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Mehmed II or Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (30 March 1432 – 3 May 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire twice, first for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481.<br/><br/>

At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire, transforming the Ottoman state into an empire. Mehmed continued his conquests in Asia, with the Anatolian reunification, and in Europe, as far as Bosnia and Croatia. Mehmed II is regarded as a national hero in Turkey, and among other things, Istanbul's Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Fatih University and Fatih College are all named after him.
Gentile Bellini (c. 1429 – 23 February 1507) was an Italian painter of the school of Venice. He came from Venice's leading family of painters, and at least in the early part of his career was more highly regarded than his younger brother Giovanni Bellini, the reverse of the case today.<br/><br/>

Now housed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, this painting reflects Bellini’s passion for Eastern cultures. Originally commissioned by Fatih Sultan Mehmet II in 1479 to go to Constantinople to paint portraits of the sultan for two years, the Venetian painter was strongly influenced by Ottoman traditions and fashions.
Anonymous painting from the Sarayi Album or 'Conqueror's Album'. This minature by an unknown painter is one of the two portraits that give their name to the 'Conqueror's Album'.<br/><br/>

Mehmed II or Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (30 March 1432 – 3 May 1481) (Ottoman Turkish: محمد ثانى, Meḥmed-i s̠ānī; Turkish: II. Mehmet; also known as el-Fātiḥ, الفاتح, 'the Conqueror' in Ottoman Turkish; in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet; also called Mahomet II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire twice, first for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481.<br/><br/>

At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire, transforming the Ottoman state into an empire. Mehmed continued his conquests in Asia, with the Anatolian reunification, and in Europe, as far as Bosnia and Croatia. Mehmed II is regarded as a national hero in Turkey, and among other things, Istanbul's Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Fatih University and Fatih College are all named after him.
Constantinople, the capital of Constantine XI’s Byzantine Empire, was captured by Sultan Mehmet II and his Ottoman armies after a seven-week siege. Mehmet had applied pressure on Constantinople and the Byzantines by building forts along the Dardanelles. On 5 April, he laid siege to Constantinople with an army numbering 80,000 to 200,000 men. Constantine reportedly fell leading a charge against the invaders, though his body was never found. The last defenders were killed and the Turks proceeded to loot the city. The battle brought down the 1,100-year Byzantine Empire and is seen by many scholars as marking the end of the Middle Ages.
Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481.<br/><br/>

In 1453, at the age of just 21, Mehmed led an Ottoman army in the siege of Constantinople with between 80,000 to 200,000 troops and a navy of 320 vessels, though the bulk of them were transport and store ships. The city was surrounded by sea and land; the fleet at the entrance of the Bosphorus was stretched from shore to shore in the form of a crescent, to intercept or repel any assistance from the sea for the besieged Byzantines.<br/><br/>

In early April, the Siege of Constantinople began. After several fruitless assaults, the city's walls held off the Turks with great difficulty, even with the use of the new Orban's bombard, a cannon similar to the Dardanelles Gun. The harbor of the Golden Horn was blocked by a boom chain and defended by 28 warships.<br/><br/>

On April 22, Mehmed transported his lighter warships overland, around the Genoese colony of Galata and into the Golden Horn's northern shore; 80 galleys were transported from the Bosphorus after paving a little over one-mile route with wood. Thus the Byzantines stretched their troops over a longer portion of the walls. A little over a month later, Constantinople fell on May 29 following a 57-day siege. It was the end of the Byzantine Empire.
Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481.<br/><br/>

In 1453, at the age of just 21, Mehmed led an Ottoman army in the siege of Constantinople with between 80,000 to 200,000 troops and a navy of 320 vessels, though the bulk of them were transport and store ships. The city was surrounded by sea and land; the fleet at the entrance of the Bosphorus was stretched from shore to shore in the form of a crescent, to intercept or repel any assistance from the sea for the besieged Byzantines.<br/><br/>

In early April, the Siege of Constantinople began. After several fruitless assaults, the city's walls held off the Turks with great difficulty, even with the use of the new Orban's bombard, a cannon similar to the Dardanelles Gun. The harbor of the Golden Horn was blocked by a boom chain and defended by 28 warships.
On April 22, Mehmed transported his lighter warships overland, around the Genoese colony of Galata and into the Golden Horn's northern shore; 80 galleys were transported from the Bosphorus after paving a little over one-mile route with wood. Thus the Byzantines stretched their troops over a longer portion of the walls. A little over a month later, Constantinople fell on May 29 following a 57-day siege. It was the end of the Byzantine Empire.
Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Sultan Mehmet Fatih; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople, now Istanbul, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire.<br/><br/>Sultan Mehmet Fatih seized power in Constantinople in 1471. He commissioned the painter Bellini to travel in 1479 from Venice to the Turkish capital to paint portraits for two years.<br/><br/>For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century.
Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople, now Istanbul, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire.
Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Sultan Mehmet Fatih; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople, now Istanbul, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire.<br/><br/>

Sultan Mehmet Fatih seized power in Constantinople in 1471. He commissioned the painter Bellini to travel in 1479 from Venice to the Turkish capital to paint portraits for two years.<br/><br/>

For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century.