Mehmet II (1432–1481) or Fatih Sultan Mehmet was the 7th Ottoman Sultan who is best known as the conquerer of Constantinople in 1453 when he was 21 years old. After conquering the city, he was called Fatih (Conquerer) as well as Ceaser or Kayser-i Rum (Emperor of Rome) in addition to his other titles and he claimed the legacy of the Roman Empire.
Here are some facts about his life:
- Fatih was 12 years old when he was abdicated the throne.
- He spoke 7 languages including Turkish, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian and Latin.
- He wrote poems with the name of “Avni”.
- He had a private library made from books in Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Latin and Greek.
- Ten years after the conquest of Constantinople, he visited the site of Troy and boasted that he had avenged the Trojans by having conquered the Byzantine Empire.
- He was in conflict with Vlad III, Vlad the Impaler or Dracula, who was originated by Bram Stoker to write the famous book, Dracula.
- He carried the Roman administration to the Ottoman State by introducing a digest of laws and his laws remained until the reforms in the 19th century.
- He gathered Italian artists, humanists and Greek scholars at his court. He was the first Ottoman Sultan who had his portrait painted. He called Gentile Bellini from Venice to paint his portrait.
- He provided independence and tolerance to the ones who are from another religion, belief and race by declaring an oath firman and granted it to Angjeo Zvizdovic of the Franciscan Catholic Monastery in Bosnia after the conquest of Bosnia Herzegovina on May 28, 1463. It is one of the oldest documents on religious freedom. In 1971, the United Nations published a translation of the document in all the official U.N. languages:
“I, the Sultan Khan the Conqueror, hereby declare the whole world that, The Bosnian Franciscans granted with this sultanate firman are under my protection. And I command that: No one shall disturb or give harm to these people and their churches! They shall live in peace in my state. These people, who have become emigrants, shall have security and liberty. They may return to their monasteries which are located in the borders of my state. No one from my empire notable, viziers, clerks or my maids will break their honour or give any harm to them! No one shall insult, put in danger or attack these lives, properties, and churches of these people! Also, what and those these people have brought from their own countries have the same rights… By declaring this firman I swear on my sword by the holy name of Allah who has created the ground and sky, Allah’s prophet Mohammed, and 124.000 former prophets that; no one from my citizens will react or behave the opposite of this firman!”
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This is interesting, but not all true. During his rule as a young prince, he called for his father Murad Twice to come out of retirement to help him. But, as for the comment of Vlad Dracula being “originated by Bram Stoker to write the famous book, Dracula ” is not a true statement. There are documents in the Philidelphia museum that will contradict this statement.
As for his tolerance of other religions, this was only few compared to what he did to most: committing them to slavery and especially handsome young boys he kept from many places for his own pleasure. he was a sick man who said, “there must be only one empire, one faith, and only one sovereign in the world” killing his own baby brother on the day of his taking the throne. yes, the document drawn up seems very profound in that day and age, but he had his reasons ONLY at the time. Then, After that he would not care what he said or signed but anihalated so many just BECAUSE he wanted control over the world.
The post by Neannalina is absolutely WRONG. Its obvious you have obtained your info from western books written by those who do nothing but tarnish Mehmed II. They spout the same crap about him, he is gay and crazy. Slander, nothing more. He is NOT gay as it is forbidden in his religion. And yes, he annihilated those armies in war time, that is natural you idiot.
Stop reading Greek/English books about Mehmed II. Your anti-Mehmed stance is sickening.