Which Ottoman sultan is commonly known as 'the Conqueror'?

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Which Ottoman sultan is commonly known as “the Conqueror”? The title refers to Mehmed II. In Ottoman Turkish, he was known as Fatih Sultan Mehmed, meaning Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.

Mehmed II is best known for capturing Constantinople on 29 May 1453, when he was 21 years old. The conquest ended the Byzantine Empire and transformed the Ottoman state into a major imperial power. Mehmed made Constantinople his capital and promoted its rebuilding, repopulation, and development as an administrative and cultural center.

His reign included further campaigns in the Balkans and Anatolia. He conquered the Despotate of Morea in the Peloponnese, took Trebizond in 1461, and expanded Ottoman authority across Serbia and Bosnia. He also claimed the Roman imperial title Kayser-i Rûm after taking Constantinople.

Mehmed II ruled twice: first from 1444 to 1446, and again from 1451 until his death in 1481. He is sometimes confused with Suleiman I, who is commonly called “the Magnificent,” or Selim I, known as “the Grim.”

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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