Mehmed II was the great-grandfather of Suleiman the Magnificent in a direct male line.
One of the most famous sultans in history, next to the Suleiman the Magnificent, Mehmed II the Conqueror became the Ottoman Sultan on this day. In fact, Mehmed II the Conqueror was the great-grandfather of Suleiman the Magnificent in a direct male line.
Mehmed is especially known for conquering Constantinople (today Istanbul), what was one of the most important triumphs in the history of Ottoman Empire. Just to mention, before Constantinople was conquered, the Ottoman capital was the city Edirne, or Hadrianopolis in Latin. This former capital is today situated close to the Turkish-Greek border.
It is interesting that Ottoman sultans were not crowned upon coming to the throne. Instead, the Sword of Osman was girded on to the new sultan. This tradition originated from the first Turkish sultan – Osman – from which the name Ottoman Empire and the name of the ruling dynasty was derived. Unlike European royalty who were crowned, Ottoman sultans were girded with a sword which was symbolic and showed that their role was first and foremost that of a warrior.
