Mehmed The Conqueror: More Than A Bright Field Marshal
7th Ottoman Sultan s sophisticated character and achievements in many domains make his legacy long lasting. Mehmed II is pertinently recognized as Mehmed the Conqueror in the world, and Abu al-Feth (The Father of the Conquest) in the wider Islamic world, owing to his conquest of Istanbul, which was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and one of the cultural, economic, political and religious center cities of the world.
His conquest of Istanbul on May 29, 1453, a milestone in the history of the Ottoman Empire and world history, has remained what made him be remembered for hundreds of years. However, his achievements in many other domains as builder, administrator, visionary, a man of letters, science enthusiast and patron of art should be overshadowed by his brilliant military campaigns that extended the empire as far as southern Italy in the west, Crimea peninsula
Reviews “This reader is the work of a selfless and dedicated scholar whose volume provides us with a rich set of texts, translations and discussions of the myriad of voices that were present at the end of the Ottoman Empire. Each vying for a different intellectual and political position, these Ottoman thinkers gave speeches, wrote volumes and engaged in the unique transformation of the empire. Ahmet Seyhun has produced a remarkable volume that we will all consult for years to come for its invaluable contributions to the field of Ottoman intellectual history.” – Karen Barkey, Haas Distinguished Chair of Religious Diversity and Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, USA,