| Mehmed III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottoman Caliph Amir al-Mu'minin Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques | |||||
 | |||||
| Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (Padishah) | |||||
| Reign | 16 January 1595 – 22 December 1603 | ||||
| Predecessor | Murad III | ||||
| Successor | Ahmed I | ||||
| Born | 26 May 1566 Manisa Palace, Manisa, Ottoman Empire | ||||
| Died | 22 December 1603 (aged 37) Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire | ||||
| Burial | Hagia Sophia, Istanbul | ||||
| Consorts | Handan Hatun Halime Hatun Fülane Hatun | ||||
| Issue Among others | Şehzade Mahmud Ahmed I Mustafa I | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Ottoman | ||||
| Father | Murad III | ||||
| Mother | Safiye Sultan | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
| Tughra |  | ||||
Mehmed III (Ottoman Turkish: محمد ثالث, Meḥmed-i sālis; Turkish: III. Mehmed; 26 May 1566 – 22 December 1603) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Mehmed was known for ordering the execution of his brothers and leading the army in the Long Turkish War, during which the Ottoman army was victorious at the decisive Battle of Keresztes. This victory was however undermined by some military losses such as in Győr and Nikopol. He also ordered the successful quelling of the Jelali rebellions. The sultan also communicated with the court of Elizabeth I on the grounds of stronger commercial relations and in the hopes of England to ally with the Ottomans against the Spanish.