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Category Archives: The Fall of Constantinople 1453
“Better Turks than Latins!” – The Aftermath and the New City
Mehmet had now achieved the goal that for centuries had been the sacred duty of the faithful to capture the Christian capital. Born during a plague that had killed two of his brothers, he was the third son of a … Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Aya Sofya, Byzantine, Byzantium, Constantinople, Emperor, Greek Orthodox, Istanbul, Mehmet, mosque, Patriarch, Sultan, Turkey, Turks
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BBC’s Chronicle – The Fall of Constantinople
Here is a little gem and a blast from the past. John Julius Norwich (who wrote the excellent and accessible trilogy on the history of Byzantium) tells the dramatic story of the fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, followed … Continue reading
The Fall of Constantinople 29 May 1453
Having said his farewells and taken the sacrament I would like to think that Constantine was at peace. He had done all he could and fought bravely with this soldiers and allies. He must have realised on that warm May … Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Alexius Comnenus, artillery, Byzantine, Byzantium, Caesar, Constantine, Constantinople, Emperor, Genoese, Istanbul, Mehmet, Palaeologus, Sultan, Turkey, Turks, Venetians
1 Comment
The Final Hours and Last Eucharist
The fifth … We come now to the last hours of Byzantium. The defenders were weary after defending the city since April 5th. The Emperor’s hope lay with a relief fleet from Venice, but this had failed to appear. On … Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Byzantine, Byzantium, Chios, Constantine, Constantinople, Emperor, Genoa, Genoese, greeks, Istanbul, Mehmet, naval battle, navy, Palaeologus, Pope, Roman Empire, Romans, Sultan, Turkey, Turks, Venetians
1 Comment
Move the Navy by Road!
Number four … As you know I have been away in Albania and Macedonia trying to walk (part) of the way to Byzantium. I have felt very bad about not posting but there was little time and even less internet … Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Bosphorus, Byzantine, Byzantium, Constantinople, Emperor, Mehmet, naval battle, navy, Turkey, Turks
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The Siege of Constantinople – An Update
The Sultan decided to concentrate his fire to achieve a greater effect. Remember some of his cannon were so large they they could only fire a round every few hours. He needed what modern commanders would call ‘concentration of effort’. When all cannon were in place the bombardment then continued unabated until the night before the Fall, that is for another forty eight days. Just think what it would have been like to live with the threat of cannon firing at your home all the time. Given that the citizens of Constantinople had never experience this before, you have to recognise how amazing the human spirit is to adapt so quickly in a fight for survival. Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged artillery, Byzantine, Byzantium, cannon, Drake, Emperor, Genoese, Golden Horn, Istanbul, Mehmet, naval battle, navy, Ottomans, sailors, Salamis, seige, Spanish Armada, Sultan, Turkey, Turks, Xerxes
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If Only Constantine Had Employed Urban
The Byzantines called this Rumeli Hisar, or “The castle of Romeland”, which was a pretty good name as it was the medieval equivalent of the Sultan parking his tank on the Emperor’s lawn. Mehmet could do as he pleased and respected no treaties. Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Adrianople, artillery, Bosphorus, Byzantine, Emperor, Istanbul, Mehmet, Sultan, Turks
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The Siege of Constantinople Begins
On this day, 5 April in 1453, the Ottoman Turkish Sultan, Mehmet I (1402-1421) arrived to join his army establishing its siege of Constantinople. Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Byzantine, Byzantium, Constantinople, Emperor, Mehmet, Sultan, Turkey, Turks
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‘Rise of Empires: Ottoman’: Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about Netflix’s historical series
It appears that Netflix will be streaming this new series from 24 Jan 2020. The docuseries will chronicle the Fall of Constantinople and the end of the Byzantine Empire from the Ottoman perspective. In October 2018, Netflix greenlit the limited … Continue reading
Posted in Istanbul, The Fall of Constantinople 1453, Video
Tagged Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople, Mehmet
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“Better Turks than Latins!” – The Aftermath and the New City
So the end of the Roman Empire and of its Emperors had come at last. The Roman Empire of the East, which we now call Byzantium had lasted (if you start at the founding of Constantinople) for one thousand, one … Continue reading
Days that live in Infamy: The Fall of Constantinople
Faced with the certainty of death it is said that experienced soldiers are ready to make that last leap into the fray, knowing that they have only one fate. A man schooled in princely duties such as Constantine XI Dragases … Continue reading
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Constantine, Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople
5 Comments
The Final Hours of Constantinople: the funeral oration of the Roman Empire
We come now to the last hours of Byzantium. The defenders were weary after defending the city since April 5th 1453. The Emperor’s hope lay with a relief fleet from Venice, but this had failed to appear. On 3 May … Continue reading
BBC’s Chronicle – The Fall of Constantinople
Apologies for the repeat but I did not want you to think that I had forgotten this historic day. This video is well worth watching again, or even for the first time :-)…. Here is a little gem and a … Continue reading
Reviews of Fetih 1453
We highlighted this new movie a few weeks ago and it caused a reasonable amount of debate in the comments section which was probably inevitable. To add to this we now have some artictic reviews which may continue the discussion! … Continue reading
Posted in Radio & TV Programmes, The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Byzantine, Byzantium, Constantinople, Fetih 1453, Istanbul, Mehmet, Muslim, Ottomans, Sultan, Turkey, Turks
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Turkey marks the 558th anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople
Some very colourful images from this year’s celebrations … and some very silly false moustaches!
Posted in The Fall of Constantinople 1453
Tagged Constantinople, Istanbul, Mehmet, Ottomans, Turkey, Turks
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