Mehmed the Conqueror

Mehmed II, Mahomet II or Mohammed II (Ottoman Turkish: محمد ثانى‎, Meḥmed-i s̠ānī; Turkish: II. Mehmed Turkish pronunciation: [ˈmeh.met]; 30 March 1432 – 3 May 1481), best known as Mehmed the Conqueror (el-Fātiḥ, الفاتح), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled first for a short time from August 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to May 1481. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. Mehmed continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. Mehmed is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him.

Early reign

Mehmed II was born on 30 March 1432, in Edirne, then the capital city of the Ottoman state. His father was Sultan Murad II (1404–51) and his mother Valide Sultan Hüma Hatun, born in the town of Devrekani, Kastamonu.