The History of the Life and Death of Sultan Solyman the Magnificent, Emperor of the Turks, and of His son Mustapha

In Short

This eighteenth-century historical tract chronicles the reign of Sultan Solyman the Magnificent, focusing on his military expansion across Europe and the Middle East alongside the tragic downfall of his eldest son, Prince Mustapha. Driven by the machinations of his wife Roxolana and the Grand Vizir Rustan, Solyman grows suspicious of Mustapha’s rising popularity. The narrative traces the convergence of imperial conquests at Rhodes, Buda, and Babylon with court intrigues that culminate in fratricide and political execution. It remains a stark period account of how absolute power and domestic conspiracy ruined a dynasty’s brightest hope.

The Story

The narrative opens with the ascension of Solyman to the Ottoman throne following the death of his father, Selimus. Crowned in his twentieth year amid the acclamation of the Janizaries, Solyman initially reigns as a benign monarch, embarking on aggressive military campaigns across Europe and Asia. He captures Belgrade and subsequently mounts a massive siege against the Knights of St. John at Rhodes. Despite fierce resistance from the defenders and severe losses among his own ranks, Solyman forces the city’s surrender through persistent assaults and diplomatic promises of clemency.

His military ambitions then turn toward Hungary, where his forces defeat King Lewis at the Battle of Mohács and seize Buda. Solyman advances to besiege Vienna, laying waste to the surrounding countryside, but is ultimately repulsed by strong defensive measures and the destruction of his heavy artillery on the Danube. Further campaigns take his armies to Guntz, Gratz, and into Africa via his alliance with Barbarossa. In a major expedition against Persia, Solyman endures severe weather and tactical setbacks, yet manages to claim control over key territory, including Babylon.

Parallel to these foreign victories, a destructive intrigue takes root within the imperial court. Solyman’s wife, Roxolana, seeks to secure the succession for her own sons over Mustapha, the brilliant and widely adored son of Solyman’s Circassian concubine. Roxolana orchestrates a series of maneuvers to elevate her status, tricking the Sultan into granting her freedom through religious charity and subsequently compelling him to marry her. Joined by the Grand Vizir Rustan, she steadily poison Solyman’s mind against Mustapha, feeding the Emperor false reports of the Prince’s secret alliances and royal ambitions.

Driven by rising paranoia, Solyman summonds Mustapha to his military camp at Aleppo under the guise of an imperial audience. Though warned of the trap, Mustapha obeys his father’s summons to demonstrate his loyalty. Upon entering the royal pavilion unarmed, he is set upon by mutes and strangled while Solyman watches from behind a screen. Learning of the murder, Mustapha’s devoted brother Zanger confronts his father in grief and takes his own life over Mustapha’s body. The execution triggers violent unrest among the troops, forcing Solyman to temporarily dismiss Rustan. Although Solyman continues to rule and achieve further conquests until his death in 1566, he is haunted to his final days by the loss of his sons.

How It Unfolds

The crown is claimed Solyman receives word of his father’s death while at Magnesia and travels under guard to Scutari before crossing to Constantinople. The Janizaries greet the twenty-year-old prince on the shore, hailing him as their new emperor.

The fortress of Rhodes falls Solyman invests the island of Rhodes, where his troops face stubborn resistance from the defenders. After repeated assaults cost thousands of Turkish lives, the Grand Master surrenders under negotiated terms to save the remaining population.

The march across Hungary and Austria Moving his armies into Europe, Solyman defeats the Hungarian forces at Mohács and occupies Buda. He presses onward to lay siege to Vienna, but unexpected naval losses on the Danube and strong city defenses force a strategic withdrawal.

Conspiracies in the harem Roxolana uses religious endowments to secure her freedom from slavery, then refuses the Sultan's bed until he formally marries her. Once established as Sultana Queen, she collaborates with Rustan to undermine Prince Mustapha through forged letters and accusations of treason.

The execution at Aleppo Solyman summons Mustapha to his tent during a Syrian campaign, where the prince is ambushed and strangled by executioners while his father observes. Prince Zanger discovers his brother's body and immediately stabs himself in despair.

Unrest and the Sultan’s final years Rebellious soldiers demand vengeance for Mustapha, forcing Solyman to strip Rustan of his office until the outrage subsides. Solyman rules for several more decades, winning further victories while harboring lifelong regret over the execution of his sons.

The People

• Solyman the Magnificent: The formidable Sultan of the Ottoman Empire whose early rule brings vast territorial expansion. His judgment becomes clouded by jealousy and court intrigue, leading him to order the execution of his own heir.
• Mustapha: Solyman’s eldest son by a Circassian slave, revered by the army and the populace for his bravery and noble character. He remains loyal to his father despite clear warnings of a fatal trap.
• Roxolana: Solyman’s ambitious wife who plots tirelessly to eliminate Mustapha so that one of her own sons will inherit the throne. She manipulates religious law and imperial policy to achieve absolute influence over the Sultan.
• Rustan: The Grand Vizir married to Roxolana’s daughter, who serves as her primary accomplice in fabricating evidence of treason against Prince Mustapha.
• Zanger: Mustapha’s younger half-brother, who shares a deep bond of affection with him. Overwhelmed by grief at Mustapha's murder, he takes his own life in the Sultan's presence.

In Its Own Voice

"The Emperor’s ill Success began to make him turn his Thoughts from the Siege, tho’ with the utmost Reluctance; to see the Course of his victorious Arms stopp’d by a handful of Men, was what his ambitious Soul could not bear."

This observation captures Solyman's unyielding pride during the costly siege of Rhodes, where small garrisons repeatedly defied his vast military strength.

"The pious Lady came, but with Hands up-lifted, with an Alcoran held fast between them, told the Emperor, she could not be so happy to partake of the Honour of his Bed now she was no more a Slave..."

The text highlights the calculated theatricality Roxolana employs to manipulate legal and religious customs, maneuvering Solyman into a formal marriage.

"How could it enter into thy cruel Heart to murder so sweet a Prince!"

These final words from Prince Zanger to Solyman expose the emotional devastation caused by the Sultan's paranoia within his own family.

What It's Really About

The core of the narrative focuses on the corrupting nature of unchecked power and the vulnerability of absolute rulers to deception. While Solyman commands vast armies capable of subduing foreign nations, he remains entirely defenseless against domestic manipulation within his own household. The text draws a sharp contrast between military might and moral clarity, showing how strategic brilliance on the battlefield can coexist with fatal blindness in personal governance.

Additionally, the work examines the human cost of dynastic succession. The tradition of eliminating male rivals to secure the throne creates an environment of perpetual suspicion, where genuine affection between a father and son is easily twisted into perceived treason. Mustapha's unwavering filial duty ultimately ensures his destruction, exposing a system that punishes virtue while rewarding ruthless ambition.

Why Read It Today

This work offers modern readers a captivating glimpse into eighteenth-century popular historiography and theatrical context. Written to accompany a stage tragedy performed in London, the text reflects how Western audiences of the period consumed accounts of Ottoman history, blending historical recording with dramatic storytelling. Its prose is energetic and direct, carrying the reader swiftly through decades of military campaigns, sieges, and court betrayals.

Readers will find the text accessible, though its style clearly belongs to its era, complete with archaic spellings, dramatic phrasing, and dense geographical footnotes that interrupt the narrative flow. The portrait of court intrigue remains compelling, providing a stark look at the personal tragedies that unfolded behind the grand facade of early modern empires. It appeals to readers interested in historical drama, the mechanics of political conspiracy, and the reception of Eastern history in early British literature.