Bajazid Bajazet, or Bayazid. I. An Ottoman sultan, born in 1347, died in 1403. He succeeded his father Amurath I., who was killed at the hour of victory in the battle of Kosovo in 1389, and to prevent any trouble with his family strangled his younger brother. He was incessantly occupied in the first years of his reign in subduing his rebellious subjects or adding to his conquests. In Europe his armies penetrated beyond the Danube, into Wallachia and Hungary, subdued the countries around the Balkan, and devastated parts of Greece. He brought the whole of Asia Minor under the Turkish government. In 1391 he subdued Philadelphia, the last of the Greek cities of Asia, and in 1394 laid siege to Constantinople, continuing it for years. European nations became alarmed at his progress, and Sigis-mund, king of Hungary, with a large army reenforced by a select body of French troops, set out to check his progress; but in 1396 Bajazet utterly routed his army near Nico-polis. He overran the whole of the Morea, but his career of conquest was checked by Tamerlane, who invaded his possessions in Asia Minor. The two conquerors met on the plains of Angora in Galatia with immense armies in 1402, and Bajazet was totally defeated and taken prisoner, and, according to accounts which modern historians do not consider literally true, was carried about in an iron cage till his death.

On account of the rapidity of his movements Bajazet was called Ilderim (the lightning). He was succeeded by Mohammed I. II. An Ottoman sultan, son of Mohammed II., the conqueror of Constantinople, born in 1447, died in 1512. On his father's death in 1481, his brother Zizim disputed the succession. He was defeated, however, and fled to Egypt, and afterward to Rhodes, whence D'Aubusson, the grand master, sent him to France. Bajazet's hatred pursued him in his exile, and is believed to have procured his death by poison. Bajazet was continually engaged in war, with varying success, against the Venetians, the Egyptians, and the Persians. His reign was brought to a close by the rebellion of three of his sons, claimants of the throne, in which Selim, the youngest, was at last successful, and Bajazet abdicated in his favor, and was poisoned by him a few days later. During the reign of Bajazet II. the Venetians obtained the right to appoint a consul at the Sublime Porte, and treaties were concluded with Poland and the czar.