TL question: Ottomans after Interregnum - no 'second founding'?

Mehmed I is credited as the 'second founder' of the Ottoman Empire. He rose out of the strife of the Ottoman Interregnum (1402-1413) and made many military conquests and, more importantly, consolidated those as well as his existing power base such that it paved the way for future successes and vaulted the Empire into regional dominance.

What Wikipedia doesn't make clear is when his string of conquests began. My TL has a much different-looking eastern Europe than OTL and I'd like to expand the narrative south to explore the impact of a stronger Hungary/HRE under Sigismund on the Ottomans. Maybe not killing them in their cradle, but, given that it's about 1418-ish, what can be done to at least slow Mehmed I? Not looking to 'remove kebab' or anything, just a better balance of power in the east.
 
Prolonging the Ottoman interregnum would probably be a good way to halt Mehmed I's consolidation and future expansion. In OTL, Mehmed's brother Mustafa raised a revolt, but was defeated and eventually interned on a Byzantine island in 1416, from where he would be released five years later to start another revolt.

In this scenario, he could be released much earlier; or even fare better in his first revolt and manage to escalate it into another long and devastating civil war. Mustafa had the backing of Wallachia and the bey of Aydin, among others; as well as the more discrete and limited support of Venice, the Byzantine Empire and Serbia. Both Mircea of Wallachia and Stefan of Serbia were vassals and allies of Sigismund's Hungary; and I imagine he'd also see the clear benefits of weakening the Ottomans. As Sigismund is even stronger than in OTL, he should be able to help Mustafa drag the civil war on for years - maybe even help him defeat his brother. Whoever wins, the Ottoman Empire will be crippled, or at least stopped from expanding for a long time.
 
I appreciate the response and that is solid advice, except my TL has already progressed past the OTL end of the Interregnum. Mehmed is already in power, has been for about five years. My question is: what can be done about him now, if anything? I'm not trying to prevent his particular rise to power, just the consequences of his OTL reign---basically the second birth of the Ottoman Empire. I want to hamstring him/them such that hey remain a regions power at best.
 
That's the thing, I believe the above can easily be applied in ~1418 as well, with only small tweaks. At that point, the pretender Mustafa is in interment on the aforementioned Byzantine island (Lemnos). The Byzantines could release him to start another civil war at any moment - the only thing needed is a powerful backer, and your TL's Sigismund seems to be quite qualified for that role.

Even if the pretender is defeated and Mehmed stays around for a while, this civil war could plausibly cripple and shrink the Ottoman Empire. (enlargement of all the Balkan Christian states; secession of one or more Muslim-controlled regions such as Aydin; not to mention the devastation of the war and lingering instability)
 
That's the thing, I believe the above can easily be applied in ~1418 as well, with only small tweaks. At that point, the pretender Mustafa is in interment on the aforementioned Byzantine island (Lemnos). The Byzantines could release him to start another civil war at any moment - the only thing needed is a powerful backer, and your TL's Sigismund seems to be quite qualified for that role.

Even if the pretender is defeated and Mehmed stays around for a while, this civil war could plausibly cripple and shrink the Ottoman Empire. (enlargement of all the Balkan Christian states; secession of one or more Muslim-controlled regions such as Aydin; not to mention the devastation of the war and lingering instability)

Also solid advice. Many thanks to both of you!

Look for an update in a little while.
 
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