Orhan Çelebi (1412 – May 29, 1453) was a prince of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He had four sons: 'Ali Shah, Jahan Shah, Vali Khan, and Buga Khan. Orhan was the grandson of

Süleyman Çelebi Süleyman Çelebi (also Emir Süleyman; d. 17 February 1411) was an Ottoman prince () and a co-ruler of the Ottoman Empire for several years during the Ottoman Interregnum. There is a tradition of western origin, according to which Suleiman the ...

and son of Kasım Çelebi, thus a second cousin and a rival to

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

. Orhan was sent to Constantinople as a hostage and the Ottomans paid tribute to the Byzantines during his time there to keep him out of the way. In 1453 he joined the defence of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

during the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

with about 600 Ottoman defectors by his side. They were charged with defending part of the sea walls, including the harbour of Eptaskalio. There are several tales about exactly how it happened, but after the city had fallen, Orhan was caught and executed while attempting to escape.

References

Ottoman princes 1412 births 1453 deaths 15th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 15th-century Byzantine military personnel Executed people from the Ottoman Empire Fall of Constantinople People executed for treason against the Ottoman Empire People of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars Pretenders to the Ottoman throne {{Royal-stub