Murad II

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Murad II (1404 – February 3, 1451) (Arabic: مراد الثاني) 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 Christians of the Balkans and the Turkish emirates in Anatolia, a conflict lasting for 25 years. He was brought up in Amasya, and ascended the throne on the death of his father.

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Biography

Murad II, when called from his vice-royalty in Asia Minor to become the sovereign of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, was only eighteen years of age. He was solemnly recognized as Sultan, and girt with the sabre of Osman, at Brusa; and the troops and officers of the state paid willing homage to him as their sovereign.

But his reign was soon troubled by insurrection. The Greek Emperor, despising the youth of Murad II, 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); having first stipulated with him that he should if successful, repay the Greek Emperor for his liberation by cessation of a large number of important cities. The pretender was landed by the Byzantine galleys in the European domination of the Sultan, and for a time made rapid progress. Large bodies of the Turkish soldiers joined him, and he defeated and killed the veteran general Beyazid Pasha, whom Murad II had sent to fight him. Mustafa defeated Murad II'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 possesseted military and political abilities worthy best of his ancestors. Mustafa was out-maneuvered in the mid the field and his troops, whose his person and confidence cause he had lost by his violence and incapacity, passed over large numbers to Murad II. Mustafa took refuge in the city of Gallipoli but the Sultan, who was greatly aided Genoese commandant named Adorno, besieged him there, and stormed the place. Mustafa was taken and put to death the Sultan then turned his arms against the Greek Emperor, and declared his resolution to punish this unprovoked enmity of Paleaogus by the capture of Constantinople.

Murad II then formed a new army called Azeb in 1421, and marching through the Byzantine Empire, laid siege to their capital Constantinople.

Whilst besieging that city, the Byzantines, in league with some independent Turkish Anatolian states, sent the Sultan's younger brother Mustafa (who was only 13 years old) to rebel against the Sultan and besiege Bursa. Murad II 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 — Aydin, Germian, Mentese and Teke were annexed and henceforth became part of the Ottoman Empire.

Murad II then went to 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 Salonika in 1430. In the 1430s Murad captured huge territories in the Balkans and succeeded in annexing Serbia in 1439. In 1441 the Holy Roman Empire, Poland and Albania joined the Serbian-Hungarian coalition. Murad II won the Battle of Varna in 1444 against János Hunyadi but lost the Battle of Jalowaz and was forced to abdicate.

In 1446 he regained command at the interference of the janissaries and in 1448 he crushed 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 advanced his army into Albania and laid an unsuccessful siege to the castle of Kruje in efforts to defeat the sporatic resistance lead by Skanderbeg. In the winter of 1450–1451, Murad II became ill, and died in Edirne. He was then was succeeded by his son Mehmed II (1451–81).

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