Paolo Veronese (Nachfolger) – Sultan Murad II. – 2237 – Bavarian State Painting Collections. Wikimedia

10 Fascinating Facts about Murad II


 

File:Sultan Murad II Sahand Ace.jpg

Sultan Murad II. Wikimedia Commons

Murad II was the 6th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The empire is in present-day Turkey and forms part of Turkish political history. Murad II was born on 16th June 1404 in Amasya.

He is the descendant of Celebi Mehmed his father and Emine Hatun his mother. He inherited the empire from his father who was the 5th Sultan.

He spent his early childhood in Amaya after which he moved to Ottoman in 1410 with his father. When they came to Ottoman in 1410, his father pursued and ascended to the throne becoming Sultan.

Murad inherited the throne in1421 after his father’s death. He ascended the throne at 16 years of age and began his reign as the Sultan.

Below are 10 interesting facts about Murad II

1. Murad II was First the Governor of Amasya Sanjak

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Sultan Murad II at archery practice. Hazine 1523, folio 138a (Detail). Wikimedia Commons

Murad was first appointed the governor of Amasya Sanjak by his father. When his father, Mehmed 1 ascended to the throne of the Ottoman Empire he made Murad the governor of Amasya.

Murad II remained the governor until his father died in 1421 before he succeeded him as Sultan. He was recognized as Sultan at the age of 16.

He was handed the sword of Osman at Bursa where the officers of the empire and troops paid homage and recognized him as Sultan.

2. He was Nicknamed The Conqueror

Murad II was nicknamed the conqueror as a result of the battles he had won. He reigned at a time when the economic status of the Ottoman was in dire need of rejuvenation. 

Murad excelled and conquered both politically and economically. The trade is said to have increased exceptionally and the Ottoman cities expanded considerably.

In 1432 he had raised the revenue of the Ottoman to 2,500,000 ducats. Some of the travelers noted that he was making a lot of revenue with little resources and he could easily invade Europe if he continued to flourish.

3. He faced Opposition from Pretender Mustafa.

The reign of Murad II was greatly troubled and threatened by pretender Mustafa. Mustafa was released as a pretender by the Byzantine Emperor so that he may repay him when he is successful.

The pretender was handed Byzantine galleys in European dominion and that made him progress. Many Turkish soldiers joined him in his course and began to grow his army which grew rapidly.

One time Murad sent his army to pursue Mustafa but he defeated them and declared himself Sultan of Adrianople. During the battle with Mustafa, Murad out-maneuvered him and many of his armies joined Murad.

Mustafa was forced to take refuge but Murad pursued him and besieged him. Murad then took him and put him to death taking all of his armies. 

4. He was a Successful Sovereign

Sultan Murad II at archery practice (miniature painting from 1584). Painting sourced from Wikimedia

When Murad II ascended to power, most of the territories had been taken as a result of defeat in battles. However, he was dedicated to taking back the territories of Ottoman lost at the hand of Timur in 1402.

He, therefore, established his army called Azap in 1421. Murad then matched with his army to besiege and take back the Byzantine Empire. He waged war and was successful in defeating the Karamanid in 1428.

In the 1430s he won many battles and acquired vast territories in Balkans and also succeeded in winning Serbia in 1439. 1n 1444 he won the Battle of Varna.

5. Murad II Executed his Young Brother

Murad II executed his own younger brother who was 13 years old. He had matched his army and laid siege to Constantinople while his brother Mustafa was besieging Bursa.

Mustafa was sent to besiege Bursa by the Byzantines to rebel against his brother and distract him from his mission.

As a result, Murad abandoned his mission to siege Constantinople to deal with his rebellious brother.  He caught Mustafa and executed him.

6. He Married 4 Wives.

Murad II married four wives who are known. The four wives were: Yeni Hatuna, Sultan Hatun, Huma Hatun, and Mara Hatun

Huma Hatun was the mother of Mehmed II who inherited the empire from Murad II. Sultan Hatun was remarried after the death of her husband, Murad II 1n 1451. She was remarried by the obligation of Mehmed II.

7. Murad II Was a Sunni Islam

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Sultan Murad II, portrait from a 19th-century manuscript. Sourced from  Wikimedia Commons

Murad II was a staunch Islam who even pursued and killed Christians in the battle. He portrayed himself as the Ghazi Sultan and was determined to consolidate the power of Muslims against non-Muslim.

He served as the master and protector of the Muslim while he fought against the non-Muslims. However, his pursuit to fight the non-Muslim was backed by fellow Muslims and not the Ottoman community.

8. He Reigned Twice

Murad II reigned first from 1421 to 1444 when he decided to retire and leave the throne to his son Mehmed II. He did this to avoid riots later about his succession by both his sons Orhan Celebi and Mehmed II.

Orhan was backed by the Byzantines and could cause chaos within the empire. However, Murad II was forced to assume back to the throne in 1446 because the Janniseries rioted against the young Sultan.

He returned to Edirne City and re-took the throne and the riots ceased. He then reigned till he died in 1451.

9. He Died in Edirne

Murad II died on 3rd February 1451 in Edirne. This was in the time when he had failed in his effort to besiege the Castle of Kruje. The castle had formed a resistance against the sultan led by Skanderbeg.

It was in the winter of 1450- 1451 when Murad II fell sick and died in Edirne. After his death, his body was taken to Barsa where it was buried in his mausoleum.

10. He was succeeded by his Son

Mehmed the Second, portrait by Paolo Veronese. Wikimedia

Mehmed, the son of Murad II assumed his throne after his death in 1451. This was the second time he was becoming a sultan since he had reigned from 1444- 1446.

Murad II had prepared his son early enough for the task ahead by sending him teachers to teach him how to lead and win.

In the succession, Mehmed murdered his half-brother to eliminate the matter of contention that had earlier led to civil war in the Ottoman dynasty.

 

Murad II was successful in his reign and succeeded in battles as well as gathering armies and making allies. He raised the economic and political status of the Ottoman cities.

His army was vast and was able to conquer many territories at the time. He was also a staunch Muslim believer who was willing to fight for his religion and was crowned the protector and master of Islam.

He was an impactful and remarkable leader who excelled in his time.

 

 

 

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