Murad II
Encyclopedia
Murad II Kodja (Ottoman Turkish
: مراد ثانى Murād-ı sānī, Turkish
:II. Murat) was the Sultan
of the Ottoman Empire
from 1421 to 1451 (except for a period from 1444 to 1446).
Murad II's reign was marked by the long war he fought against the Christian feudal lords of the Balkans
and the Turkish
emirate
s in Anatolia
, a conflict that lasted 25 years. He was brought up in Amasya
, and ascended the throne on the death of his father Mehmed I
. His mother was Valide Sultan Emine Hatun
, daughter of Suleyman Bey, ruler of Dulkadirids, his father's third consort. Their marriage served as an alliance between the Ottomans and this buffer state.
to become the sovereign of the Ottoman Empire, was only eighteen years of age. He was solemnly recognized as sultan
, girded with the sabre of Osman at Bursa and the troops and officers of the state willing paid homage to him as their sovereign.
But his reign was soon troubled by insurrection. The Byzantine
Emperor, released the 'pretender' Mustafa Çelebi
(known as Düzmece Mustafa) from confinement and acknowledged him as the legitimate heir to the throne of Bayezid I
(1389–1402). The Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II
, had first secured a stipulation, that Mustafa should, if successful, repay him for his liberation by giving up a large number of important cities. The pretender was landed by the Byzantine galleys in the European dominion of the sultan and for a time made rapid progress. Many Turkish soldiers joined him, he defeated and killed the veteran general Beyazid Pasha whom Murad had sent to fight him. Mustafa defeated Murad's army and declared himself Sultan of Adrianople (modern Edirne
). He then crossed the Dardanelles
to Asia with a large army; but the young Sultan showed in this emergency that he possessed military and political abilities worthy of his best ancestors. Mustafa was out-manoeuvered in the middle of the field and his troops, whose confidence in his person and cause he had lost by his violence and incapacity, passed over in large numbers to Murad II. Mustafa took refuge in the city of Gallipoli
but the sultan, who was greatly aided by a Genoese
commander named Adorno, besieged him there and stormed the place. Mustafa was taken and put to death by the sultan who then turned his arms against the Roman emperor and declared his resolution to punish the Palaiologos
for their unprovoked enmity by the capture of Constantinople
.
Murad II then formed a new army called Azeb in 1421 and marched through the Byzantine Empire and laid siege to its capital Constantinople
. While Murad was besieging the city, the Byzantines, in league with some independent Turkish
Anatolia
n states, sent the sultan
's younger brother Mustafa
(who was only 13 years old) to rebel against the sultan and besiege Bursa. Murad had to abandon the siege of Constantinople in order to deal with his rebellious brother. He caught Prince Mustafa and executed him. The Anatolian states that had been constantly plotting against him — Aydinids, Germiyanids, Menteshe
and Teke
— were annexed and henceforth became part of the Ottoman Empire
.
Murad II then declared war against Venice
, the Karamanid Emirate, Serbia
and Hungary
. The Karamanids were defeated in 1428 and Venice
withdrew in 1432 following the defeat at the second Siege of Thessalonica in 1430. In the 1430s Murad captured vast territories in the Balkans
and succeeded in annexing Serbia in 1439. In 1441 the Holy Roman Empire
, Poland
and Albania
joined the Serbia
n-Hungarian coalition. He relinquished his throne in 1444 to his son Mehmed II
but a Janissary
revolt in the Empire forced him to return. Murad II won the Battle of Varna
in 1444 against János Hunyadi.
In 1448 he defeated the Christian
coalition at the Second Battle of Kosovo (the first one took place in 1389). When the Balkan front was secured, Murad II turned east to defeat Timur
's son, Shah Rokh
, and the emirates of Karamanid and Çorum-Amasya. In 1450 Murad II led his army into Albania
and unsuccessfully besieged the Castle of Kruje
in an effort to defeat the resistance led by Skanderbeg
. In the winter of 1450–1451, Murad II fell ill, and died in Edirne
. He was succeeded by his son Mehmed II
(1451–81).
Murad II had seven wives:
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
: مراد ثانى Murād-ı sānī, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
:II. Murat) was the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
from 1421 to 1451 (except for a period from 1444 to 1446).
Murad II's reign was marked by the long war he fought against the Christian feudal lords of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and the Turkish
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
s in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, a conflict that lasted 25 years. He was brought up in Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
, and ascended the throne on the death of his father Mehmed I
Mehmed I
Mehmed I Çelebi was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. He was one of the sons of Bayezid I and Valide Sultan Devlet Hatun Mehmed I Çelebi (Ottoman: چلبی محمد, Mehmed I or Mehmed Çelebi) (1382, Bursa – May 26, 1421, Edirne, Ottoman Empire) was a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
. His mother was Valide Sultan Emine Hatun
Emine Hatun
Emîne Khātûn was the wife of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I and Valide Sultan to their son Murad II and the grandmother of Mehmed II.-Biography:...
, daughter of Suleyman Bey, ruler of Dulkadirids, his father's third consort. Their marriage served as an alliance between the Ottomans and this buffer state.
Biography
Murad II (Murat), when called from his vice-royalty in Asia MinorAsia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
to become the sovereign of the Ottoman Empire, was only eighteen years of age. He was solemnly recognized as sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
, girded with the sabre of Osman at Bursa and the troops and officers of the state willing paid homage to him as their sovereign.
But his reign was soon troubled by insurrection. The Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
Emperor, released the 'pretender' Mustafa Çelebi
Mustafa Çelebi
Mustafa Çelebi, also called Düzmece Mustafa was an Ottoman prince who struggled for throne in the early years of the fifteenth century - Background :...
(known as Düzmece Mustafa) from confinement and acknowledged him as the legitimate heir to the throne of Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
(1389–1402). The Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II
Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425.-Life:...
, had first secured a stipulation, that Mustafa should, if successful, repay him for his liberation by giving up a large number of important cities. The pretender was landed by the Byzantine galleys in the European dominion of the sultan and for a time made rapid progress. Many Turkish soldiers joined him, he defeated and killed the veteran general Beyazid Pasha whom Murad had sent to fight him. Mustafa defeated Murad's army and declared himself Sultan of Adrianople (modern Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
). He then crossed the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
to Asia with a large army; but the young Sultan showed in this emergency that he possessed military and political abilities worthy of his best ancestors. Mustafa was out-manoeuvered in the middle of the field and his troops, whose confidence in his person and cause he had lost by his violence and incapacity, passed over in large numbers to Murad II. Mustafa took refuge in the city of Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
but the sultan, who was greatly aided by a Genoese
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
commander named Adorno, besieged him there and stormed the place. Mustafa was taken and put to death by the sultan who then turned his arms against the Roman emperor and declared his resolution to punish the Palaiologos
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
for their unprovoked enmity by the capture of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Murad II then formed a new army called Azeb in 1421 and marched through the Byzantine Empire and laid siege to its capital Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. While Murad was besieging the city, the Byzantines, in league with some independent Turkish
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n states, sent the sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
's younger brother Mustafa
Küçük Mustafa
Küçük Mustafa was an Ottoman prince who fought for the throne in 1422. The epithet Küçük means little . It was used by the Ottoman chroniclers to distinguish him from his uncle Mustafa Çelebi who also fought for the throne....
(who was only 13 years old) to rebel against the sultan and besiege Bursa. Murad had to abandon the siege of Constantinople in order to deal with his rebellious brother. He caught Prince Mustafa and executed him. The Anatolian states that had been constantly plotting against him — Aydinids, Germiyanids, Menteshe
Menteshe
The Anatolian beylik of Menteş , with capital in Milas in southwest Anatolia and headquartered in Beçin castle near that city, was one of the frontier principalities established by Oghuz Turkish clans after the decline of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. The Beylik was named after its founder, Menteş Bey...
and Teke
Beylik of Teke
The Anatolian beylik of Teke with its capital at Antalya was one of the frontier principalities established by Oghuz Turkish clans after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. The dynasty started with a split of territories between two brothers of the dynasty ruling the neighboring Beylik of...
— were annexed and henceforth became part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Murad II then declared war against Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, the Karamanid Emirate, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The Karamanids were defeated in 1428 and Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
withdrew in 1432 following the defeat at the second Siege of Thessalonica in 1430. In the 1430s Murad captured vast territories in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and succeeded in annexing Serbia in 1439. In 1441 the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
joined the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n-Hungarian coalition. He relinquished his throne in 1444 to his son Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
but a Janissary
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
revolt in the Empire forced him to return. Murad II won the Battle of Varna
Battle of Varna
The Battle of Varna took place on November 10, 1444 near Varna in eastern Bulgaria. In this battle the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II defeated the Polish and Hungarian armies under Władysław III of Poland and János Hunyadi...
in 1444 against János Hunyadi.
In 1448 he defeated the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
coalition at the Second Battle of Kosovo (the first one took place in 1389). When the Balkan front was secured, Murad II turned east to defeat Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
's son, Shah Rokh
Shah Rukh (Timurid dynasty)
Shāhrukh Mīrzā was the ruler of the eastern portion of the empire established by the Central Asian warlord Timur - the founder of the Timurid dynasty - governing most of Persia and Transoxiana between 1405 and 1447...
, and the emirates of Karamanid and Çorum-Amasya. In 1450 Murad II led his army into Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and unsuccessfully besieged the Castle of Kruje
Krujë
Krujë is a town in north central Albania and the capital of the municipality and the Krujë District. It has a population of about 15,900. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km from the capital of Albania, Tirana....
in an effort to defeat the resistance led by Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440...
. In the winter of 1450–1451, Murad II fell ill, and died in Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
. He was succeeded by his son Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
(1451–81).
Murad II had seven wives:
- Alima Khanum, of the Dulkadiroğlu BeylikAnatolian Turkish Beyliksthumb|350px|Anatolian Turkish Beyliks map.Anatolian beyliks, Turkish beyliks or Turkmen beyliks were small Turkish Muslim emirates or principalities governed by Beys, which were founded across Anatolia at the end of the 11th century in a first period, and more extensively during the decline of the...
; - A daughter of Damad Karaja Pasha
- Yeni Hatun, daughter of Mahmud Bey from AmasyaAmasya- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
; - Valide Sultan Hüma HatunHuma HatunHatice Âlime Hümâ Khātûn , Valide Sultan wife of Murad II and mother of Mehmed II, the Ottoman Sultan was born in the Devrekani county of Kastamonu Province in modern day Turkey...
, born in DevrekaniDevrekaniDevrekani is a town and district of the Kastamonu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 15,855 of which 6,174 live in the town of Devrekani. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of .-External links:*...
county of Kastamonu Kiran province, daughter of Abd'Allah of HumZahumljeZachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
, Huma meaning a girl/woman from Hum, mother of Mehmed the Conqueror; - Tacünnisa Hatice Halime Hatun, daughter of Isfendiyar, the ruler of the Isfendiyarids;
- Mara Hatun (Mara BrankovićMara BrankovicMara Branković , also known as Mara Hatun, Despina Hatun, or Amerissa, was the daughter of Serbian monarch Đurađ Branković and Eirene Kantakouzene...
) the daughter of Đurađ Branković of Serbia http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/17.2/isomverhaaren.html. - Halima Hatun, daughter of Ibrahim II ruler of the Çandaroğlu Türkmen tribe in Anatolia
Further reading
- Babinger, Franz, Mehmed the Conqueror and his Time. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1978. ISBN 0691 0 1078 1
- Harris, Jonathan, The End of Byzantium. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010. ISBN 978 0 30011786 8
- Imber, Colin, The Ottoman Empire. London: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2002. ISBN 0 333 613872