As the 16th-century sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleyman the Magnificent held dominion over 25 million souls, from Baghdad to the walls of Vienna. Bringing this empire to life while going behind the curtain of power, Christopher de Bellaigue reveals a sultan who slept head-to-toe with his best friend and ate from wooden spoons with his baby boy. Here too are the Greek slave who becomes his Grand Vizier, the Venetian jewel dealer who acts as his go-between, and the Russian consort who becomes his most beloved wife.