Mehmed II

**Mehmed II**  (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as **Mehmed the Conqueror** (; ), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451, he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire, permanently cementing its destruction.

After the conquest Mehmed claimed the title Caesar of the Roman Empire (), based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire since its consecration in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine I. The claim was only recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nonetheless, Mehmed II viewed the Ottoman state as a continuation of the Roman Empire for the remainder of his life, seeing himself as "continuing" the Empire rather than "replacing" it.

Mehmed continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. After conquering Constantinople and getting the Byzantines out of the way, he started making more conquests in the Balkans and focused on his Balkan campaigns, even unsuccessfully laying siege to Belgrade in 1456 at one point. He was also known for his rivalry with Vlad the Impaler, who grew up at his father's court alongside him. Vlad the Impaler had taken control over Wallachia and rebelled against the Ottoman Empire, thus Mehmed II sent an Ottoman army, resulting in a war between the two. The war ended when Vlad was killed by an Ottoman patrol in Wallachia. He was then beheaded with some saying his head was sent to Mehmed II himself at the capital city Constantinople (modern Istanbul) by the Ottoman soldiers. He was also known for his campaigns against Albanian rebel leader Skanderbeg. For most of his reign, Mehmed II was on campaign against either John Hunyadi, Vlad the Impaler or Skanderbeg. Domestically, he made many political and social reforms, encouraged the arts and sciences, and by the end of his reign, his rebuilding program had changed Constantinople into a thriving imperial capital. He is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him.

## Related pages

- Byzantine Empire
- Sultan
- Turkey

## Other websites

- Biography page at OttomanOnline

## Infobox (royalty)

- **image**: Sultan Mehmed II The Conqueror.jpg
- **caption**: Portrait of Mehmed II by Gentile Bellini,
dating 1480
- **title**: Ottoman claim to Roman succession, Kayser-i Rûm (Caesar of the Romans)
The Sultan of Two Lands and the Khan (title), Khan of Two Seas
- **succession**: List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Padishah)
- **reign**: August 1444 – September 1446
- **reign-type**: 1st reign
- **predecessor**: Murad II
- **successor**: Murad II
- **birth date**: 30 March 1432
- **birth place**: Edirne, Ottoman Empire
- **death place**: Hünkârçayırı (Tekfurçayırı), near Gebze, Ottoman Empire
- **burial place**: Fatih Mosque, Istanbul, Fatih Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
- **spouse-type**: Consorts
- **full name**: Sultan Meḥemmed Şah bin Murad Şah Khan
- **house**: Ottoman dynasty, Ottoman
- **house-type**: Dynasty
- **father**: Murad II
- **mother**: Mila Despinović (biological)
Mara Branković (adoptive)
- **signature type**: Tughra
- **religion**: Sunni Islam (Hanafi)
- **reign1**: 3 February 1451 – 3 May 1481
- **reign-type1**: 2nd reign
- **predecessor1**: Murad II
- **successor1**: Bayezid II
- **signature**: Tughra of Mehmed II.svg