SULTAN MEHMED THE CONQUEROR

SULTAN MEHMED THE CONQUEROR

(1432 - 1481 )

His Exalted Holiness, Muhammed (or Mehmed) the Conqueror was tall, plump-cheeked, pink fleshed, ram-like nosed. Muscled armed and strong. He was among the most eminent savants of his time. He, on every occasion, gathered the learned of Islam, poets and artists around him and talked to them. He was quite calm and courageous.

He was quite calm and courageous. He was a real pro­minent commander and administrator. He had never and in no cases gave any secrets about imperial affairs he had decided to carry out even to his closest friends. He was rather patient against difficulties and troubles. He was extremely determined and self-controlled.
He spent most of his life-time in mobilizations. He destroyed Byzantium and conquered Islambol. He changed the Saint Sophia into a mosque, and he also willed: "May whoever would abolish this be cursed by Allah the Almighty!"

His exalted Highness Mehmed the Conqueror sub­jected Enez, Galata and Kefe to the Ottoman lands. Limni, Imroz, Shemendirek, Tashoz, Bozdjaada and Boghdan were seized. He participated in the war in person at the time when Belgrade was besieged. He got wounded seriously on his forehead and knee. In 1458, he gained Morea partly, and Serbia a year after that. In 1461, Amasra and Isphendiyar were annexed to the Ottoman lands. He put and end to the Greek Kingdom of Trebizond. In 1462, he captured Romania, Yaiche and Midilli. He wared with the Crusaders made up of the forces of twenty Christian coun­tries and whose combatants had been promised to be for­given for their past sins of six month by the Pope. In 1464, Bosnia was taken and Herzegovina was annexed to the Em­pire. In 1466, Konya and Caramania were seized, and Albania became completely subjected to the Ottomans. In 1470, Eghriboz was taken. Muhammed the Conqueror put the soldiers of Uzun(long) Hassan to flight at Otloukbeli. For celebration of that victory, he set fourty thousand of prisoners of war free. He subjected Hungaria and Moldavia to his home lands in 1476. During the thirty years of his sultanate, he commanded the armies personally in the twenty-five mobilizations. He expanded the Ottoman ter­ritories of 900.000 km/sqs at the beginning of his reign to 2.214.000 km/sqs.
The Conqueror survived out of exactly fourteen con­spiracies planned by the Venetian King throughout his life; but, unfortunately, he could not save the last one. The Venetians succeeded to accomplish their wicked objective by slaughtering that great Sultan by poisoning by means of a Jewish doctor whose name was Maesto Jakopo. To Bohinger, a historian, that conspirator, the Jewish doctor, was among the doctors of the Imperial Palace of the Ottomans under the name of Jacoub Pasha.

In 1481, while he was on his way to the battle-field on a mabilization, he passed away on the third day of the expedition on Thursday at the headquarters at Gebze. On his death, the Pope made the bells of all the churches tolled for three days and nights for celebration of the so-called goodnews in their thought. His Exalted Highness Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror lived exactly fourty-nine years and one month and five days. The bunal service of the Great Ottoman, who annihilated two empires, four king­doms and eleven principalities, was performed by Mustafa Vefa Effendi at the Fatih Djamiee (the Mosque of the Conqueror) in Islambol. His tomb is next to that mosque (May Allah have mercy upon his soul!).

His Exalted Excellency, Sultan Muhammed the Con­queror proved himself to be one of the greatest Padishahs in the world history owing to his significant services he had done just for the sake of the Moslem World. He conquered Islambol, the magnificent district of the country and the pearl of the world. He realized many an architectural actions thoroughout the Ottoman lands. He completed the construction of the Kulliye of Fatih (a kulliye is a collec­tion of buildings of an institution, usually composed of schools, a mosque, lunatic asylum, hospital etc.) which is today's the University of Istanbul. When he conquered Istanbul, he changed eight churches into mosque and its surrounding chambers of the priests into Moslem School of Theology. What is more, he made a number of Islamic Theological Schools constructed in a large quantity of Anatolian cities.
The grave of His Exalted Holiness Ayyoub-al-Ansaree (May Allah have mercy on his soul!) had been found in the sultanate of the Padishah Mehmed the Conqueror. The Sheikh Suleiman Djezouli, the writer of the Delail-ee Khariat (Evidences of Charities) and Allame Ali Koushee posed away in his time, too.
He had four sons named Mustafa Bayezid the Second, Diem and Korkoud he had only one daughter whose name was the Sultana Gevkherhan