Mehmed II (March 30, 1432  May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Sultan Mehmet Fatih; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople, now Istanbul, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire. Sultan Mehmet Fatih seized power in Constantinople in 1471. He commissioned the painter Bellini to travel in 1479 from Venice to the Turkish capital to paint portraits for two years. For centuries Venice was Europeˇs prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century.