In the general history of the Ottoman Empire, the three sultans succeeding Sultan Mehmed II played a major role in establishing the classic form of the Ottoman state. It is known that the rapid and dramatic reforms which Mehmed II, the first emperor of the Ottoman Turks, engaged in during his era had slowed down by the era of Bayezid II; however, this era was the fruition of the “Eastern Renaissance”. The Ottomans opened a new page in their imperial history when Selim I “Yavuz” initiated a long-lasting Eastern strategy and policy; in addition, Süleyman I the Magnificent engaged in a policy to the West which focused on central Europe and the Mediterranean. These three important figures, that is, Bayezid II, Selim I and Süleyman I, played critical roles in shaping and transforming the sixteenth century, what is known as “the Classical Age”, a time when the imperial mindset emerged, into an “Ottoman Turkish Era.”

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