The Ottoman Empire captured Rhodes from the Knights in 1522.
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent launched the siege on 26 June 1522 against the Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Knights of Rhodes. The order had controlled the strategically located island since 1309, using its stronghold to dominate shipping routes in the eastern Mediterranean and challenge Ottoman expansion.
Rhodes was heavily fortified, and its defenders resisted months of artillery bombardment, mining, and repeated assaults. Suleiman personally arrived in July with a large army. After the walls were badly damaged and relief from Europe failed to arrive, the city agreed to surrender on 22 December 1522.
The remaining knights left on 1 January 1523 with their weapons and possessions. They eventually settled on Malta, which Emperor Charles V granted to them in 1530. The conquest strengthened Ottoman communications between Constantinople, Egypt, and the Levant. The year 1521 is a tempting nearby choice because it preceded the siege, while 1529 and 1538 relate to other Ottoman-Habsburg and Mediterranean events.