APersonIndependent states
Selim I
Ottoman sultan (1512-1520): in eight years he nearly doubled the empire's territory, conquered Egypt and brought the caliphate to the Ottomans.
Selim was the son of Bayezid II and forced his father to abdicate in 1512. In 1514 he defeated the army of the Safavid ruler Shah Ismail at Chaldiran and briefly entered Tabriz.
He defeated the Mamluk armies at Marj Dabiq in 1516 and Ridaniya in 1517, conquering Syria, Palestine and Egypt; Mecca and Medina also came under Ottoman protection. The Abbasid caliph and the sacred relics were brought to Istanbul. Selim was a poet who wrote verse in Persian. He died in 1520 while preparing a new campaign.
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Updated: November 12, 2026