Suleiman the Magnificent, most celebrated of the Ottoman sultans, kept Europe at bay for nearly half a century. Known as “The Shadow of God on Earth,” but also the expert politician and all-powerful despot, Suleiman ruled the state firmly with the help of his viziers. Since, he believed, God had invested him with power, he felt obliged to ensure justice and see to the well-being of his subjects. He extended the borders of the empire beyond what any of the Ottoman sultans had achieved, and yet it is as a lawgiver that he is remembered in the history of the Turks.