FATIH SULTAN MEHMED HAN

Father: Sultan II. Murad
Mother: Hüma Hatun
Date of Birth: March 30, 1432
Accession to the Throne : 1444-1451
Death: May 3, 1481

Born in 833 A.H, (1428 A.D.), he ascended the throne for a second and final time in 855 A.H. (1451 A.D.). Upon accession, he immediately mounted campaigns and engaged in numerous gazas. In fact, he gave no respite to his enemies nor did he allow his soldiers to slacken or lose their zeal. From the very first days of his reign, his greatest aspiration was to conquer Constantinople. And, indeed this came true.

After the conquest of the city, Mehmed the Conqueror marched towards Morea and captured the cities of Greece one after another. However, he was threatened from the rear by the principality of Karaman and therefore turned to Anatolia to vanquish them and to annex their territory. He then conquered the area close to western Black Sea and appointed as governor Kızıl Ahmet who was the founder of the principality Isfen-diyar. Afterwards, he fought Uzun Hasan, the ruler of the Akkoyunlus and overcame him.

Mehmed the Conqueror had a robust and well-built body, a strong and long neck and muscular upper arms, which gave him the look of a lion. He was swarthy and ramnosed with around full face, eyebrows thatjoined together, shiny black eyes, a well-proportioned chin and Iips like sweet basil. His hair had a golden gleam that enhanced his heroic appearance. A man of great intelligence and wisdom, an outstanding Turkish ruler, Meh-med would never accept defeat under any circumstances.

He was dressed in the simple and heroic manner of his great grandfather Çelebi Mehmed. His turban consisted of a ''mücevveze'' (a tall cylindrical headgear) in military style, wound round with coiled gauze. This special type of turban became fashionable among later sultans.