienna. These are the great commanders of the Ottoman Empire, each linked to the battle that made their name.
Bayezid I. The Thunderbolt who crushed the crusade at Nicopolis, before falling to Timur at Ankara.
Bayezid I routs the crusaders at Nicopolis in 1396, an Ottoman miniature from the Hünername of 1588 by Lokman. Public domain
Mehmed II the Conqueror. The sultan who took Constantinople in 1453 and made the empire a world power.
Suleiman the Magnificent. The lawgiver-sultan under whom the empire reached its zenith, victor at Mohacs.
Suleiman the Magnificent at the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, a miniature from the Hünername of 1584 (Topkapı Palace Museum). Public domain
Warrior-sultans of three continents
The Ottoman sultans were soldiers first. Bayezid I confirmed their power in Europe at Nicopolis; Mehmed II took Constantinople and the mantle of Rome; Selim I tripled the empire in a few short years; and Suleiman the Magnificent carried it to its golden age. Even their defeats, Bayezid at Ankara, the failed sieges of Vienna, shaped the history of the world.
Shah Ismail of Persia observes the Ottoman army of Selim I before Chaldiran, 1514, in the Selimname of Şükri-i Bidlisi, painted about 1525 to 1530. Public domain
Among the most important are the warrior-sultans Bayezid I, Mehmed II the Conqueror, Selim I the Grim and Suleiman the Magnificent, who built and led the empire at its height.
Who was the greatest Ottoman sultan?
There is no single answer, but Mehmed II, who took Constantinople, and Suleiman the Magnificent, under whom the empire reached its zenith, are the most common choices.
Who conquered Constantinople?
Mehmed II the Conqueror took Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire and making the Ottomans a world power.
Which sultan expanded the empire the most?
Selim I roughly tripled the empire in only eight years by conquering Syria and Egypt, while Suleiman the Magnificent brought it to its greatest power and prestige in Europe and the Mediterranean.
Did any Ottoman sultan lose a major battle?
Yes. Bayezid I was defeated and captured by Timur at Ankara in 1402, and the empire was checked at Lepanto in 1571 and at the failed siege of Vienna in 1683.
Where can I read about their battles?
Each sultan links to their key battles, and the guide to the greatest battles of the Ottoman Empire collects them, from Nicopolis and Constantinople to Mohacs and Vienna.
