This paper will examine the life of Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, who was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1451 to 1481. The paper will briefly discuss the background to Mehmed's reign and his family history. The main part of the paper will examine his military campaigns and his efforts to establish the Ottoman Empire as the leading world power of that time. The third part of the paper will discuss some of the domestic policies of Mehmed, and the last part will analyze his reign and his character.
Mehmed was born in Edirne, the capital city of the Ottoman Empire, in 1432, the third son of Sultan Murad II. The identity of his mother has never been ascertained but all sources seem to agree that she was a European slave and some suggest that she was Jewish. During his childhood, Mehmed's two older half-brothers were placed in positions of importance by their father. One brother, Prince Ahmed Celebi died in 1437 while governor of the city of Amasya; five-year-old Mehmed was appointed to take his place. Mehmed's other half-brother, Prince Alaeddin Ali, was made governor of Manisa at that same time. In 1439, however, Murad switched the two appointments, sending Alaeddin Ali to Amsaya and Mehmed to Manisa. When Mehmed was eleven years of age, Alaeddin Ali was mysteriously strangled while in bed, leaving Mehmed as the heir apparent to Murad.
The Turks had moved into Anatolia during the 10th Century, at which time they converted to Islam and established the Seljuk dynasty. The Seljuks extended their rule over the scattered Islamic states in the region and united them in time to resist the Christian Crusades. Seljuk power declined, however, in the 13th Century after their defeat and subjugation by the Mongols. Individual states again began to assert their independence from the central Ottoman authority. Their power to do this was enhanced by the Seljuk practice of granting territory in fief to followe...