TODAY ONLY
May 28
Constantinople Falls to Ottoman Turks
On this day in 1453, Constantinople, capital of the once-powerful Christian Roman Empire, fell to the Ottoman Empire. The defense of the city was led by Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus; the attack was led by the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II. The conquest of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire.
Background Info. The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern part of the Roman empire, a leftover from the breakup of the Western Empire in the 5th Century AD Its capital was Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople became a capital of the Roman Empire in 330, after Constantine the Great renamed the city of Byzantanium. Back then the Byzantine empire was known as simply Roman, with Roman subjects. Scholars later named it the Byzantine Empire after its ancient capital name ~ Byzantanium. Greek was the main language.
Here Come the Invaders. The Byzantine empire survived raids and migrations from the outside world, but was unable to maintain its hold on the entire Mediterranean world. Constantinople itself weathered major Arab invasions. Warfare hurt agriculture and education, abut the empire still lasted. Eventually, the Byzantines lost their last foothold in Italy and were cut off from the Christian West. The Decline of the Byzantine Empire was hurried along by the Crusades. During the 12th Century, the Crusaders plundered Constantinople, establishing their own empire there. Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus recaptured Constantinople from the Latins in 1261, and ruled until it fell in 1453.
Mehmed II's Plan. When Mehmed II (1451-1481) sat on the throne, his first thought was to take Constantinople. The capital was all that was left from the Christian Roman Empire.
Mehmed's Great Project. In May of 1451, Mehmed set out to isolate the Byzantine capital. That winter construction had begun on a powerful fortress on the Bosphorus. Its goal: to shut the route to and from the Black Sea to Western and Byzantine vessels.
Pay or Swim. Together with the fortress on the Anatolian shore, it was made clear to everyone that the Sultan controlled the straits. All ships entering the Black Sea had to pay tolls. If they refused, the ship would be sunk, its crew taken prisoner and executed.
This Should Have Been a Warning. Despite all the clues that a new siege of Constantinople was to begin at any moment, the two Italian Republics, were not particularly excited. The Emperor, still defending the city, found limited help from the west, managing to recruit less than 1000 soldiers.
Dim Prospects. Cut off from the water trade routes, Constantinople was doomed. Despite desperate attempts to prevent the building of the fortress, the walls were finished by August of 1452. The final struggle was about to start.
Out of Touch, Out of Mind. When he realized that all contact with the Ottoman side was impossible, Emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus (1449-1453) ordered that the city gates be closed. With no military power, economically dependent on the Italian maritime Republics, hoping for help from the West that never came, the remains of the Byzantine Empire waited for the end.
The walls of Constantinople, built by Theodosius II in the fifth century, protected the city from invaders for more than a thousand years, and are still standing today.
Outnumbered. The city was defended by at most 10,000 men. The Turks had between 100,000 and 150,000 on their side. The siege lasted for fifty days.
Calling Out the Heavy Artillery. The Turks used various war tactics to take over the city: huge cannons to destroy the walls, warships to the cut the city's sea defense, and a large army to surround the city. Finally Mehmed's favorite set of troops ~ the Janissaries ~ launched arrows, missiles, bullets, stones and javelins at the enemy.
One If By Land, Two If By Sea... While battles were being fought on land, the Turks also took control of the sea. Ships offshore waited for a signal. Then the troops from the ships flooded off of these ships to take down the harbor walls and loot the city.
On This Day in 1453...Constantinople fell to the Turkish Empire.