Ottoman Empire

Absolutely! Let’s expand the timeline to include **Mehmed II**, since his reign overlaps with the early years of Isabella and Ferdinand’s rule and sets the stage for Ottoman-Spanish dynamics in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Here’s the lineup of **Ottoman Sultans** during the reign of **Isabella I of Castile (1474–1504)** and **Ferdinand II of Aragon (1479–1516)**:

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1. 1. 1. **Mehmed II “the Conqueror” (Reigned 1451–1481)**

- **Key Achievement**: Captured Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire and making the Ottomans a truly imperial power. - **Relation to Spain**: While Isabella and Ferdinand were still consolidating their separate thrones, Mehmed was turning the Ottomans into a multi-continental empire. He was a brilliant military strategist and a ruthless reformer. - **Death**: Died in 1481, just as the Catholic Monarchs were beginning to act in unison.

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1. 1. 1. **Bayezid II (Reigned 1481–1512)**

- **Son of Mehmed II**, Bayezid inherited the empire and focused on internal consolidation rather than conquest. - **Diplomatic Relations**: He famously **welcomed the Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492**, dispatching the Ottoman fleet to rescue them from Iberian ports. These Jewish communities brought literacy, trade, and expertise, enriching the empire. - **Famous Quote**: Upon hearing that Spain had expelled its Jews, Bayezid reportedly said:

 > “You call Ferdinand a wise king, he who makes his land poor and ours rich.”  

- **Contextual Importance**: While Spain launched into empire-building in the Americas and finalized the Reconquista with the fall of Granada, Bayezid was fostering a multicultural empire and maintaining Ottoman dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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1. 1. 1. **Selim I “the Grim” (Reigned 1512–1520)**

- **Relation to Spain**: He came to power four years before Ferdinand’s death, so their reigns barely overlap—but significantly. - **Character**: A fierce and militaristic ruler, Selim overthrew his father Bayezid in a bloody conflict. He expanded the empire immensely, defeating the Safavids at Chaldiran (1514), and then conquering the Mamluk Sultanate (1516–1517), bringing **Egypt, Syria, Hejaz, and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina** under Ottoman control. - **Legacy**: He positioned the Ottoman Empire as the **leading Sunni Islamic power**, and his reign marked the beginning of direct Ottoman rivalry with the European empires—including Spain.

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1. 1. 1. Summary Table

| Sultan | Reign | Overlaps with Isabella/Ferdinand | Notable Acts | |----------------|--------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------| | **Mehmed II** | 1451–1481 | Early years | Took Constantinople (1453) | | **Bayezid II** | 1481–1512 | Majority of their joint reign | Welcomed expelled Spanish Jews | | **Selim I** | 1512–1520 | Final years of Ferdinand | Conquered Egypt, claimed caliphate |

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These three sultans—**a conqueror**, **a consolidator**, and **an empire-expander**—represent the evolution of the Ottoman Empire during the same critical era in which Spain transformed itself into a global power under Isabella and Ferdinand. Their overlapping timelines help illuminate the early fault-lines of what would become a fierce Mediterranean rivalry in the 16th century.

Mehmed II “the Conqueror”
Str +1 Sta +2 Dex 0 Qui 0 Int +4 Per +2 Com +2 Will +3 Size +1		Virtue/Flaw Level Strong Leader +3 Educated (Humanist) +2 Wealth (Imperial Resources) +3 Political Genius +2 Enemies (Byzantine Loyalists) -2 Overconfident -3 Personality traits Level Ambitious +5 Cunning +3 Merciless +3 Visionary +4	Skill Level Cost Awareness 3 5 Intrigue (Courts) 5 5 Languages (Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, Turkish) 5 5 Leadership (Military) 6 5 Melee (Sword) 3 5 Scholarship (Classical Texts) 4 5 Speech 3 5 Strategy (Sieges) 6 5

Bayezid II ibn Mehmed ex Criamon
Str 0 Sta +1 Dex 0 Qui +1 Int +4 Per +3 Com +4 Will +4 Size 0		Virtue/Flaw Level Hermetic Prestige +3 Gentle Gift +3 Affinity (Mentem) +1 Affinity (Rego) +1 Educated (Islamic & Hermetic) +2 Puissant Magic Theory +1 Skilled Parens (Mystagogue of Criamon) +1 Visions (Prophetic Dreams) -2 Dark Secret (True Identity Hidden from Order) -3 Dutybound (Ruler of Empire) -2 Personality traits Level Tolerant +4 Wise +3 Patient +3 Mystical +3 Secretive +2	Skill Level Cost Artes Liberales (Logic) 4 5 Awareness 3 5 Code of Hermes (Diplomacy) 3 5 Finesse (Subtle Magic) 4 5 Intrigue (Hermetic Politics) 5 5 Languages (Arabic, Greek, Latin, Turkish, Hebrew) 5 5 Leadership (Scholars & Mages) 4 5 Magic Theory 7 5 Parma Magica 5 5 Penetration (Mentem) 4 5 Philosophiae (Alchemy) 4 5 Speech 4 5 Theology (Mystical Islam) 3 5
lvl Animal 3 Aquam 4 Auram 4 Corpus 6 Herbam 4 Ignem 3 Imagonem 5 Mentem 9 Terram 4 Vim 7 Creo 5 8 9 9 11 9 8 10 14 9 12 Intelligo 6 9 10 10 12 10 9 11 15 10 13 Muto 4 7 8 8 10 8 7 9 13 8 11 Perdo 4 7 8 8 10 8 7 9 13 8 11 Rego 7 10 11 11 13 11 10 12 16 11 14

Selim I “the Grim”
Str +2 Sta +2 Dex 0 Qui +2 Int +3 Per +2 Com +1 Will +4 Size +1		Virtue/Flaw Level Strong-Willed +3 Caliph by Right of Conquest +3 Zealous (Sunni Orthodoxy) +2 Terrifying Reputation +2 Paranoid -3 Violent Temper -2 Personality traits Level Ruthless +5 Pious +3 Determined +4 Brooding +2	Skill Level Cost Awareness 3 5 Intimidation (Court) 5 5 Languages (Arabic, Turkish, Persian) 4 5 Leadership (Fear) 5 5 Speech 2 5 Theology (Sunni Orthodoxy) 4 5 Warfare (Cavalry, Desert Campaigns) 6 5