On 3 February 1451, the fate of the Ottoman Empire pivoted as the young yet formidable Mehmed II ascended the throne following the death of his father, Sultan Murad II.
Though merely nineteen, Mehmed was no stranger to the burdens of rule, having briefly occupied the throne as a child before his father’s return to power.
With his accession, the empire stood at the precipice of greatness, and within just two years, he would etch his name into history by achieving what generations of warriors and emperors had failed—breaching the mighty walls of Constantinople.
His reign, marked by ambition, military genius, and an insatiable thirst for conquest, would transform the Ottomans from a burgeoning sultanate into an indomitable empire straddling continents and centuries.
