Mehmed the Conqueror Timeline

(March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481)

Mehmed II, known as Mehmed the Conqueror, was an Ottoman Sultan who reigned twice (1444–1446 and 1451–1481) and is best remembered for conquering Constantinople in 1453 at age 21, ending the Byzantine Empire. A brilliant military strategist and patron of arts and sciences, he expanded Ottoman territory across the Balkans and Anatolia, reformed administration, and fostered a cosmopolitan empire centered on his new capital, Istanbul. More Less

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Early Life and Rise

Birth of Mehmed II in Edirne

Mar 30, 1432

Mehmed II was born in Edirne, the Ottoman capital, as the son of Sultan Murad II and Hüma Hatun. His birth into the ruling dynasty set him on a path that would eventually transform the Ottoman state into an empire.

Image source: Mehmed II

First reign as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

1444 - 1446

At just twelve years old, Mehmed was placed on the throne when his father Murad II abdicated. His first reign was short and turbulent, marked by the Crusade of Varna, and his father returned to power in 1446.

Second accession to the Ottoman throne

Feb 1451

Following Murad II's death, Mehmed II ascended the throne permanently in February 1451 at age nineteen. He immediately began preparing for the conquest of Constantinople, which he had dreamed of since childhood.

Conquests and Battles

Battle of Varna against crusading forces

Nov 10, 1444

During Mehmed's first reign, Ottoman forces under Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha and the young sultan defeated a Hungarian-Polish crusader army led by King Władysław III of Poland at Varna, securing the Balkans for the Ottomans.

Image source: Battle of Varna

Campaign against Serbia begins

1454

Mehmed launched campaigns against Serbian Despotate strongholds along the Danube, beginning a series of expeditions aimed at subduing Hungary's southern vassal and expanding Ottoman control in the region.

Image source: Ottoman Serbia

Siege of Belgrade fails against John Hunyadi

Jul 4, 1456 - Jul 22, 1456

Mehmed's forces besieged Belgrade but were defeated by a Hungarian army under John Hunyadi and crusaders inspired by friar Giovanni da Capistrano, delaying Ottoman advance into central Europe for decades.

Image source: Siege of Belgrade (1456)

Siege of Belgrade fails against John Hunyadi

Annexation of Serbia

1459

After years of campaigns, Mehmed annexed the Serbian Despotate following the fall of Smederevo in June 1459, ending Serbian independence and incorporating its lands directly into the empire.

Image source: Serbian Despotate

Conquest of the Morea (Peloponnese)

1460

Mehmed campaigned in Greece, extinguishing the last remnants of the Byzantine Empire—the Despotate of the Morea—bringing the Peloponnese under direct Ottoman rule.

Image source: Ottoman conquest of the Morea

Conquest of Trebizond, last Greek successor state

Aug 15, 1461

Mehmed led a campaign along the Anatolian coast and captured the Empire of Trebizond, founded by Byzantine exiles in 1204, completing the elimination of independent Greek states.

Image source: Empire of Trebizond

Campaign against Wallachia and Vlad the Impaler

1462

Mehmed invaded Wallachia to depose the defiant prince Vlad III. Though Vlad famously launched a night attack on the sultan's camp, Mehmed installed Vlad's brother Radu as prince, bringing Wallachia firmly into the Ottoman orbit.

Image source: Night attack at Târgoviște

Conquest of Lesbos

Sep 1462

Mehmed seized the island of Lesbos from the Gattilusio family, removing a Genoese maritime power from the northeastern Aegean and tightening Ottoman control over vital sea routes.

Image source: Ottoman conquest of Lesbos

War with Venice begins

1463 - 1479

Mehmd engaged in a long naval and land war against the Republic of Venice over the Aegean and Adriatic, capturing Venetian strongholds in Greece and the Aegean before concluding peace by treaty in 1479.

Image source: Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479)

Conquest of Bosnia

Jun 1463

Mehmed personally led the campaign that conquered the Kingdom of Bosnia, executing its last king Stephen Tomašević and ending the kingdom after the rapid fall of key fortresses including Bobovac.

Image source: Kingdom of Bosnia

Wars with Karaman and consolidation of Anatolia

1464 - 1474

Mehmed fought prolonged wars against the Turkmen principality of Karaman and its Aq Qoyunlu allies, gradually extending direct Ottoman administration over most of central and eastern Anatolia.

Image source: Karamanids

Conquest of Negroponte (Euboea) from Venice

Jul 12, 1470

Mehmed captured the important Venetian stronghold of Negroponte on Euboea after a fierce siege, dealing a major blow to Venetian power in the Aegean Sea.

Image source: Siege of Negroponte (1470)

Battle of Otlukbeli against Uzun Hasan

Aug 11, 1473

Mehmed decisively defeated the Aq Qoyunlu ruler Uzun Hasan in eastern Anatolia, using firearms effectively against cavalry, and securing Ottoman dominance over rival powers in Anatolia.

Image source: Battle of Otlukbeli

Conquest of Crimea and vassalage of the Crimean Khanate

1475

Mehmed's forces captured Genoese colonies in the Crimea and the coastal fortress of Caffa, forcing the Crimean Khanate into vassalage and giving the Ottomans influence over the northern Black Sea littoral.

Image source: Crimean Khanate

Failed siege of Rhodes

May 1480 - Aug 1480

Ottoman forces under Mesih Pasha besieged the island fortress of the Knights Hospitaller at Rhodes but failed to take it, leaving the Knights in control until Suleiman the Magnificent's successful siege in 1522.

Image source: Siege of Rhodes (1480)

Capture of Otranto in southern Italy

Aug 1480

An Ottoman fleet crossed the Adriatic and captured the port of Otranto in Apulia, marking the only time Ottoman forces gained a foothold in mainland Italy; the town fell amid fierce fighting and massacre.

Image source: Ottoman conquest of Otranto

Fall of Constantinople

Construction of Rumeli Hisarı fortress on the Bosphorus

Apr 1452 - Aug 1452

Mehmed ordered the construction of the fortress Rumeli Hisarı (Boğazkesen) on the European shore of the Bosphorus, completing it in just over four months to control shipping lanes and cut off Constantinople from Black Sea support.

Image source: Rumelihisarı

Siege of Constantinople begins

Apr 6, 1453

Mehmed's massive army, estimated at 80,000–200,000 men, began the siege of Constantinople with heavy cannon bombardment of the Theodosian Walls, defended by Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos and roughly 7,000 defenders.

Ottoman fleet transported over land into the Golden Horn

Apr 22, 1453

In one of history's most audacious maneuvers, Mehmed had dozens of ships dragged overland on greased logs from the Bosphorus into the Golden Horn, bypassing the harbor chain and threatening Constantinople's sea walls.

Final assault and fall of Constantinople

May 29, 1453

After weeks of bombardment and repeated assaults, Ottoman troops breached the walls near the St. Romanus Gate. Constantine XI died fighting, the city fell after more than a thousand years as an imperial capital, and Mehmed entered triumphantly as conqueror.

Image source: Fall of Constantinople

Hagia Sophia converted into a mosque

Jun 1453

Shortly after capturing the city, Mehmed converted the great Byzantine cathedral Hagia Sophia into a mosque, preserving its structure while adding Islamic features, symbolizing the transformation of Constantinople into an Ottoman imperial capital.

Image source: Hagia Sophia

Rule and Legacy

Constantinople declared capital of the Ottoman Empire

1453

Mehmed made Constantinople the new capital of the Ottoman Empire and worked to repopulate and rebuild the devastated city, inviting Muslims, Christians, and Jews from across the empire to settle there.

Image source: Constantinople

Recognition as Kayser-i Rûm (Caesar of Rome)

1453

Claiming the legacy of Rome and its Byzantine continuation, Mehmed adopted the title Kayser-i Rûm, presenting himself as heir to both Islamic caliphate traditions and Roman imperial authority.

Image source: Ottoman claim to Roman succession

Patronage of art, learning, and Topkapı Palace

1453 - 1481

A cultured ruler who spoke several languages and collected Greek and Latin classics, Mehmed commissioned the Topkapı Palace complex and patronized painters like Gentile Bellini, fostering a distinctive court culture blending Islamic and Renaissance influences.

Image source: Topkapı Palace

Death of Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha

Jul 1, 1453

Shortly after the conquest, Mehmed executed his grand vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha, consolidating absolute power in the sultan's hands and reducing the influence of the old aristocratic families in government.

Peace treaty with Venice concluded

Jan 25, 1479

Mehmed signed a treaty ending sixteen years of war with Venice, in which Venice ceded Negroponte, Scutari, and other territories and agreed to pay tribute, stabilizing Ottoman relations with Italian powers.

Death of Mehmed II near Gebze

May 3, 1481

Mehmed II died at age forty-nine, reportedly of illness or possibly poisoning, while marching toward a new campaign in the west. He was buried in the Fatih Mosque complex in Istanbul, having transformed a frontier principality into a vast empire.

Key Facts

Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 at just 21 years old, ending the 1,100-year-old Byzantine Empire.
He was fluent in multiple languages, including Turkish, Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Persian, and had a deep interest in art, science, and philosophy.
After taking Constantinople, he made it the capital of the Ottoman Empire and renamed it Istanbul, preserving many of its churches and institutions.
Mehmed codified a set of secular laws known as the Kanunnames, which helped organize the empire's legal and administrative systems alongside Islamic law.
His conquest of Constantinople used massive cannons, such as the famous 'Basilica' bombard, showcasing one of history's earliest large-scale uses of gunpowder artillery in siege warfare.

Source

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