There is a saying of the Prophet Muhammad recorded in a hadith: “Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will he be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!” That leader was born on this day 577 years ago. His name was Sultan Mehmed II and, as leader of the Ottoman Empire, at the age of 21, he brought the Byzantine Empire to an end by capturing the city of Constantinople.
The Ottoman Empire achieved international recognition after capturing Constantinople. Mehmed claimed the title of Caesar of Rome, based on the Byzantine claim to the title following the transfer of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in 330AD. Mehmed subsequently advanced into eastern Europe as far as Belgrade, the capital of the current country Serbia. The city was successfully defended by the Hungarians in 1456, and the Ottoman forces suffered heavy losses.
Mehmed conquered Bosnia in 1463. In 1480 he set out to invade Italy, with the aim of capturing Rome and reuniting the Roman Empire. He succeeded in capturing Otranto, which is on the coast of Italy closest to Turkey, but he died in 1481 at the age of 49, apparently the victim of poisoning. Mehmed II spoke seven languages, and founded a number of universities and colleges.