Murad II

Murad II (Ottoman Turkish: مراد ثانى, romanized: Murād-ı sānī, Turkish: II. Murad; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451.

He succeeded his father, Mehmed I, and spent much of his reign suppressing rebellions and expanding Ottoman territory. He besieged Constantinople in 1422 but had to abandon it as his rebel brother, Küçük Mustafa, invaded Bursa. Later, he annexed several Anatolian states and campaigned against the Karamanids. He fought the Venetians and Hungarians, and gained territory in Greece (1420s–30s), culminating in the capture of Thessalonica, and expanding Ottoman rule in the Balkans (1430s–40s). After briefly abdicating in favor of his son, Mehmed II, he returned to power and helped secure victory at the Battle of Varna in 1444. His reign also saw an increase in trade and the expansion of cities.