KnowraMehmed IIMehmed IIMehmed II was an Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453 and ruled from 1444 to 1446 and from 1451 to 1481.BriefConnectFall of Constantinople: The Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire. The defining campaign of Mehmed II’s reign made the city his imperial capital.Istanbul: A city spanning the Bosporus that served as the Ottoman capital after its conquest in 1453. Mehmed rebuilt Constantinople into the principal seat of his empire.Vlad the Impaler: The ruler of Wallachia known for violent resistance to Ottoman power in the fifteenth century. His war with Mehmed included the 1462 Night Attack at Târgoviște.Renaissance humanism: An intellectual movement that renewed interest in classical literature, history, and learning. Mehmed’s court engaged with humanist scholarship and classical models of rulership.Basilica cannon: A massive bombard cast by the Hungarian founder Urban for the Ottoman siege of Constantinople. Its bombardment helped breach the city’s walls during the 1453 siege.Ottoman Empire: A multiethnic empire that lasted from the late thirteenth century until 1922. Mehmed expanded and centralized the empire inherited by his successors.Skanderbeg: An Albanian nobleman and military commander who led resistance to Ottoman expansion. His campaigns challenged Mehmed’s efforts to establish Ottoman control in Albania.Portrait of Mehmed II: A painting of the Ottoman sultan made by Gentile Bellini around 1480. The portrait presents Mehmed through the visual language of European court portraiture.Theodosian Walls: The defensive fortifications of Constantinople, built chiefly in the fifth century. Their defenses shaped Mehmed’s siege strategy and the cost of taking the city.Fall of Trebizond: The Ottoman conquest of the Empire of Trebizond in 1461. Mehmed’s capture ended the last major Byzantine successor state.Show all 24Linked from 35 pagesOttoman successionBroader topic: His law articulated a forceful answer to the risks of rival princes.ConstantinopleRelated: His conquest transformed the city into the center of an expanding empire.Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos dynastyCompared with: His siege ended the Palaiologian empire and Byzantine rule in the city.SultanBroader topic: His conquest strengthened the Ottoman sultan’s imperial claims.Hagia SophiaRelated: After conquering Constantinople in 1453, he converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque.Gunpowder empiresBroader topic: His siege artillery helped capture the city that became the Ottoman imperial capital.Ecumenical Patriarchate of ConstantinopleRelated: His settlement after the conquest restored the patriarchal office under Ottoman authority.Classical Age of the Ottoman EmpireBroader topic: His conquest and state-building established foundations for the classical imperial order.Show all 35