Historical Figure
Mehmed the Conqueror
1432–1481
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (r. 1444–1446, 1451–1481)
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Biography
Mehmed II, commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror, was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire twice, from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Their Own Words (5)
Just as there is one sun in the sky, ideally there should be only one state and religion in the world.https://www.takvim.com.tr/yazi_dizisi/2012/02/24/ornegi-yok
2012
These troubles are paved in the way of Allah. As we have the sword of Islam in our hands, if we were to not endure such hardship, it would not be worthy to call ourselves ghazis.Halil İnalcık, Devlet-i'Aliyye I. Cilt, Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, s. 2
I am astonished that the Italians treat me with hostility and incite the Greeks against me, even though we are of the same origin as the Italians and, like them, I have the right to avenge the blood of Hector on the Greeks. Meydan, Sinan (Son Truvalılar, s. 257)
Tell to your emperor that where my power has reached, not even his dreams can!Conquest and Doomsday
To turn away from the enemy is cowardice. Misfortune is the fate of the enemy.Ahmet Akgündüz - Mehmed's tolerance
Timeline
The story of Mehmed the Conqueror, told in moments.
Becomes sultan for the first time at 12 when his father abdicates. He can't control the court. The Crusaders invade. His father comes back. Mehmed is humiliated. He waits.
Breaches the walls of Constantinople after a 53-day siege. He's 21. Eighty thousand troops. A fleet dragged overland on greased logs to bypass the harbor chain. The largest cannon in the world fires stone balls weighing 600 pounds. The Byzantine Empire, 1,100 years old, dies in a single morning.
Conquers the Empire of Trebizond, the last fragment of Byzantium. He also takes Serbia, Bosnia, and most of Greece. He renames Constantinople to Istanbul and rebuilds it as the Ottoman capital. The Topkapi Palace rises on the old acropolis.
Crushes the Aq Qoyunlu Turkmen confederation at the Battle of Otlukbeli. Their leader Uzun Hasan had allied with Venice against him. The victory removes the last serious rival to Ottoman dominance in Anatolia.
Dies near Gebze, marching east for another campaign. He's 49. Some suspect poison. His two sons fight a civil war for the throne. He'd conquered two empires, fourteen kingdoms, and two hundred cities. His troops called him 'the Conqueror' while he was still alive.
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