How did a small principality born on the shores of the Marmara Sea transform into the last magnificent empire of the Mediterranean, expanding across three continents in less than 150 years? In the second volume of The Saga of the Turks, master historian İlber Ortaylı continues the epic narrative of a people who reshaped the global balance of power.

Readers are invited to witness the grand century of Turkish history—the transformative 15th century. The book delves into the mind of Mehmed the Conqueror, a brilliant Renaissance monarch known as the "Sovereign of the Two Lands and the Two Seas." Under his reign and those of his successors, the Ottoman military evolved into the world's most formidable army, seamlessly blending cutting-edge Renaissance technology with traditional Asian tactical mastery to establish what was essentially the Third and final Roman Empire.

"There is no ancient world nation or country in today's civilized world that can write its history without the Turks," Ortaylı asserts. By examining the shared past of over twenty modern nations across Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa, this volume proves that understanding Turkish history is absolutely essential to understanding world history. From the steppes of Anatolia to the heart of Europe, this is an indispensable bedside book for history enthusiasts of all ages.