The Ottomans had been on the rise since the 14th century, conquering from their home in Central Asia all the way to Constantinople—the gateway into Europe. From there, they conquered much of the Near East, and started making advances into Europe.

In 1521, the young and newly crowned Sultan Suleiman (known as the Magnificent, the Lawgiver, or the First) of the Ottoman Empire, led his army into Hungary. The Hungarians asked for help from the other European powers, but they denied their requests. After a siege in which most of the Hungarian forces gave their lives defending, the Ottomans took the city of Belgrade.

Suleiman quickly turned to his next conquest, the island of Rhodes. Living there was an order of warrior monk pirates, called the Knights of Saint John. The knights had been a target of the Ottomans before, because their island served as a pirate hideout from which they and other pirates set sail and plundered Muslim lands and ships, but they had stood their ground and defend the island. So in 1522, Suleiman sailed to the island at the head of over 100,000 men—while the defending knights had only around 7,000. On August 1st, the massive cannons of Suleiman opened fire on the Order. On September 4, after breaching the walls, the Ottomans flooded in, but the Order’s iron discipline held out, leaving 2,000 Ottomans dead on the first day of the assault. It wasn’t until Christmas that the Ottomans got their victory, but at the cost of a brutal 145 days and over 50,000 men dead on their side.

In 1526, the Ottomans again set their sights on Europe. Marching into Hungary once more, 30,000 Hungarians came to meet over twice that many Ottomans in battle. At the start of the battle, the Hungarian knights charged straight at Suleiman himself, who was in the rear. The knights fought valiantly, but with futility—and the battle quickly turned into a massacre. Right as Lewis II, the King of Hungary, and his men were closing in on the Ottoman cannons; they fired. The few knights remaining after the mighty blast were cut down shortly after. Only a few Hungarians had escaped the Ottomans.

In 1529, Suleiman led 120,000 men, 28,000 camels, and 300 cannons to the great city of Vienna. Within the city were 20,000 men, who hailed from all over the Charles V’s domains, and 72 cannons. The city itself had been skillfully readied for besiegement. The Ottomans were at first hopeful of victory, but the many failed assaults, supply shortages, and the onset of cold weather forced them to rethink their situation. Eventually, Suleiman resolved to give it one last try, one more large assault on the city. On the 14th of October, the Ottomans poured through a breach in the city walls, but the defenders proved stalwart. Suleiman at last gave the order to retreat, calling what they had done a “victory”.

Fearing the loss of his Italian holdings and greater Ottoman expansion towards Spain, Charles V was determined to stop the Ottoman naval effort. To further this goal, he had settled on taking the ancient city of Tunis, where the Ottomans harbored 60 ships. In 1535, Charles personally led the invasion force. The siege was an easy victory for him, as his men and ships far outnumbered the Ottomans. After the siege, Charles was hailed as a hero, and won himself glory throughout Europe.

Source: “Suleiman the Magnificent: The Man, His Life, His Epoch” by André Clot; Saqi Books, 1992