Mehmed II (1432-1481 CE), also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, was the seventh and among the greatest sultans of the Ottoman Empire. His conquests consolidated Ottoman rule in Anatolia and the Balkans, and he most famously triumphed in conquering the prized city of Constantinople, transforming it into the administrative center, cultural hub, and capital of his growing empire. His victories would mark the end of the Byzantine Empire and usher a new era of Ottoman dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Timeline
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30 Mar 1432Mehmed II is born.
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1437Mehmed II is appointed governor of Amasya.
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1444Mehmed II inherits the throne after Sultan Murad II abdicates.
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10 Nov 1444Murad II resumes defeats Crusader forces at the Battle of Varna.
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1451 - 1481Mehmed II rules as the Sultan.
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5 Feb 1451Mehmed II succeeds Murad as sultan following his death.
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31 Aug 1452Construction of fortress Rumelihisari is complete.
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6 Apr 1453Siege of Constantinople begins.
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29 May 1453Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II sacks Constantinople.
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1454 - 1459Ottoman campaigns in Serbia.
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1456Ottoman forces besiege Trebizond.
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22 Jul 1456Mehmed II is dealt his first major defeat at the Siege of Belgrade.
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1461Ottoman forces under Sultan Mehmed II capture Trebizond, ending the Empire of Trebizond.
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1461David Megas Komnenos, the last Emperor of Trebizond, is deposed by the Ottomans.
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17 Jun 1462Mehmed II defeats Vlad III in the Battle of Târgoviște.
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1463 - 1479The Ottomans fight a long war against the Venetians over their possessions in the Aegean.
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c. 1463 - 1470The Mosque of the Conqueror is constructed in Constantinople.
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1465Mehmed II oversees construction of Topkapi Palace, the new seat of his empire.
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3 May 1481Mehmed II falls ill during a military expedition and subsequently dies, leading to the succession of his eldest son Bayezid II to the throne.
