Mahmut II

Mahmut II (lived 1785—1839, reigned 1808—1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms, including the disbandment (destruction) of the conservative Janissary Corps, which had been a constant obstacle to his and his predecessors’ attempts to reform and modernize the Empire. His reign was also marked by military defeat and loss of territory as a result of nationalist uprisings and European intervention.