Murad II

Murad II (1404-1451), Sultan (1421-1444 and 1446-1451) of the Ottoman Empire, the son of Muhammad I. Born in Amasya, Murad spent the early years of his reign defeating rival claimants to the throne, who were supported by the Byzantine emperor, and reasserting Ottoman control over areas of western Anatolia that had been lost to the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane at the beginning of the century. In the west, he took Salonica from the Venetians in 1430, but suffered a series of reverses culminating in 1444 when Murad was defeated at the Battle of Jalowaz by an alliance of Christian states. Consequently, he chose to abdicate in favour of his young son Muhammad II. However, he led Ottoman armies to defeat Władysław III of Poland at the Battle of Varna later that year. Under pressure from the government and the Janissaries worried by further crusader activity, Murad returned to the throne in 1446 and in 1448 won a victory over the Hungarian leader János Hunyadi at the Second Battle of Kosovo. He then turned his attention to the east where he defeated Shah Rokh, Tamerlane’s son. Murad died in Edirne.