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Events on Tuesday 6 September 1566 3
1494 – 1566Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566)Suleiman I -- known in the West as 'the Magnificent' and to his own subjects as 'the Lawgiver' (Kanuni) -- is the longest-reigning, most celebrated and most powerful Ottoman sultan. His 46-year reign (1520-1566) marks the apex of the Ottoman Empire in every dimension: territorial extent (from Vienna to the Persian Gulf, from Crimea to Aden), military achievement (thirteen personal campaigns), administrative sophistication (the Kanun law code), architectural grandeur (Sinan's Süleymaniye), diplomatic reach (the Franco-Ottoman alliance, correspondence with every European court) and cultural brilliance (his own poetry, court miniatures, goldsmithing). He dies as he lived -- on campaign, in a tent outside a Hungarian fortress, age 71.
1566Death of Suleiman -- in the field at SzigetvárSuleiman I dies on 5-6 September 1566 in his tent outside the Hungarian fortress of Szigetvár, aged 71, during his thirteenth and final military campaign. He dies before the fortress falls. His death is concealed for three weeks -- his grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha rules in secret to prevent the army dissolving before Selim II can arrive. Suleiman is buried in the Süleymaniye Mosque beside Roxelana, who predeceased him by eight years. The fortress commander Miklós Zrínyi, facing certain defeat, leads a suicidal cavalry charge and is killed. Both Suleiman and Zrínyi become legendary figures in their respective national traditions.
1566Suleiman the Magnificent dies at SzigetvárSuleiman dies on the night of 5-6 September 1566 in his campaign tent outside the Hungarian fortress of Szigetvár, on his thirteenth and final military campaign. He is 71 years old, suffering from gout so severe he has to be carried in a litter. His death is concealed for 48 days by his grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha to prevent the army dissolving before Selim II can arrive. The fortress falls on 7 September -- the day after his death -- when its commander Miklós Zrínyi leads a suicidal cavalry charge. Suleiman's body is returned to Istanbul and interred in the Süleymaniye beside Roxelana. He reigned for 46 years, 3 months and 7 days.