Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

Alternating Campaigns and Internal Problems
Much of Sulayman’s life, however, was devoted to a series
of campaigns, partly forced on him and partly because of his desire
to resume his father’s work of building a world empire. One of
Sulayman’s greatest accomplishments in these campaigns was his
success in avoiding conflict on different fronts in the same year. The
army had feudal contingents that had to return to their fiefs in the
winter to secure their revenues and replenish their men and
equipment. Each campaign had to begin a new each spring from
Istanbul, with the rare exception of those years when the sultan
remained in the field during the winter so that he could begm the
next year’s march without having to undergo the long preliminary
march from the capital to the frontier. In view of the need for
beginning in Istanbul it would have been almost impossible for the
sultan to fight in the east and the west during the same year. But
because he held the initiative and since his enemies held him in such
awe that they rarely chose to initiate conflict with the Ottomans on
their own, this problem was avoided. This station did mean,
however, that he had to alternate his campaigns ,n the east and the
west so that he could keep all his enemies off balance and not allow
any of them to forget the brunt of his military might.
Sulayman’s primary ambitions early ,n his reign were in Europe. But first he had to deal with several problems that arose soon after his accession-One was a revolt of the former Mamluks who had entered Saleem’s service in Syria, led by Canberd, alGazzali, the governor of Damascus, who hoped to take Egypt and establish a restored Marnluk Empire while the new sultan was busy in the West. But while Damascus fell eas.iy to the rebels, the
r\~. f A i/=nnn was ab e to organize the feudal forces
Ottoman governor of Aiepp0 vvd:> a, &
of the areas and suppress the rebels by the end of 1527. To stabilize Ottoman rule in the area the old Marnluk administrative organization
, , , i-;^.atpH and rep aced by the regular Ottoman
and leaders were eliminated anu i<^H j &
f , i . ... M,a or,if» exception or Mount Lebanon, which was
feudal system, with the sole ext^u^ . 2
• i x .~~ .c status under its feudal leaders, given special autonomous siaius unu^i
The second problem to occupy Sulayman’s attention was the island of Rhodes, a dangerous outpost of Christianity in an otherw.se
1 Lane-Poole. Pill
Stand r ord P 88

826
Political and Cultural History of Islam

T
Ottoman sea. The pirates of Rhodes were capturing large numbers of ships bringing grain and gold from the new Arab provinces and carrying pilgrims to and from the Holy Cities, thus threatening the sultan’s prestige as well as his pockets. Strategic as well as political reasons impelled Sulayman to neutralize Rhodes before moving into Central Europe.