Selim II

Born 28 May 1524, son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan, Selim inherited the throne in 1566 with an empire few could manage alone. His grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha held the reins of governance while Selim's reign saw the conquest of Cyprus and Tunis — victories that expanded Ottoman reach. But the Battle of Lepanto delivered a sharp naval defeat, and the attempt to seize Astrakhan from Russia collapsed. He died 15 December 1574, eight years into a rule shaped as much by his vizier's hand as his own.