In May 1453, an event occurred on the banks of the Bosphorus that left its mark on the entire further course of world history. Unable to withstand the onslaught of the Turkish hordes, Constantinople fell, which for many centuries was the stronghold of Orthodoxy and was called the Second Rome. The troops of the Ottoman Empire were led by the very young Sultan Mehmed II, whose biography formed the basis of this article.
Heir to the Throne
On March 30, 1432, a Greek concubine gave birth to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Murad II, the fourth son, who became his heir and went down in world history as Mehmed II Fatih (the Conqueror). It should be noted that initially his father did not prepare him for such a high career, since, by his birth from a slave, he was considered lower than his older brothers, whose mothers were noble Turkish women. However, they all died in their early years, clearing the path to supreme power for the son of a slave.
During the life of the brothers Mehmed II, whose parents (especially his father) did not see a future in himruler, grew up in the same way as all children in we althy families, that is, indulging in games and pleasures. But after the death of his elder sons, Murad II was forced to radically change his attitude towards the child, whom fate itself had chosen as the heir to the throne, and make every effort to prepare him for the highest mission in the future.
First board experience
The Sultan entrusted all the care of the upbringing and education of his successor to the Supreme Vizier Khalil. Under his tutelage, Mehmed in a short time received the necessary basic amount of knowledge, which subsequently allowed him to improve both in military science and in the art of diplomacy.
The biographies of the Ottoman conqueror that have come down to us indicate that Mehmed II first began administrative work at the age of six, becoming the governor of the Manisa province. True, a reservation immediately follows that the same inseparable educator and mentor, the Supreme Vizier Khalil, helped him in this. This should hardly be surprising. Obviously, it was in his hands that real power was, and Murad II appointed his young son only a nominal ruler, thus giving him the opportunity to join the art of government from an early age.
It is authentically known that, being a successful commander and a skilled diplomat, Murad II was nevertheless weary of power and expressed a desire, quickly placing the rule of the empire on his heir, indulge in idleness and pleasures in his luxurious palace in Magnesia. Thishe realized his dream in 1444, making his son a sultan, but leaving him under the care of the same vizier. This is understandable, because Mehmed was then barely twelve years old.
Unfortunate failure
However, the young ruler's first pancake turned out to be clearly lumpy. The fact is that, with a desire characteristic of his age to try something that is impossible, the young man secretly established relations with members of the Sufi religious movement banned in the empire. Upon learning of this, the mentor ordered the execution of their dervish preacher, who dared to lead the true young ruler astray.
The execution took place and had the most unexpected consequences. Outraged by the sacrilege, the Janissaries rebelled, sympathizing with this movement. Following this, taking advantage of the moment, the inhabitants of Anatolia disobeyed, and after them the Christian population of Varna. Thus, the blood of a wandering preacher caused a very serious commotion.
In general, the wise vizier was disgraced - he wanted the best, but it turned out … Murad II had to leave his harem for a while and, cursing the unlucky Khalil, resumed the duties of the Sultan. After such a fiasco, Mehmed II, who was removed from power, spent two years in the palace, not showing himself in anything and trying not to catch his father's eyes.
Marriage Trouble
But, as biographers testify, since 1148, the sultan, who has already reached the age of sixteen, again attracts participation in all state affairs. And so that henceforth any nonsense would not climb into his head, he decided to resort to the old and proven method - to marry the guy. Will getfamily - settle down.
But even here, the ungrateful offspring managed to upset his father - he fell head over heels in love with a Christian captive, whom he saw in one of the slave markets. He did not begin to sing serenades to her, but, having simply paid what was required, he brought the beauty to the palace and married her (still he was a decent person). She gave birth to his son, who received the Muslim name Bayazid and many years later played a fatal role in his father's life.
First Sufi heretics, now a Christian wife, no, that was too much. Ruling a huge empire and meeting obedience everywhere, Murad II could not cope with his own son. The enraged father personally chose for him a worthy bride from the most noble Turkish family. I had to submit. According to custom, he saw the face of his wife only after the wedding. One can only guess about what appeared to his eyes, but it is known for certain that he was ashamed even to introduce this “gift” into the harem.
Master of the Empire
In February 1451, an important event occurred in the life of the Ottoman Empire - its ruler, Sultan Murad II, Mehmed's father, unexpectedly died. From that time on, all the fullness of power had already finally passed to him, and, starting his duties, he first of all got rid of a possible rival and contender for power - the young son of his father, that is, his own brother.
Mehmed II ordered his execution, and this did not cause a negative reaction from anyone. The practice of eliminating consanguineous pretenders to the throne had previously taken place at court, but only now it wasframed by law. Having de alt with his brother, the young sultan sent to the chopping block his mentor, the vizier Khalil, who was very annoying to him.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II was a smart and energetic man, but at the same time very secretive, unpredictable and capable of pursuing a controversial policy. We can quite fully judge his appearance on the basis of lifetime portraits created by European masters of the brush, the most famous of which is Gentile Bellini. On his canvases, the artist captured this short, but full of inner strength man, whose curved hooked nose gave an ominous expression to his face.
Double-faced and treachery
Full of truly oriental cunning, the future conqueror began his activity by trying to create for himself the image of a certain peacemaker. To this end, he never ceased to assure the diplomats of Western states in his desire to establish peace and stability in the region, and before the ambassador of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX he even swore on the Koran that he would never encroach on his possessions. The oath was made exactly two years before the day when he brought down the entire might of his army on the walls of Constantinople, conquering this stronghold of Christianity forever.
However, the true essence of his policy was soon exposed. Throughout 1452, Sultan Mehmed II, contrary to his assurances, was preparing to capture the Byzantine capital. He built military fortifications near Constantinople, and on the coast of the straits, throughwhich the ships of the Venetian merchants came from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, guns were installed. Under the threat of immediate execution, all travelers are taxed by its officials, which, in fact, is the most blatant robbery.
Fall of Byzantium
In April 1453, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, who was then only twenty-one years old, approached the walls of the Second Rome with a hundred thousandth army, a fifth of which were selected regiments of Janissaries. Against such an impressive army, the defenders of the city managed to put up only seven thousand fighters. The forces turned out to be too unequal, and on May 29 Constantinople was taken. After the fall of the Great Roman Empire, this was the second largest tragedy in the history of the Christian world, which caused the center of world Orthodoxy to move to Moscow, which received the status of the Third Rome.
After the capture of the city, the Turks massacred most of its inhabitants, and those who could be sold into slavery were sent to slave markets. The emperor himself died that day - shortly before that, Constantine XI, who had ascended the throne. A tragic, but in many ways instructive fate befell the Byzantine commander Luka Notara.
Counting on the generosity of the enemy, he was a supporter of the voluntary surrender of the city, for which he soon paid the price. When the capital was in the hands of the Turks, Mehmed II himself drew attention to his young and very pretty son. The harem of boys was his weakness, and the Sultan decided to make a replenishment. Having received the refusal of the indignantfather, he did not argue, but ordered the immediate execution of the entire family.
In the new capital of the empire
Immediately after the capture of Constantinople, Mehmed II transferred the capital of his empire from Adrianople to it, which contributed to the intensive influx of the Turkish population. The suburb of the city - Galata, which until that time was a Genoese colony - completely passed into submission to the Sultan's administration and was also soon populated by the Turks. In addition, Mehmed II, whose wives and concubines were previously in the former capital, moved to Constantinople and his entire numerous harem.
From the first days of the Ottoman rule, the main Christian shrine of the city - the Hagia Sophia - was turned into a mosque. However, in view of the fact that a significant number of former Christian residents remained in the occupied territory, a serious problem was the issue of regulating their religious life.
The attitude of the Sultan to the Gentiles
It is worth noting that Mehmed II in his domestic policy was guided by the principles of religious tolerance, and during his reign, the Gentiles sometimes felt much more at ease than in most European countries, where at that time there was a persecution for religious dissent. The Jews, refugees from Western European countries, who fled from the Inquisition and arrived in the Ottoman Empire in large numbers, felt this especially sharply.
To manage the numerous Christian communities of the empire, the Sultan appointed a primate with his power, who went down in history as Patriarch Gennady IIScholary. An outstanding religious figure of his time, he became the author of a large number of theological and philosophical works, and the agreement he reached to regulate the relationship between Muslim authorities and Orthodox communities remained legally valid until 1923. Thus, Patriarch Gennady Scholariy and Mehmed II managed to prevent the inevitable religious bloodshed in such cases.
New trips
After the internal affairs were settled, Mehmed II the Conqueror continued his treacherous policy. Over the next ten years, the Trebizond Empire, which was formerly a Byzantine colony, Serbia, Bosnia, the Duchy of Athens, the Principality of Marey and many other formerly independent states fell at his feet.
In 1475, the Crimean Khanate with its capital, the city of Kafa, now Feodosia, fell under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire. It had previously caused significant damage to the Eastern European countries with its raids, and having become part of the Ottoman Empire and significantly strengthening its military power, it created the preconditions for new aggressive campaigns of Mehmed II.
Death without glory
One of the few states that managed to resist the Sultan was the Venetian Republic. Unable to defeat her militarily, Mehmed concluded an agreement in 1479, on the basis of which the Venetians received the right to free trade within the Ottoman Empire. This largely untied his hands for further action, and in 1480 his troops undertook the capture of southern Italy. But fate wantedthis campaign was the last in the life of the conqueror. In the midst of the fighting, he suddenly dies, but not on the battlefield, but in his own tent.
It is believed that Mehmed II, whose son from a Christian wife was the legitimate heir, was the victim of a conspiracy. It is believed that, guided by a thirst for power, Bayazid (he was already mentioned in the article) managed to force his father's personal doctor to give him a lethal dose of opium, as a result of which he died. Even before the burial of Mehmed II, the son took his place on the throne as the next ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Bayezid II.
Summing up the reign of Mehmed II, historians agree that he managed to largely change the attitude of the heads of European states towards their empire, forcing it to be recognized as equal among the leading world powers of that era. He himself took a place in world history along with the most prominent commanders and statesmen.
Over the next centuries, the rulers of the state he created changed, but the principles laid down by Sultan Mehmed II were the basis of their foreign and domestic policy. Chief among them was expansion, combined with relative tolerance for conquered peoples.
