Selim, the aggressive Sultân of the Ottoman Empire, triples the size of his realm, trains son Suleiman in the art of treachery, and sets the stage for the eradication of Christianity.

SYNOPSIS:

EPISODE 6, SYNOPSIS, SELIM

It is 1516, and Selim, Sultân of the Ottoman Empire, sets his sights on the conquest of Christianity. Having already conquered the Safavid Dynasty, Selim must now wipe out the Mamluk Sultânate in Damascus and Egypt.

Tens of thousands of Islamic warriors, though brothers in the faith, are butchered by Selim’s overwhelming tactics, army size, and artillery. The Ottoman Empire triples in size.

Selim murders a high-ranking vizier, which teaches son, Suleiman, how to maintain control through fear. Ruling pashas help Suleiman understand why ruling through fear teaches respect from enemies.

After conquering Egypt, Selim claims the title “Ruler of the Two Holy Cities,” Mecca and Medina, takes the title Caliph of Islam, and protector of the Prophet Muhammad’s holiest personal relics. Selim is finally ready to eradicate Christianity.

Giovanni de Medici, as Pope Leo X, follows Selim’s conquests with great alarm. He summons all ambassadors and cardinals to Rome and calls for a crusade against Selim and Islam.

To finance the crusade, Leo must repair Church finances, which he does by selling prized possessions of the papacy, furniture, silver, and artwork. The rewards are meager, but selling cardinal hats brings in a fortune.

Leo also dispatches Bishop Campeggio to England to secure an especially large donation from Henry VIII and get his help in forging an alliance with all Christendom. Through Cardinal Wolsey, Leo achieves his goal and Wolsey earns a large fee.

Leo fails to get Henry’s blessing to become the Universal Mediator of Peace, however, a title Henry wants for himself.

In Spain, Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros, leader of the Inquisition, executes hundreds of clerics who abandon the Catholic faith for Islam rather than surrender their concubines. He also personally oversees the torture and burning of a Moor radical, for which he is himself assassinated.

Finally, Pope Leo uncovers an assassination plot, ruthlessly executes the perpetrator, a cardinal, and exacts vengeance against an old family enemy.