Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s New Test: Between State and Dynasty
Inspired by the echoes of the Battle of Yarmouk, Fatih Sultan Mehmed shapes his grand vision of the “Three Romes” and sets his sights on the Pontus Empire, still holding out along the Black Sea coast. Yet, sensing the looming Ottoman pressure, Pontus Emperor David Komnenos turns to Pope Pius II for support. To win the favor of the West, Komnenos puts forward his most precious bargaining tool: the sacred relics preserved for centuries in the Sumela Monastery. In addition, he seeks to draw Anatolian beyliks into his orbit, opening the doors to new alliances.
In the imperial capital, however, another mystery unfolds. A hidden parchment discovered in the dark depths of Hagia Sophia shakes Sultan Mehmed’s mind. When exposed to heat, its Aramaic inscriptions reveal cryptic signs pointing to the future. To decipher this enigma, Mehmed summons the famous Tokat-born mystic “Deli Lütfi” to Istanbul. The mission, however, is entrusted to an unexpected figure: Vlad Tepes.
Amidst fierce struggles over diplomacy, dynastic marriages, and secret pacts, the power games extend beyond the throne and reach the innermost chambers of the palace. Yet, overshadowing all these intrigues lies Fatih’s greatest trial: Will he choose the survival of the state—or the fate of his own son?
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