During his youth, he was heavily influenced by fellow academics and their work in Islamic epistemology. One notable teacher/mentor that played a major role in Mehmed’s life was Muhammad Shams al-Din bin Hamzah who was al-Fatih’s tutor and advisor influencing him from a young age. He also inspired Muhammad to do the impossible, to conquer what had been the most powerful city in the world at that time, that is Constantinople. The seed had been planted and Muhammad al-Fatih dedicated his youth to prepare for what came to be the most important achievement in his life, defeating the Byzantine Empire and conquering Constantinople.