Turkey: Selim 1, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1512-1520)

Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain (Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), nicknamed Yavuz 'the Stern' or 'the Steadfast', but often rendered in English as 'the Grim' (October 10, 1465/1466/1470 – September 22, 1520), was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520.

He was also the first Ottoman Sultan to assume the title of Caliph of Islam. He was granted the title of 'Hâdim ül Haramain ish Sharifain' (Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), by the Sharif of Mecca in 1517.

Selim carried the empire to the leadership of the Sunni branch of Islam by his conquest of the Middle East. He represents a sudden change in the expansion policy of the empire, which had worked mostly against the West before his reign. The Ottoman Empire almost trebled in size during Selim's relatively short reign.

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