March 30, 1432 - Edirne - Mehmed II is born of a concubine named Hüma Hatun
January(?) 1(?), 1435 - Amasya - Mehmed is sent to Amasya where his brother was governor. His brother dies in 1437
June(?) 1(?), 1439 - Edirne - Mehmed and his half-brother Aladdin Ali are called to Edirne. Sultan Murad has them circumcised and festivities last for 7 days. Mehmed is designated Governor of Manisa
January(?) 1(?), 1443 - Amasya - Mehmed is sent to Amasya to govern and gain experience
June 1(?), 1443 - Aladdin Ali is killed by his advisor, Kara Hizir Pasha, who also killed another two sons of the Prince. He is executed, although some say that the intention was to pave way to Mehmed
May 22, 1444 - Edirne - Mehmed participates on an audience given by Sultan Murad to a genoese commercial mission
June 12, 1444 - Edirne - Mehmed participates on an audience given by Sultan Murad to four ambassadors from the West
December(?) 1(?), 1444 - Edirne - Sultan Murad surprises his court, announcing that he abdicated in favour of his 12 year-old son Mehmed =(START)
February 23, 1446 - Edirne - The venetians sign a peace treaty with Mehmed, trying to take advantage of his youth
April 1(?), 1446 - Edirne - The Janissaries demand a pay increase. When their demand is denied, they storm and burn Edirne Market, after which Mehmed accepts their demand, opening a dangerous precedent for the next centuries
May 5, 1446 - Edirne - Mehmed's father, Murad, reassumes the Throne, as Mehmed was considered unready and unpopular
September 1(?), 1446 - Manisa - Mehmed retires to Manisa, as his father Murad reassumes the position of Sultan, continually persuaded by Çandarlı Halil Paşa, who thought the young Mehmed too immature to govern
December 3, 1447 - Manisa - Mehmed becomes a father, when his greek concubine gives birth to the future Bayezid II
October(?) 1(?), 1448 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Murad departs from Sofia with Mehmed to meet Corvinus in battle
October 17, 1448 - Kosovo Polje - Battle of Kosovo Polje against Corvinus - Mehmed commands the ottoman right flank - his first battle
October 20, 1448 - Kosovo Polje - End of the Battle of Kosovo Polje - Ottoman victory
January(?) 1(?), 1449 - Manisa - Mehmed returns to Manisa and keeps sending his filibusters to harass the venetian possessions in the Aegean
September 1(?), 1449 - (while in Manisa) - Hüma Hatun, Mehmed's mother, dies in Bursa
May 14, 1450 - Krujë, Albania - Murad and Mehmed lay siege to Krujë
September 1(?), 1450 - Edirne - Mehmed is forced to marry the turkoman princess Sitti Hatun
October 26, 1450 - Krujë - Murad is forced to lift the siege because of the arriving winter and Skanderbeg's tenacious defence
February 8, 1451 - Manisa - In Edirne, Sultan Murad dies of a apoplexy after a drinking session
February 10(?), 1451 - Akşehir - Mehmed receives envoys from Ibrahim Bey, pleading for forgiveness and peace, and offering the hand of one of his daughters
February 12(?), 1451 - Bursa - Mehmed arrives in Bursa, where the janissaries storm out to meet him, demanding a gift of money. Mehmed swallowed his rage and ordered tem sacks of aspers distributed among the mutineers
February 17, 1451 - Kocaeli - With Gelibolu blockaded by Christian ships, Mehmed crosses the Bosphorus near the Castle of Akçe Hisar and is welcomed by the Ottoman Court and the people of the surroundings
February 18, 1451 - Edirne - Mehmed arrives in Edirne and is acclaimed Sultan
September 10, 1451 - Edirne - Mehmed receives the Venetian ambassador and renews the Peace Treaty with the Republic
November 20, 1451 - The Ottoman empire concludes a 3-year truce with János Hunyadi
January(?) 1(?), 1452 - Constantinople - Orban, an hungarian cannon founder, arrives in Constantinople to seek his fortunes at the imperial court
April 15, 1452 - Rumeli Hisari (13km from Constantinople) - The Fortress of Rumeli Hisari starts being built on the european side of the Bosphorus
August(?) 1(?), 1452 - Edirne - After being destituted in by lack of money, Orban arrives in Edirne to seek to offer his services to Mehmed II. Mehmed asked if he could cast a cannon to project a stone ball large enough to smash the walls at Constantinople. Orban’s reply was emphatic: “I can cast a cannon of bronze with the capacity of the stone you want. I have examined the walls of the city in great detail. I can shatter to dust not only these walls with the stones from my gun, but the very walls of Babylon itself.” Mehmed ordered him to make the gun.
August 31, 1452 - Rumeli Hisari - The Fortress is completed and Orban's cannon installed in one of the towers. Soon, the first venetian ship is sunk
November 15(?), 1452 - Didymoteichon, Greece, South of Edirne - Another venetian ship is sunk by Orban's cannon. The captain, Antonio Rizzo and his crew are taken to Mehmed, who has him impaled and all crew beheaded, so that travellers saw and could take the news to Constantinople
January 1(?), 1453 - Edirne - Orban shows Mehmed a Huge cannon, twice as big as the one in Rumeli Hisari, capable of shooting a 550kg stone ball up to 2,000 meters of range
March 1(?), 1453 - Gelibolu (Gallipoli) - Mehmed starts assembling a fleet in Gallipoli
April 6, 1453 - Constantinople - The Siege of Constantinople begins
Mehmed II enters into Constantinople
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June 1, 1453 - Istanbul - Mehmed II participates of the first muslim prayer in the Haghia Sofia, with an improvised wooden minaret
June 19(?), 1453 - Istanbul - Mehmed departs to Edirne and announces that Constantinople would be is capital, henceforth renamed as Istanbul
April 18, 1454 - Istanbul - Mehmed receives the venetian ambassador, Bartolomeo Marcello and sign a Treaty with the Republic
September 24, 1454 - Leskovac, Serbia - Battle of Leskovac - The serbs score a decisive victory over the Ottomans
October 2, 1454 - Kruševac - Battle of Kruševac - Decisive Serbian Victory
March(?) 15(?), 1455 - Edirne - The ottoman army marches to establish control over the area of Kosovo
March(?) 25(?), 1455 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Passage through Sofia
April(?) 1(?), 1455 - Kyustendil, W.Bulgaria - The army marches west to Kyustandil
April(?) 8(?), 1455 - Kratovo, E. of Skopje, Macedonia - Mehmed II joins forces with Isa Bey, who advises him to attack the mountain city of Novo Brdo at once
April 23, 1455 - Novo Brdo (east of Prishtina), Kosovo - Mehmed II lays siege to Novo Brdo, a rich mining city for silver
June 1, 1455 - Novo Brdo - Campaing in Kosovo - Mehmed takes Novo Brdo after a siege of 40 days. According with Konstantin Mihailović, a serbian-born janissary, "the Sultan stood at the small gate of the castle and sorted the boys from the girls. He then sorted the women on one side of a ditch, and the men on the other. He then ordered all men of any distinguished rank or importance decapitated. The young women and girls, some 700 of them, were taken and married off to soldiers and Ottoman commanders". Following this, the young boys, some 320 of them including Mihailović and his two brothers, were taken to be trained as members of the janissaries
January 24, 1456 - Enez (Northwest of Galipoli) - Mehmed and his janissaries take Enez
July 4, 1456 - Belgrade, Serbia - The ottoman siege of Belgrade begins
July 21, 1456 - Belgrade - Mehmed orders an all-out assault to Belgrade during all the night
July 22, 1456 - Belgrade - The defeated ottoman army lifts the siege
September(?) 1(?), 1456 - Istanbul(?) - Mehmed returns to Istanbul(?)
April(?) 1(?), 1457 - Edirne - Two-month long circumcision festivities held for Mehmed II's sons Bayezid and Mustafa
April 1(?), 1458 - Edirne(?) - Mehmed departs for conquest in Greece
May 15, 1458 - Corinth Isthmus - Mehmed II crosses the Corinth Isthmus
June 1(?), 1458 - Athens, Greece - The last defenders of Athens surrender
August 2, 1458 - Corinth - Corinthian defenders surrender
October(?) 1(?), 1458 - Skopje, Macedonia - Mehmed arrives from the Peloponnese to join Mahmud Pasha
June 20, 1459 - Smederevo, Serbia - Mehmed captures Smederevo
December 2, 1459 - Istanbul - Mehmed's concubine Çiçek gives birth to his son Jem, the first born in Istanbul
May 1(?), 1460 - Edirne - Mehmed assembles an army to intervene in the Peloponnese, where a civil war was going on
June(?) 1(?), 1460 - Mistra | Gardiki, Peloponnese - Mehmed II marches straight into Mistra, where the despot Lord Demetrius was…Demetrius has no alternative but to surrender to the Sultan, who takes possession of Mistra and imprisons Demetrius. Mehmed then continues to conquer the rest of the Peloponnesos. When he captures the byzantine fortress of Gardiki, The 6,000 people inside are massacred as a warning
August 15, 1461 - Trebizond - Mehmed takes possession of Trebizond
October 6, 1461 - Istanbul - Mehmed returns to Istanbul
April 26, 1462 - Istanbul - Mehmed departs for Wallachia with 150,000 men
June 4, 1462 - Nikopol, Bulgaria-Romania border - The Ottoman army crosses the Danube at Nikopol
June 17, 1462 - Between Nikopol and Târgoviste, Romania - Vlad Ţepeş attacks the turkish camp but fails to murder Mehmed II
June 20(?), 1462 - South of Tîrgoviste - According with historians, Mehmed is sickened by the sight of Vlad Tepes' "forest of the impaled" - 20,000 men, women and children on stakes, and moves away from Tîrgoviste
June 29, 1462 - Brăila, Romania - Mehmed reaches Brăila and burns it down
July 11, 1462 - Edirne - Mehmed returns to Edirne, after campaing in Wallachia
July 12, 1462 - Edirne - Turks call for a celebration for their "Great victory" over Vlad Ţepeş. In Wallachia they enslaved many of the local inhabitants, which they marched on their way south together with 200,000 cattle and horses.
August(?) 1(?), 1462 - Mitilene, Lesbos - Mehmed accompanies Mahmud Pasha to lay siege to Mitilene (which surrenders after 15 days)
March 26, 1463 - Istanbul - Mehmed orders the arrest of David Comneno, last byzantine emperor and governor of Trebizond
May 19, 1463 - Bobovac, NW of Sarajevo, Bosnia - The ottomans lay siege to Bobovac
May 21, 1463 - Bobovac - Bobovac is taken
November 1, 1463 - Istanbul - Mehmed has David Comneno executed
December(?) 1(?), 1463 - Istanbul - Mehmed spends the winter in Istanbul with gout
April(?) 1(?), 1464 - Lamia, Greece - Following behind his grand Vizier's army, Mehmed receives the news of ottoman success in Morea, in the south, so he decided to move his army north, to Bosnia
July 10, 1464 - Jajce, Bosnia - Mehmed lays siege to Jajce
August 24, 1464 - Jajce, Bosnia - Mehmed lifts siege and departs with his army to Sofia
October(?) 1(?), 1465 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mehmed reaches Sofia
April(?) 1(?), 1465 - Istanbul - Mehmed moves in to the new Topkapi Palace
April 1(?), 1466 - Istanbul - Mehmed sets out for a second campaign in Albânia
April 30(?), 1466 - Albania - Mehmed enters in Albania
June 1(?), 1466 - Krujë, Albania - Mehmed lay siege to Krujë
June(?) 15(?), 1466 - Elbasan, Albania - Mehmed retires with his army to Elbasan, 50km south, to build a fortress
September(?) 25(?), 1466 - Northern Bulgaria, between Nikopolis and Vidin - Instead of returning to Edirne, Mehmed moves to the Mountains north of Bulgaria, where the region was free from the Plague
October 9, 1466 - Northern Bulgaria, between Nikopolis and Vidin - According with historians, Mehmed was still in the Mountains north of Bulgaria by this date
December 21(?), 1466 - Istanbul - Mehmed returns to Istanbul, now clear of the epidemic, to spend the Winter
April 23, 1467 - Krujë, Albania - The ottoman army lifts the siege to Krujë and withraws from Albania
December(?) 21(?), 1467 - Northern Bulgaria, between Nikopolis and Vidin - Again, Mehmed and the ottoman army move to northern Bulgaria to spend the winter and avoid the Plague
April(?) 1(?), 1468 - Istanbul - Mehmed and his army return to Istanbul
November 30(?), 1468 - Istanbul - Mehmed returns again after campaign
December 21(?), 1468 - Northern Bulgaria, between Nikopolis and Vidin - Mehmed quickly departs to northern Bulgaria to avoid the Plague once more
June 15, 1470 - Negroponte (Chalkis), Euripus Strait - The ottoman fleet of 300 to 400 sails arrives in Negroponte and starts landing troops
June 18, 1470 - Negroponte (Chalkis), Euripus Strait - Mehmed arrives with his army in Negroponte
June 25, 1470 - Negroponte (Chalkis), Euripus Strait - After his terms are not agreed, Mehmed orders the attack to the genoese fortress
July 12, 1470 - Negroponte (Chalkis), Euripus Strait - The Ottomans take Negroponte
September 4, 1470 - Istanbul - Mehmed and his army return to Istanbul
August 25, 1472 - Istanbul - Mehmed returns to Istanbul, despite the presence of the Plague
September 20, 1472 - Edirne - Mehmed declares the mobilization of Ottoman troops in Romelia
October 12, 1472 - Üsküdar - Mehmed, his pashas and his army arrive in Üsküdar, through the Bosphorus
April 13, 1473 - Istanbul - Mehmed leaves Istanbul, planning to invade Moldavia from land and sea
August 1, 1473 - Erzincan - The ottomans suffer a setback near the important fortress of Erzincan
August 8, 1473 - Otlukbeli, Erzincan - Mehmed II defeats Uzun Hasan at the Battle of Otlukbeli
January(?) 1(?), 1474 - Istanbul - Mehmed spends the year of 1474 in Topkapi Palace, after the campaign against Uzun Hasan
June 1(?), 1474 - Istanbul - Mustafa, Mehmed's favourite son, dies in Bor, near Nigde. Ressentment rises against Mahmud Pasha, whom Mehmed held responsible for his son's death
July 18, 1474 - Istanbul - Mahmud Pasha is executed by strangulation
September 1(?), 1474 - Sofia, Bulgaria - The Ottoman army starts gathering in Sofia
November(?) 1(?), 1474 - Vidin | Nikopol - The Ottoman army crosses the frozen Danube on foot and enter into Wallachia
November(?) 15(?), 1474 - Wallachia - After two weeks resting in Wallachia, Mehmed's army is joined by 17,000 wallachians under Basarab Laiota
December 1(?), 1474 - Moldavia - Mehmed enters in Moldavia
January 10, 1475 - near Vaslui - Battle of Vaslui - Decisive moldavian victory
May 1(?), 1475 - Istanbul - Plague appears in Istanbul again. Mehmed II, suffering from gout, has his court moved to the mountains
June 1(?), 1475 - Between Edirne and Kirklareli - Mehmed begins a period of 3 months in seclusion on a hill
September 25(?), 1475 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria - Mehmed moves further west to Plovdiv
October 1(?), 1475 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mehmed moves to Sofia, where he spends the month of October
December 21(?), 1475 - Vize - Once more, Mehmed spends the Winter out of Istanbul to avoid the Plague
April(?) 1(?), 1476 - Edirne(?) - Mehmed leads an expedition against Count Stefan of Moldavia
July 26, 1476 - Războieni, Romania - Battle of Războieni - Ottoman victory
August 30(?), 1476 - Târgu Neamț - Stephen Báthory and Vlad Dracula break into Moldavia, forcing Mehmed II to lift the siege of the fortress at Târgu Neamț
January(?) 1(?), 1477 - Istanbul - Mehmed stays in Topkapi Palace during 1477
July 2, 1478 - Shkoder, Albania - Mehmed arrives in Shkoder, from Krüje, and joins Mesih Pasha and Daud Pasha
July 30, 1478 - Shkoder - Mehmed is persuaded by his general council to halt the attacks. Mehmed agrees in August
September 1, 1478 - Drisht - The ottomans use their artillery and capture Drisht. 300 captives are taken to Shkoder and executed
September 1(?), 1479 - Istanbul - Gentile Bellini, a venetian painter, arrives in Istanbul as a cultural ambassador, but also to paint the portrait of Sultan Mehmed II
November 25, 1480 - Istanbul - Mehmed II has his portrait completed, by Gentile Bellini
December(?) 1(?), 1480 - Istanbul - Mehmed spends the winter in Istanbul. Rumours spread in Istanbul about his poor health
April 25, 1481 - Üsküdar - Mehmed crosses the Bosphorus and starts assembling an army in Üsküdar
Prince Jem and Sultan Mehmed II. Unknown italian painter.
Title portrait on top by Gentile Bellini, 1480 |
May 3, 1481 - Gebze - Mehmed II dies of intestinal blockade, aged 49 =(END)