Editing Mehmed II (section)

=== Conquest of Trebizond (1460–1461) ===

Emperors of [[Empire of Trebizond|Trebizond]] formed alliances through royal marriages with various Muslim rulers. Emperor [[John IV of Trebizond]] married his daughter to the son of his brother-in-law, [[Uzun Hasan]], sultan of the [[Aq Qoyunlu]] (also known as White Sheep Turkomans), in return for his promise to defend Trebizond. He also secured promises of support from the Turkish [[bey]]s of [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinope]] and [[Karamanid|Karamania]], and from the king and princes of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. The Ottomans were motivated to capture Trebizond or to get an annual tribute. In the time of Murad II, they first attempted to take the capital by sea in 1442, but bad weather made the landings difficult and the attempt was repulsed. While Mehmed II was away laying siege to [[Belgrade]] in 1456, the Ottoman governor of [[Amasya]] attacked Trebizond, and although he was defeated, he took many prisoners and extracted a heavy tribute.

After John's death in 1459, his brother [[David of Trebizond|David]] came to power and intrigued with various European powers for help against the Ottomans, speaking of wild schemes that included the conquest of [[Jerusalem]]. Mehmed II eventually heard of these intrigues and was further provoked to action by David's demand that Mehmed remit the tribute imposed on his brother.

Mehmed the Conqueror's response came in the summer of 1461. He led a sizable army from [[Bursa, Turkey|Bursa]] by land and the Ottoman navy by sea, first to [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinope]], joining forces with Ismail's brother Ahmed (the Red). He captured Sinope and ended the official reign of the Jandarid dynasty, although he appointed Ahmed as the governor of Kastamonu and Sinope, only to revoke the appointment the same year. Various other members of the Jandarid dynasty were offered important functions throughout the history of the Ottoman Empire. During the march to Trebizond, Uzun Hasan sent his mother Sara Khatun as an ambassador; while they were climbing the steep heights of [[Zigana Pass|Zigana]] on foot, she asked Sultan Mehmed why he was undergoing such hardship for the sake of Trebizond. Mehmed replied:

{{blockquote|Mother, in my hand is the sword of Islam, without this hardship I should not deserve the name of ''[[Ghazi warriors|ghazi]]'', and today and tomorrow I should have to cover my face in shame before [[Allah]].{{sfn|Babinger|1992|p=193}}}}

Having isolated Trebizond, Mehmed quickly swept down upon it before the inhabitants knew he was coming, and he placed it [[Siege of Trebizond (1461)|under siege]]. The city held out for a month before the emperor David surrendered on 15 August 1461.