Ottoman Empire · 1520-1566

Suleiman the Magnificent and Sinan

Europe called him "the Magnificent", his own people "the Lawgiver". Students explore the reign of Suleiman, his campaigns from Belgrade to Baghdad, and the buildings of his architect Sinan.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1566 to AD 1530
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Europe called him "the Magnificent", his own people "the Lawgiver". Students explore the reign of Suleiman, his campaigns from Belgrade to Baghdad, and the buildings of his architect Sinan.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the extent of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman using the map.
  • Explain why Suleiman was called both "the Magnificent" and "the Lawgiver".
  • Describe the work of the architect Sinan with one example.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1566

Three continents

Open Stories, start The Ottoman Ascent and go to "The golden age", 1566. Which seas does the empire now surround?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1557

Sinan's hilltop

Zoom in on Istanbul. On a hill above the Golden Horn, Sinan built the Süleymaniye Mosque in 1550-1557. Why build a great mosque on a hilltop that can be seen from the water?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1530

Campaigns everywhere

Turn on Historical Events and look between 1521 and 1566. Find Rhodes, Mohacs, Vienna and Preveza. Which were fought on land and which at sea?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Europeans called him "the Magnificent", but Ottomans called him "Kanuni", the Lawgiver. What do the two names tell us about who was looking?
  2. Suleiman married Hürrem, a woman brought to his palace as a captive. How did she gain so much influence?
  3. A Muslim sultan worked with Catholic France against the Habsburgs. Why could politics matter more than religion?
  4. Sinan built hundreds of buildings: mosques, bridges, baths and kitchens for the poor. Why would a sultan pay for buildings like these?
  5. Was Suleiman's reign a golden age for everyone in the empire? Who might disagree?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Suleiman the Magnificent round of Rule History together on the classroom screen. Let students decide on the laws, on Vienna in 1529 and on the alliance with France. Discuss: which choice best explains why he was called the Lawgiver?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.