Mehmed II's military significance
Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, holds a significant place in military history primarily for his role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. Ascending to the sultanate in 1451, Mehmed aimed to emulate historical military leaders and swiftly set out to capture Constantinople in 1453, marking the fall of the Byzantine Empire and establishing the city as his capital. His military campaigns extended beyond Constantinople, as he sought to expand Ottoman territories across the Balkans, successfully occupying areas like Athens, Serbia, and parts of Greece and Anatolia. Despite facing challenges, such as the failed siege of Belgrade in 1456, Mehmed's military prowess was evident in his victories during the Venetian War (1463–1479), which resulted in the annexation of regions including Albania and parts of southern Romania. His defeat of Sultan Uzan Khan at the Battle of Bashkent in 1473 further solidified Ottoman control over central Anatolia. Although he died in 1481 before he could undertake a campaign against Rome, his legacy as a formidable military leader earned him the title of Fatih, meaning "the Conqueror." Mehmed II's military ventures not only reshaped the political landscape of the time but also laid foundational stones for the Ottoman Empire's future expansion.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Mehmed II's military significance
Also known as: Mehmet II, Mehmed Fatih, Muhammad II
Principal wars: Byzantine-Ottoman Wars, Venetian War
Principal battles: Constantinople (1453), Belgrade (1456), Trebizond (1461), Bashkent (1473)
Military significance: Ottoman ruler from 1451 to 1481, Mehmed conquered the historic city of Constantinople and built an Islamic empire encompassing Anatolia, the Crimea, and most of southeastern Europe.
When Mehmed II became Ottoman sultan in 1451, he resolved to become “a new Alexander, a new Caesar, a new Shah Cyrus.” He began by capturing Constantinople (1453) in an epic firepower siege that finally extinguished the Byzantine Empire. Making Constantinople his new capital, Mehmed spent his life warring with his neighbors. Failing to wrest Belgrade (1456) from Hungary, he nonetheless occupied Athens, Serbia, Greece, and the Black Sea coast of Anatolia, including Trebizond (1461). In 1463, a grand alliance of Venice, Hungary, Albania, the Papacy, and Sultan Uzan Khan of Persia began sixteen years of war to contain Mehmed. However, the sultan won the Venetian War (1463–1479) and the Ottoman Empire took over Albania, Bosnia, Dalmatia, southern Romania, and the Crimean peninsula. In 1473, Mehmed defeated Sultan Uzan Khan at the Battle of Bashkent, thereby securing central Anatolia. A year before Mehmed’s death in 1481, Ottoman forces landed on the heel of Italy and occupied Otranto, but the sultan died before he could march on Rome. Acknowledging his military achievements, Mehmed’s contemporaries called him Fatih (conqueror).
Bibliography
Babinger, Franz. Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1978.
Shaw, Stanford J. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Vol. 1. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1976.