Mehmed II
محمد الثاني
The Conqueror of Constantinople
Born: 1432 CE, Edirne
Died: 1481 CE, Gebze
Also known as: Mehmed the Conqueror, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, Muhammad al-Fatih
At just twenty-one years old, Mehmed II accomplished what armies had attempted for centuries: the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire. A polyglot who spoke six languages, he transformed the city into the magnificent Ottoman capital Istanbul and ushered in a new era of empire.
Key Accomplishments
- Conquered Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire
- Transformed Istanbul into the Ottoman capital and cultural center
- Codified Ottoman law through the Kanunname legal code
- Established a multi-ethnic, multi-religious imperial administration
- Patronized arts and scholarship, inviting scholars from across the Islamic and Christian worlds
The Full Story
Mehmed II ascended to the throne with a singular obsession: the conquest of Constantinople, the storied capital of the Byzantine Empire that had withstood numerous sieges over a millennium. In 1453, after months of meticulous preparation including the construction of the massive Rumeli Hisari fortress and the commissioning of enormous cannons from the Hungarian engineer Urban, the young sultan achieved what no commander before him had managed.
The siege lasted fifty-three days. Mehmed famously ordered ships to be hauled overland across the hills behind Galata to bypass the great chain blocking the Golden Horn. When the city fell on May 29, 1453, it sent shockwaves across Christendom and marked a turning point in world history. Mehmed immediately set about transforming the city, converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque and inviting peoples of all faiths to repopulate the war-ravaged capital.
Beyond his military genius, Mehmed was a Renaissance prince in his own right. He was fluent in Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, and Serbian. He patronized scholars and artists, established the Fatih complex of mosques and schools, and codified Ottoman law through his famous Kanunname. He also welcomed Italian artists to his court, including Gentile Bellini, who painted his famous portrait.
Mehmed continued expanding the empire until his death in 1481, campaigning against the Venetians, conquering the Balkans, and establishing Ottoman dominance over the eastern Mediterranean. His legacy as one of history's great conquerors endures.
Notable Words
“Either I conquer Constantinople, or Constantinople conquers me.”
- Attributed, before the siege of 1453
Places
Connected Figures
Ak Shamsaddin
Spiritual Mentor of the Conqueror
Spiritual mentor and advisor
The Ottoman EmpireSuleiman the Magnificent
The Lawgiver
Great-grandson who brought the empire to its zenith
The Ottoman EmpireMimar Sinan
The Greatest Ottoman Architect
Chief architect who later transformed the capital
Notes
Sources
- [1]Franz Babinger, Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time (Princeton University Press, 1978)
- [2]Halil Inalcik, The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age, 1300-1600 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1973)
- [3]Roger Crowley, Constantinople: The Last Great Siege, 1453 (Faber and Faber, 2005)