Two Perceptions of Süleyman’s ‘Magnificent’ Navy during the Later Italian Wars

Contemporary European perceptions of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent’s naval power inflated its actual strength. Using accounts of ambassadors and spies, this article juxtaposes the ‘fear of the Turk’ that captured Christian Europe’s imagination to the observation of the Ottoman navy. It will be argued that the sultan’s relationship with the North African corsairs and their judicious application of military power lent itself to exaggerated perceptions of Suleyman’s naval strength and his military reach.