Mehmed the conqueror - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography: Mehmed the Conqueror Primary source Freely, John. The Grand Turk: Sultan Mehmet II - Conqueror of Constantinople, Master of an Empire and Lord of Two Seas. london:I B Tauris & Co Ltd. 2009.Secondary sourceElsaie, Adel. Mehmed the Conqueror. 2014. Web. 28 October, 2014. The two sources provide comprehensive history on the life of Mehmed from early age to his major victories in the battle field to his death. Although some of the facts in both sources are exaggerated, some facts about Mehmed early life are accurate (Freely, John p140).

Mehmed was the third son of Ottoman sultan Murad II and was born around 1430 and 1430(both sources estimates his birth year between 1430 and 1432).His accession to the throne was through elimination of any competition from his brothers. He had his brother drowned to make him the only heir to the throne after his father Murad II died. Later, he passed a law that, whichever of his son whom was to inherit his throne must kill his brothers to avoid conflicts and maintaining peace (Elsaie, Adel p180).

Both sources depict Mehmed as the most famous conqueror of the Ottoman Empire. He was a genius statesman and the greatest military leader. His tactics in battles earned him the many victories in the battle field and the title ‘The conqueror’. Mehmed being highly educated by the famous Aksemseddin was a lover of fine art and monumental architecture. The primary source claims that, Mehmed could speak seven languages fluently (Freely, John p380).The sources show the hatred Mehmed had for Christians.

His hatred motivated him to turn to the West and building a fortress on the European side of the Bosporus. This fortress was used to monitor shipping activities of the Black Sea.One theory that emerges from my research is that Mehmed was more of a mythical conqueror/leader. This is influenced by the duration in which the events took place. The time period in which Mehmed ruled was characterised by many mythical assumptions and beliefs. Consequence of this was creating an illusion that Mehmed was more than a human leader.

The second theory is that, Mehmed was ultimately the most creative statesman in Ottoman Empire. This theory is more appropriate since the historical evidence provide prove of the same. Mehmed became a leader at an early age. His geniality in handling state affairs and creativity in battle paved his success in many battles that followed his reign. This theory provides more realistic accounts of the events as they unfolded during Mehmed reign and thus more appropriate for my research.Works CitedFreely, John.

The Grand Turk: Sultan Mehmet II - Conqueror of Constantinople, Master of an Empire and Lord of Two Seas. london:I B Tauris & Co Ltd. 2009.Elsaie, Adel. Mehmed the Conqueror. 2014. Web. 28 October, 2014.