Mehmed I

Mehmed I Çelebi (nicknamed Kirisci, "the Executioner") (1389 – May 26, 1421) was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was one of the sons of Beyazid I.

Related Topics:
1389 - May 26 - 1421 - Ottoman Empire - Beyazid I

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When Timur Lenk defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara and captured Beyazid, a civil war broke out in the empire, called the Ottoman Interregnum. Mehmed gained some lands in Anatolia, which at the time gave him access to the largest source of manpower in the Ottoman lands. Mehmed supported his brother Musa in the overthrow and murder of their eldest sibling, Suleiman of Rumelia in 1410. When Musa's harsh and arbitrary rule made enemies at home as well as abroad, Mehmed made an alliance with the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus. With access to the Dardanelles, Mehmed quickly overran Thrace and had Musa killed.

Related Topics:
Timur Lenk - Battle of Ankara - Ottoman Interregnum - Anatolia - Rumelia - 1410 - Byzantine - Manuel II Palaeologus - Dardanelles - Thrace

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When Mehmed stood as victor in 1413, he crowned himself sultan in Adrianople (Edirne). He restored the empire, moved the capitol from Bursa to Adrianople, and conquered parts of Albania, the Turkish emirate Candaroglu, and the Christian Kingdom of Cilicia. However, as part of the alliance, Mehmed recognized the Byzantine Emperor as his "father and overlord" and remained uncharacteristically loyal—which must count as the last diplomatic triumph of the Byzantine Empire.

Related Topics:
1413 - Adrianople - Edirne - Bursa - Albania - Turkish - Candaroglu - Christian - Cilicia

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Mehmed died in 1421.

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