Person

Mahmud II

1785–1839 · 19th century

Mahmud II was Ottoman sultan from 1808 to 1839. He centralised the empire, destroying the Janissary corps in 1826 and breaking the power of provincial notables such as the Bushati pashas of Scutari in 1831. His reign also saw Greek independence and the revolt of Muhammad Ali of Egypt.

Mahmud II
Image: Henry Guillaume Schlesinger · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Pashalik of ScutariPashalik of Yanina

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mahmud II. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahmud-ii
MLA
“Mahmud II.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahmud-ii. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mahmud II.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahmud-ii.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mahmud II’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahmud-ii (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻