Mehmet II << meh MEHT >> (1432-1481), also spelled Mehmed II, was the seventh sultan (ruler) of the Ottoman Empire. He is sometimes called The Conqueror because he conquered Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire, in 1453. His victory ended that empire, which once ruled much of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Mehmet became sultan in 1444 but was deposed in 1446. He regained power in 1451 and ruled until 1481 as one of the greatest Ottoman sultans. Mehmet extended Ottoman rule in the Balkans, Asia Minor, and Crimea. He also reorganized the empire’s administrative system and rebuilt Istanbul, which had badly deteriorated in the last days of the Byzantine Empire.
Mehmet was well educated. He knew several languages and used ideas from other cultures to his empire’s advantage. Mehmet II was born on March 30, 1432. He died on May 3, 1481.
