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

References

Other websites

Biography page at OttomanOnline 

Category:Sultans of the Ottoman Empire
Category:History of the Middle East
Category:1481 deaths