Suleymanname: The Illustrated History of Suleyman the Magnificent

"In the last decades of his life, Süleyman commissioned a work on his reign, and the result is a history in verse, written in Persian, with magnificent illustrations, called the Süleymanname , i.e., the Book of Süleyman . Esin Atil’s study is based on the original. She doesn’t offer a full translation, but I don’t think it is necessary, as the flowery, classicized language would be quite inaccessible for today’s readers. Instead, she offers a long and informative introduction to Süleyman’s reign and the art and culture of the Ottoman elite, then reproductions of all the illustrations in the Süleymanname , accompanied with detailed descriptions and interpretations by a skilled, perceptive art historian. At the end, there’s a very detailed index, a conceptual index. There’s also a dramatis personae -type section where individuals are matched with their depictions in the illustrations. It’s really amazingly done. This is one of the two best books (the second one we will discuss next) that we have about Süleyman’s attempts at creating his own legacy visually. This is the first one I would recommend because it represents Süleyman’s own view of his legacy at a very difficult time in his life. The composition of the Süleymanname started in the second half of the 1540s, when Süleyman was increasingly feeling the impact of physical illness. He had gout and digestive problems. This was also a time when his sons were beginning to emerge as candidates to the sultanate. Pretty much everybody in the Ottoman realm—as well as the diplomatic observers, such as the French and the Italians—were expecting a succession struggle soon. It was also a time of reflection for Süleyman. His major military campaigns and his imperialist agenda were very much projects associated with his earlier years on the throne. When he was younger, he had developed this image as a messianic conqueror who was going to bring peace to east and west. By the late 1530s, his ambitious youth projects had not necessarily been failures—they did lead to considerable territorial extension and the expansion of the sultan’s power—but, at the same time, they had led to entanglements with the Safavids and the Habsburgs which looked more and more like stalemates. The 1540s thus marked a time when Süleyman was becoming much keener on institutionalization and legislative activity. As I mentioned before, he had always been careful about his image, but this was also the time that he started focusing on—to use an expression that my wife came up with, which I love—his self-curated legacy. That’s what he was doing, and the Süleymanname was a part of that attempt. Yes, it’s in the Topkapi Palace Library. There’s only a single copy and the manuscript is intact, which is unusual. Some people think this shows it had limited readership. I think it was widely read, but by the innermost circle. It must have been seen as one of the crown jewels of Ottoman dynastic culture throughout the centuries by people who saw it. The manuscript was illustrated and inscribed by a team of really accomplished artists and artisans. It took around 10 years to finish. I’m fairly certain Süleyman, who knew Persian very well, discussed the text with the author whose job it was to write the versified history. This was a kind of group project in which the sultan and people close to him gave input to a large number of artists and artisans, who produced a striking cultural and political statement. The book was written from the late 1540s to the late 1550s. Chronologically speaking, it stops around 1555 so it doesn’t cover Süleyman’s last decade on the throne. Süleyman’s architectural legacy became more visible in the last decade-and-a-half of his life, and that’s not visible in the Süleymanname . The Süleymanname starts with Süleyman’s arrival on the throne. By the way, it skips over the first 25 years of Süleyman’s life and, ever since, everybody else writing about his life has done the same. That’s another thing I wanted to correct. Nearly half my biography of Süleyman is about the Ottoman context as well as his childhood, and his youth. The Süleymanname then gives a quick description of the Ottoman Empire’s system of rule. It talks about the imperial council and the military power of the sultan. It’s almost a potted institutional history. “There were a lot of military victories, but there were also a lot of military stalemates” But the bulk of the book is about Süleyman’s exploits, him going on campaign, besieging cities, hunting alone or with his sons. Other important events are depicted as well, such as the flooding of the army camp during a campaign, etc. Overall, the image that emerges from the book is of Süleyman as conqueror, hunter, gentleman. Süleyman at court listening to music, Süleyman receiving ambassadors from Europe or from the Safavids, Süleyman giving an audience to the famous pirate Barbarossa. All that courtly stuff. A masculine, paternalistic image emerges. There’s almost nothing about charity. It’s very, very striking. If Henry VIII had had a book done, it would have been very similar. Henry’s queens would have been mostly invisible. That’s what Süleyman did too. He had one of his sons executed in 1554—four years before the Süleymanname was finished. The execution is mentioned, but it is not depicted in an illustration. The selection of what to depict and what not to is quite meaningful."