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preface
Suleiman II was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, who ruled from 1687 to 1691.
Born into a prominent royal family, Suleiman II, the son of a sultan, was also a visionary and ambitious ruler, and Suleiman II was facing a series of challenges before his succession.
However, Suleiman II was not a ruler who sat still, and he quickly took a series of actions with the ambition and determination to reinvigorate the empire.
Suleiman II's excellent strategic vision
In addition to implementing a series of internal measures, including administrative and judicial reforms and reforms of economic policy and financial management, his efforts to combat corruption and rectify government institutions to improve administrative efficiency and the quality of life of the people, Suleiman II focused on the development of education and culture and promoted the prosperity of the arts and literature.
In terms of foreign and military policy, Suleiman II showed excellent strategic vision, and he maintained complex relations with his neighbors.
With regard to European countries, he both tried to maintain peace and took some military action to defend the interests of the Ottoman Empire, and relations with Persia and Middle Eastern countries were also closely followed, with which Suleiman II made diplomatic representations and signed some important treaties.
Militarily, Suleiman II carried out the reform and modernization of the army to make it stronger and more mobile, he was committed to introducing new military technology and equipment to improve the combat effectiveness of the army, he was committed not only to consolidating existing territories but also to expanding the empire through conquests, he launched a series of wars in the Balkans, Hungary and Poland and achieved important victories.
Neighbor relations
Relations between the Ottoman Empire and Austria were tense, and Suleiman II's reign coincided with a long confrontation between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburgs, with a series of wars between the two empires, most notably the Ottoman siege of Austria, such as the Siege of Vienna.
Despite its victories in a number of battles, the Ottoman Empire ultimately failed to conquer Austria, a long rivalry that led to hostile relations between the Ottoman Empire and Austria and had a profound impact on the political landscape across the continent.
At the same time, relations with Poland, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the most powerful states in eastern Europe at that time, with great military power and vast territory.
During the reign of Suleiman II, a series of wars between the Ottoman Empire and Poland, including over the regions of Ukraine and Moldova, strained relations between the Ottoman Empire and Poland and mutual distrust often existed.
In addition to its European neighbors, the Ottoman Empire maintained contacts with Persia and countries in the Middle East, and relations between the Ottoman Empire and Persia were very tense during the reign of Suleiman II.
The two countries engaged in a series of rivalries in places such as Baghdad, especially over trade and territorial issues, which led to several conflicts and wars that made relations between the Ottoman Empire and Persia very tense.
The empire also had close relations with the countries of North Africa, particularly with the two pirate republics of Tunisia and Algeria, whose frequent activities in the Mediterranean posed a threat to maritime trade and shipping of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire's relations with Tunisia and Algeria were fraught with complexity, sometimes they cooperated against a common enemy, sometimes they clashed and scrambled.
The Ottoman diplomatic missions played an important role in neighboring relations, and Suleiman II sent several missions to various countries in Europe and the Middle East for diplomatic exchanges and negotiations.
These missions were designed to maintain diplomatic relations, promote trade, and resolve territorial and border disputes, and one of the famous envoys was Ghazni Mehmet Pasha, who had been sent to European countries to negotiate and sign important treaties.
The Ottoman Empire, under the leadership of Suleiman II, struggled to maintain its interests and status, but also faced challenges and threats from neighboring countries that had a profound impact on the political, economic, and military situation of the Ottoman Empire, becoming an important chapter in the history of the period.
Reform and modernization of the army
Suleiman II focused on reforming the organization and management of the army, and he was committed to a more efficient and professional military structure, and he introduced a new military organizational structure that divided the army into different branches and departments, such as infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers, each with clear responsibilities and tasks to better coordinate operations.
Secondly, Suleiman II focused on the training and selection of outstanding generals and officers, he attached importance to military education and training, and established a special military academy to train a group of talented commanders and military experts.
These generals received systematic military education, learned strategy and tactics, military engineering and military discipline laws, and improved their command ability and military literacy.
At the same time, Suleiman II also realized the importance of military technology and equipment, he actively introduced and improved modern weapons and military equipment, the Ottoman Empire began to buy advanced firearms and warships from European countries, and through technical cooperation and hiring foreign experts to improve and manufacture more advanced military equipment, including artillery, muskets, warships and fortifications.
Army reform and modernization gave the Ottoman army new vitality and combat effectiveness, and Suleiman II's military reform made the Ottoman Empire one of the most powerful military forces in the world at that time and achieved a series of brilliant war victories under his rule.
Territorial expansion and conquest
Turning his sights to the Balkans and setting out to conquer neighboring territories, Suleiman II sent powerful armies into the southern and eastern Balkans and successfully conquered many cities and regions, especially in Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria, where Suleiman II's army achieved notable victories and brought these regions under Ottoman rule.
Suleiman II then turned his sights to the Kingdom of Hungary, where he waged several wars against Hungary and won a major victory at the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, which led to the division and weakening of the Kingdom of Hungary and opened the Ottoman Empire with further conquest of Europe.
However, all these victories were not satisfied with the Balkans and Hungarian conquests, his ambitions went far beyond that, he set his sights on Poland and launched a war against Poland, although it failed to completely conquer Poland in the final war, the Ottoman Empire still achieved some important tactical victories and strengthened its position in Eastern Europe.
In addition to land conquests, Suleiman II focused on naval development and maritime expansion, and he established a strong naval power in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions to ensure the control of the Ottoman Empire in these sea areas, and the Ottoman navy became one of the most powerful forces in the Mediterranean under Suleiman II, which had a great influence on trade and maritime transport.
War victory
Relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary were tense, and territorial disputes between the two sides led to a desperate war, and Suleiman II decided to personally lead an army to conquer Hungary in order to preserve the territorial integrity of the empire.
Suleiman II's army was large and powerful, consisting of elite cavalry, infantry and artillery, and he gathered tens of thousands of troops to march towards Hungary, and the army of the Kingdom of Hungary was ready to meet this menacing Ottoman army.
The two sides fought a series of fierce battles in the mountains of Pojeg on the Hungarian border, and the Ottoman army quickly gained the upper hand with its excellent military organization and advanced weapons and equipment, and Suleiman II's wise command and brave soldiers made the Hungarian army flee from the wind.
As the war progressed, Suleiman II's army scored a series of important victories in Hungary, capturing several fortresses and cities and weakening the Hungarian resistance to the extreme, and Suleiman II skillfully used military strategy to use fast-moving cavalry and powerful artillery fire to push the Hungarian army to a corner.
Finally, in a decisive battle, Suleiman II personally led the army to the death against the Hungarian army, the Ottoman army with its tactical flexibility and high morale finally won the victory, the Hungarian resistance was finally completely defeated, Suleiman II successfully incorporated Hungary into the Ottoman Empire.
Suleiman II's victory did not stop there, he targeted his territorial expansion throughout the Kingdom of Hungary, and after defeating the Hungarian army, he continued to advance and capture the city of Buda, the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, a feat that marked the complete conquest of Hungary, and Suleiman II incorporated Hungary into the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
This victory in the war had a profound impact on Suleiman II and the Ottoman Empire, through which Suleiman II consolidated his dominance, and he was regarded by the people of the Ottoman Empire as a powerful and heroic leader.
Military challenges and failures
Later, King Leopold I of Hungary took active military action to try to resist the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, and Suleiman II decided to personally lead an army to capture the important Hungarian cities of Buda and Varna.
Suleiman II's army showed great strength and soon captured some important cities and fortresses, encountering firm resistance from the Hungarian army before advancing to Buda.
The Hungarian army consisted of experienced commanders and brave soldiers who demonstrated great fighting ability, and despite the superiority of Suleiman II's army in size and equipment, they faced difficult battles and dilemmas.
The defenders of Buda resisted resolutely, the walls were strong and difficult for the Ottoman army to conquer, and the Hungarian army also carried out guerrilla warfare and raids, which caused great trouble to the Ottoman supply lines.
Suleiman II and his generals faced a difficult situation, they tried to conquer Buda through siege and fierce attacks, but did not achieve the expected success, the battle lasted for a long time, but the Ottoman army was never able to capture the fortified city.
Suleiman II had to abandon his attack on Buda and signed an armistice with King Leopold I of Hungary, and despite the setbacks and defeats he faced in the Hungarian war, Suleiman II did not give up his ambitions for Hungary, and he continued his efforts to expand the Ottoman Empire in search of opportunities to regain lost lands.
There were also a series of difficulties and defeats in subsequent military campaigns against Hungary, and his army was in trouble when it encountered stubborn resistance from the Hungarian army, and although Suleiman II's army scored some minor victories in some battles, they were unable to capture important Hungarian cities and fortresses.
The Hungarian army adopted a flexible defensive strategy, taking advantage of the terrain and the city's fortifications to prevent the Ottoman army from achieving a decisive victory.