Bayazid II

Bayazid II (1448-1512), sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1481-1512), son and successor of Muhammad II, the conqueror of Constantinople (present-day İstanbul). His reign, an uninterrupted succession of wars against Hungary, Poland, Venice, Egypt, and Persia, strengthened Ottoman power in Europe. His dependence on the Janissaries, however, did much to entrench their political power. He was finally forced to abdicate in favor of his youngest son, Selim I. A patron of learning and lover of splendor, Bayazid built several magnificent mosques in Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey) and Constantinople. The Mosque of Bayazid, completed in 1505 in Constantinople, is considered one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture.