Murad II facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Murad II
Ghazi
Painting by Paolo Veronese, c. 16th century
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Padishah)
First reign	26 May 1421 – August 1444
Predecessor	Mehmed I
Successor	Mehmed II
Second reign	September 1446 – 3 February 1451
Predecessor	Mehmed II
Successor	Mehmed II
Born	16 June 1404 Amasya, Ottoman Sultanate
Died	3 February 1451(1451-02-03) (aged 46) Edirne, Ottoman Sultanate
Burial	Muradiye Complex, Bursa, Turkey
Consorts	Hatice Halime Hatun Hüma Hatun Mara Hatun Yeni Hatun Hundi Ümmügülsüm Hatun Hatice Hatun
Issue Among others	Mehmed II
Full name Murad bin Mehemmed Han
Dynasty	Ottoman
Father	Mehmed I
Mother	Emine Hatun
Religion	Sunni Islam
Tughra

Murad II (born June 16, 1404 – died February 3, 1451) was a powerful ruler of the Ottoman Empire. He was the sultan twice, first from 1421 to 1444, and then again from 1446 to 1451. During his time as sultan, the Ottoman Empire grew much stronger and richer. Trade increased, and many Ottoman cities became bigger and more important. A traveler in 1432 even said that Murad II had enough money and power to easily invade Europe if he wanted to.

Early Life of Sultan Murad II

Murad was born on June 16, 1404, in Amasya. His father was Sultan Mehmed I. When he was young, Murad lived in Amasya. In 1410, he moved with his father to Edirne, which was the Ottoman capital at the time.

After his father became sultan, Murad was made the governor of the Amasya region. He stayed there until his father, Mehmed I, passed away in 1421. Murad was only sixteen years old when he became the new sultan. The army and officials quickly accepted him as their leader.

Murad II's Reign

First Time as Sultan

Sultan Murad II practicing archery (from a 1584 painting)

Murad's early rule faced many challenges. The Byzantine Emperor, Manuel II Palaiologos, released a man named Mustafa Çelebi. This man claimed to be the rightful heir to the Ottoman throne. Many Ottoman soldiers joined Mustafa, and he even defeated Murad's general, Bayazid Pasha. Mustafa declared himself sultan in Edirne.

However, Murad was a clever leader. He managed to outsmart Mustafa, and many of Mustafa's soldiers switched sides to join Murad. Mustafa tried to hide in the city of Gallipoli, but Murad's army attacked and captured him. Mustafa was then put to death. After this, Murad turned his attention to the Byzantine Emperor. He wanted to punish the Byzantines for helping Mustafa.

In 1421, Murad II formed a new army and began to attack Constantinople. But while he was busy there, the Byzantines and some Turkish states in Anatolia caused more trouble. They encouraged Murad's younger brother, Küçük Mustafa, who was only 13, to rebel. Küçük Mustafa began to attack Bursa. Murad had to stop his attack on Constantinople to deal with his brother. He captured Prince Mustafa and had him executed. Murad then took control of the Anatolian states that had been causing problems.

Murad II then started wars against Venice, the Karamanid kingdom, Serbia, and Hungary. He defeated the Karamanids in 1428. Venice also pulled out of the war in 1432 after losing the city of Thessalonica in 1430. In the 1430s, Murad took over large areas in the Balkans, including Serbia in 1439. In 1441, the Holy Roman Empire and Poland joined forces with Serbia and Hungary against him. But Murad II won a major victory at the Crusade of Varna in 1444.

Stepping Down and Returning

In 1444, Murad II decided to give up his throne to his son, Mehmed II. But a rebellion by the Janissary soldiers forced him to come back and rule again in 1446.

In 1448, he defeated a Christian army at the Second Battle of Kosovo. With the Balkan region secure, Murad II then focused on the east. He fought against Shah Rokh, a son of Timur, and also against the Karamanid and Çorum-Amasya kingdoms. In 1450, Murad II led his army into Albania. He tried to capture the Castle of Krujë but was not successful against the Albanian leader, Skanderbeg.

In the winter of 1450–1451, Murad II became ill and passed away in Edirne. His son, Mehmed II, became the new sultan.

A Ghazi Sultan

When Murad became sultan, he wanted to get back the Ottoman lands that had become independent after his grandfather, Bayezid I, lost the Battle of Ankara in 1402. He needed the support of his people and the nobles. To do this, he used the idea of a ghazi king.

A ghazi was a warrior who fought for Islam. The Ottomans already saw themselves as ghazis. Murad II made sure everyone saw him as a noble Ghazi Sultan. He wanted to unite Muslim power against non-Muslims like the Venetians and Hungarians.

Murad II had old stories and epics translated into Turkish. He studied the actions of brave warriors from these tales. For example, in the story Battalname, a hero prays during a battle and then wins. At the Battle of Varna in 1444, Murad II saw his army struggling. He got off his horse and prayed, just like the hero in the story. Soon after, the battle turned in the Ottomans' favor, and they won.

Murad II also made sure his actions showed he was fair and just. When he captured Thessalonica, he stopped his soldiers from widespread looting. His battles and victories were even collected in a book called "The Ghazas of Sultan Murad." By presenting himself as a simple soldier and a noble ghazi who fought for justice, he gained strong support from Muslims across the Ottoman lands and beyond.

Appearance

A traveler named Bertrandon de la Broquière met Murad II in Adrianople. He described the sultan as "a little, short, thick man, with the face of a Tartar. He has a broad and brown face, high cheek bones, a round beard, a great and crooked nose, with little eyes."

Family

Consorts

Murad II had at least six main partners:

• Hatice Halime Hatun (born around 1410 – died around 1440), daughter of İsfendiyar Bey.
• Hüma Hatun (died September 1449), mother of Mehmed II. Her background is debated, possibly Italian, Jewish, Slavic, or Greek.
• Mara Despina Hatun (born around 1420 – died September 14, 1487), daughter of the Serbian ruler Đurađ Branković. She married Murad in 1435 and remained a Christian. Mehmed II respected her greatly.
• Yeni Hatun, daughter of Şadgeldi Paşahzade Mustafa Bey.
• Hundi Ümmügülsüm Hatun (died February 14, 1486).
• Hatice Hatun, daughter of Taceddin Ibrahim II Bey. She was the mother of Şehzade Küçük Ahmed.

Sons

Murad II was the sultan who gave his sons the special title of Şehzade. This means "descendant of the Shah" and was used for Ottoman princes until the empire ended.

Murad II had at least eight sons:

• Şehzade Ahmed (1419 – 1420), also known as Büyük Ahmed (Ahmed the Elder).
• Şehzade Alaeddin Ali (1425 – June 1443), with Hundi Ümmügülsüm Hatun. He was Murad's favorite son and governor of Manisa and Amasya. He died from a fall from his horse.
• Şehzade Isfendiyâr (1425 – 1425), with Halime Hatun.
• Şehzade Hüseyn (died 1439). He died young.
• Şehzade Orhan (died 1441). He died young.
• Mehmed II (1432 – 1481), with Hüma Hatun. Mehmed became sultan after his father. He was known as Fâtih ("the Conqueror") after he captured Constantinople in 1453.
• Şehzade Hasan (died 1444). He died young.
• Şehzade Ahmed (May 1450 – February 18, 1451), with Hatice Hatun. Also known as Küçük Ahmed (Ahmed the Younger). He was killed on the orders of Mehmed II.

Daughters

Murad II had at least six daughters:

• Hundi Hatun (1423 – ?), with Hundi Ümmügülsüm Hatun.
• Hatice Hatun (1425 – after 1470), with Hüma Hatun.
• Hafsa Hatun (1426 – ?).
• Fatma Hatun (1430 – after 1464), with Hüma Hatun.
• Şahzade Selçuk Hatun (1430 – October 21, 1480).
• Ilaldi Hatun.

Portrayals

Murad II has been shown in several movies and TV shows:

• İlker Kurt played him in the 2012 film Fetih 1453.
• Vahram Papazian played him in the 1953 Albanian movie The Great Warrior Skanderbeg.
• Tolga Tekin played him in the 2020 Netflix series Rise of Empires: Ottoman.
• Teoman Kumbaracibaşı played him in the 2024 series Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı.

Images for kids

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  Painting of Sultan Murad II

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  The Tughra (sultan's signature) of Murad II

See also

In Spanish: Murad II para niños