Mehmed the Conqueror

30 March 1432 – 3 May 1481

Mehmed II (1432-1481), known as Mehmed the Conqueror, was an Ottoman sultan who ruled first briefly in 1444-1446 and then from 1451 until his death. He conquered Constantinople in 1453 at the age of 21, ending the Byzantine Empire, and transformed the Ottoman state into a major empire spanning Anatolia and the Balkans.

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Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Mehmed the Conqueror.

Life events

Birth of Mehmed in Edirne
30 March 1432

Mehmed was born on 30 March 1432 in Edirne, then the Ottoman capital, as a son of Sultan Murad II.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Sent to Amasya as provincial governor for his princely education
c. 1443

As a young prince Mehmed was sent to govern Amasya, where he was educated by leading scholars of the empire.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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First accession to the Ottoman throne as a boy
1444 – 1446

In 1444 Murad II abdicated in favor of the twelve-year-old Mehmed, who reigned until his father resumed the throne in 1446.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Second accession to the Ottoman throne
18 February 1451

Following the death of Murad II, Mehmed became sultan for the second time on 18 February 1451.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Conquest of Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire
6 April 1453 – 29 May 1453

After a siege that began on 6 April 1453, Mehmed's forces took Constantinople on 29 May 1453, and he made the city his new capital.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Annexation of the Serbian Despotate
1459

Mehmed's campaigns culminated in the fall of Smederevo in 1459, bringing Serbia fully under Ottoman rule.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Construction of Topkapi Palace begun in Constantinople
c. 1459

Mehmed ordered the construction of Topkapi Palace, which became the primary residence of Ottoman sultans for centuries.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Conquest of the Empire of Trebizond
1461

In 1461 Mehmed captured Trebizond, extinguishing the last Byzantine successor state.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Ottoman landing at Otranto in southern Italy
1480

In 1480 Mehmed's forces captured Otranto, establishing a short-lived foothold in Italy that was abandoned after his death.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Death of Mehmed II near Gebze
3 May 1481

Mehmed died on 3 May 1481 while setting out on a new campaign, and was succeeded by his son Bayezid II.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓