The Conquest of Constantinople

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Conquest of Constantinople The Conquest of Constantinople Background: Before 1453, the Byzantine Empire was still on the decline. The Byzantine Empire was the remnant of the once great Roman Empire when it split into the East and West. So, when the West fell in 476, the East was all that was left. For 1000 years it remained as the “Protector of Christendom”. However, wars with the Sassanid Empire, Crusades and Mongol raids had weaken the once dominant Empire. The Ottoman Empire started around 1299 on the Eastern end of Anatolia. These Ottoman Turks began chipping away at what remained of the Roman Empire. This continued until, the only territory the Romans had was the great city of Constantinople. The leader of the Ottoman was Mehmed II. He was 19 years old when he came to the throne after the death of his father Murad II. When Mehmed ascended the throne, he needed an achievement to show his father’s Vizier (ministers), that he was capable of ruling the vast multi ethnic empire. In particular, he needed to quell the opposition he had with his father’s Grand Vizier (Prime Minister), Candarli Halil Pasha. Halil Pasha was meeting with Loukas Notaras who was the Grand Duke (also like a Prime Minister) of the Byzantine Empire, to try and convince Mehmed not to attack Constantinople. Mehmed discovered this traitorous plot. Conquest: Mehmed and his army began preparing for the Battle. Mehmed had a Hungarian cannon maker named Orban. Orban built the largest cannon at that time and called it Basilica. Then Mehmed built a fortress just north of Constantinople called Rumeli Hisar on the Bosphorus Strait which was ominously named the “throat cutter” because it cut off supplies from reaching the Byzantines. So, the Ottoman Army advanced and lay siege to Constantinople. First, Mehmed ordered the cannons to be fired to bring the great walls down. Then wave after wave of Ottoman Janissaries but each were always beat. The Byzantines might have not had as many men, but they had employed a mercenary named Giovanni Giustiniani. With the help of Giustiniani, the Byzantines were able to hold off wave after waves of attack. Naval Brilliance: The Byzantines had a system on the Bosphorus to defend against enemy navies. There was a long chain that stretched across from the Genoese colony of Galata to Constantinople. When a trade or ally ship came the chains would lower and allow the ship to come in. However, Mehmed decided to haul the ships overland behind the Colony of Galata and plant them in the harbor behind the Roman fleet. The Ottoman fleet opened fire on the Italian ships and destroyed the navy. Legacy: Then on May 29th 1453, the Ottomans launched their final attack. They managed to finally break through the defenses of the Byzantines and take the city. After the war, Candarli Halil Pasha was executed because of his treason. This conquest was important because it is seen today by many historians as the actual fall of the Roman Empire because the people in the Byzantine Empire considered themselves to be Romans. For the Ottomans, this conquest made them an economic, political and military powerhouse of the Eastern Mediterranean and it would be one of the longest surviving empire that would eventually die in 1923 after it was crippled by the First World War. .
Recommended publications
  • The Walls of Constantinople 2021
    Walking Back in Time - The Walls of Constantinople 2021 Barry Mocke Introduction Located on a horn-shaped peninsula astride the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, the imperial capital of Constantinople dominated the narrow waterway that divides Europe from Asia. The complexities of the geography provided both advantages and challenges to the site’s defence. A steep and rugged shoreline and the Sea of Marmara’s swift currents protected the southern coast. To the north, the Golden Horn was a natural anchorage and harbour. The Lycus River ran diagonally northwest to southeast across the peninsula, forming a narrow valley that sectioned the city into two distinct areas - a chain of six hills running along the Golden Horn to the north, and a single, larger hill to the south. For the most part, the many leaders and builders of the city succeeded in mastering the terrain and built a defence system that played a significant role in the history of the world. Constantinople has had a series of land walls and as the city expanded, different walls were constructed. 1. Byzantium Acropolis The original fortifications of the city were built in the 8th century BC when it was founded as Byzantium by Greek colonists from Megara, led by Byzas. At the time the city consisted of little more than an acropolis. Byzantium, despite being a prosperous trading post, was relatively unimportant during the Roman period, but featured prominently in the civil war between Septimius Severus and Pescennius Niger, holding out a Severan siege for three years (193-96 AD). 2. Severan Wall As punishment, Severus had the strong walls demolished and the city deprived of its status.
    [Show full text]
  • Dynamic Doorways: Overdoor Sculpture in Renaissance Genoa
    DYNAMIC DOORWAYS: OVERDOOR SCULPTURE IN RENAISSANCE GENOA By ©2012 MADELINE ANN RISLOW Submitted to the graduate degree program in Art History and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Sally J. Cornelison, Ph.D. ________________________________ George L. Gorse, Ph.D. ________________________________ Steven A. Epstein, Ph.D. ________________________________ Stephen H. Goddard, Ph.D. ________________________________ Anthony Corbeill, Ph.D. Date Defended: 4/6/2012 The Dissertation Committee for Madeline Ann Rislow certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: DYANAMIC DOORWAYS: OVERDOOR SCULPTURE IN RENAISSANCE GENOA ________________________________ Chairperson Sally J. Cornelison, Ph.D. Date approved: 4/6/2012 ii Abstract Soprapporte—rectangular, overdoor lintels sculpted from marble or slate—were a prominent feature of both private residential and ecclesiastic portals in the Ligurian region in northwest Italy, and in particular its capital city Genoa, during the second half of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Sculpted site- or city-specific religious narratives occupy the centers of most soprapporte, and are typically framed with the coats of arms or the initials of their patrons. As this study demonstrates, soprapporte were not merely ornamental, for they acted as devotional objects and protective devices while connecting the citizens who commissioned them to
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Personal Diplomacy During the Reign of Constantine XI Palaiologos (1448 – 1453)
    Foreign Relations and the End of Byzantium: The Use of Personal Diplomacy during the Reign of Constantine XI Palaiologos (1448 – 1453) by Adam William Hellebuyck A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors Department of History University of Michigan March 27, 2006 Advised by Professor Rudi Lindner For Mom and Dad Thanks for Everything TABLE OF CONTENTS Figures ii Acknowledgements iii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Chapter Two: On the Sources 19 Chapter Three: Constantine and the Ottomans 27 Chapter Four: Constantine and the Papacy 51 Chapter Five: Constantine and the Venetians 76 Chapter Six: Conclusion 98 Bibliography 103 FIGURES Figure 1: Constantinople during Constantine XI’s Reign (1448 – 1453) 16 Figure 2: A Silver Quarter-Hyperperon Minted by Constantine XI 87 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over the past year, many people have greatly contributed to the creation of this thesis. First, I would like to thank my parents, William and Roseann Hellebuyck, for their support of my education. While this undoubtedly extends to financial support, a burden they undertook without hesitation, it also extends to the encouragement, care, and fine example they have provided me throughout my entire life. I am especially grateful to them for helping me develop into the person I am today. Their example showed me that it is never enough to simply do the bare minimum. Rather, one must always work their hardest. That belief helped motivate my decision to write an honors thesis. I would also like to thank the rest of my family for their support and encouragement.
    [Show full text]
  • To the Ottoman Turks
    DECLINE AND FALL OF BYZANTIUM TO THE OTTOMAN TURKS BY DOUKAS An Annotated Translation of "Historia Turco-Byzantine" by Harry I Magoulias, Wayne State University Wayne State University Press Detroit 1975 C y 2Wa.yAn iuersit ess, Detroit,, Micchigan5482 rightsarereserved No part of this book naybe reproduced without formal permission. Library of Congress Catalogingin Publication Data Ducas, fl. 1455. Decline and fall of Byzantium tothe Ottoman Turks. First ed. published under title:Historia Byzantina. Bibliography: P. Includes index. 1. Byzantine Empire History.2. TurkeyHistory-1288-1453 A2D813Magot949.5 Harry 75 9949 itle. DF631 ISBN 0-8143-1540-2 To Ariadne vuvevvoc KaX4 re Kl 7aO7 CONTENTS Chronology 9 Introduction 23 Decline and Fall of Byzantium to the Ottoman Turks 55 Notes 263 Bibliography 325 Index 331 7 ILLUSTRATIONS Old City of Rhodes 42 John VI Kantakouzenos 43 Manuel II Palaiologos 44 Emperor John VIII Palaiologos 45 Monastery of Brontocheion, Mistra 46 Palace of Despots, Mistra 47 Walls of Constantinople 48 Walls of Constantinople with Moat 49 Mehmed H the Conqueror 50 Emperor Constantine XI 51 MAPS The Byzantine World Before the Fall 1453 52 Greece and Western Anatolia Before the Fall 1453 53 Constantinople 54 8 CHRONOLOGY CHAPTER I page 57 Listing of the years and generations from Adam to the Fourth Crusade, 12 April 1204. CHAPTER II page 59 Reigns of the emperors of Nicaea to the recapture of Constantinople in 1261. Conquests of the Seljuk Turks and appearance of the Ottomans. Reigns of Andronikos II and Michael IX, Andronikos III, John V and John VI Kantakouze- nos. Turks occupy Gallipoli (1354).
    [Show full text]
  • Gennadeion Monographs III O
    GENNADEION MONOGRAPHS 111 CHAPTERS ON MEDIAEVAL AND RENAISSANCE VISITORS TO GREEK LANDS BY JAMES MORTON PATON EDITED BY L.A.P. THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 1951 Copyright 1951 By the Trustees of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens Published 1951 All Rights Reserved PRINTED IN TBE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PREFACE FEW words in regard to the contents of this little book are necessary. Its A author, at the time of his death on November 23, 1944, had in preparation an extensive work on the mediaeval history and monuments of Athens, in the manifold sources for which, even after the invaluable studies of Laborde and more recent scholars, he still found a fresh harvest. His researches, carried on principally in the libraries and archives of Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome, were interrupted in 1939 by the European war, and their continuation at the Harvard College Library was somewhat later terminated by his gradually failing health. His work, in spite of its long duration, can scarcely be said to have passed beyond the stage of collecting sources; their synthesis and discussion he had of course postponed until they should have been adequately assembled. He had, however, although Athens remained the center of his interest, almost completed a few sections, forming to a certain extent byways leading from the main path, and he had also prepared the texts of various sources in a form suitable for publi- cation. This material is collected here in the hope that, as he would have desired, it mzy prove of service to future investigators in the same field.
    [Show full text]
  • ARA LIBERTAD” 03 by Alejandro Kenny HISTORY SIEGE and FALL 12 of CONSTANTINOPLE by Rubén A
    ISSN: 1852- 8619 In this essay, additional to “La Semántica del Caos”, there is a methodological division of the levels of war, a related set of linked ideas simple to analyze, convenient for planning and practical in EXTROPIANISM executing operations. By Evergisto de Vergara PAGE THE CASE “A.R.A. LIBERTAD” PAGE SIEGE AND FALL OF PAGE THE LOGIC OF OPERATIONAL By Alejandro Kenny CONSTANTINOPLE PLANNING By Patricio Justo 03 12 By Rubén A. Barreiro 27 del Niño Jesús Trejo ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE GUERRA CONJUNTA DE LAS FUERZAS ARMADAS DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA A CONJUNT RR A E DE U L G A E S D F R U O E I R R Z E A P S U A S R A M L A E D U OUR ICON A C S S E Our icon is the famous Rubik’s cube decorated with the colours of the Argentine flag and the coat of arms that identifies the Estado Mayor Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas Argentinas. We have elected this ingenious mechanism for our STAFF journal as it is the visual representation of the complex joint actions. The image shows the challenge to combine in a harmonic way the elements that are part of DIRECTOR the Armed Forces to achieve an efficient use of Colonel Major Federico Sidders military instruments. The proper use of the forces allows to set, at the DEPUTY DIRECTOR same level, the coat of arms of the Estado Mayor Daniel Oscar Muñoz Conjunto which implies a mental process to com- bine variables in a very complex setting.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fall of the Red Apple the Drowning of an Empire
    The Fall of the Red Apple The Drowning of an Empire Byzantines (Greeks) Constantine (Emperor) Notaras (Chief Advisor of Constantine) Scout Eastern Orthodox Priest Guard (Greek) Servant (Constantine’s) Captain Giovanni Giustiniani Giovanni’s Soldier Ottoman Turks Memhet (Sultan) Pasha (Chief Advisor) Turkish Soldier Ribbon Dancers Guards (Turkish) Janissaries (Ottoman elite fighting force) Uluma (Islamic Priest) Miscellaneous Narrator (Indian slave) Urban (bell maker) Stage Hands Scene 1: Arabian music playing (Narrator sitting cross-legged, front center stage; meditating. Music stops. He looks up slowly, speaks ponderingly to audience.) NARRATOR: There is an old Turkish proverb: (pauses, holds up red apple) “a red apple invites stones.” (long pause) The city of Constantinople was the juiciest, reddest apple on the tree in the year 1453. For 391 years, or what Rev. 9 refers to as “an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year,” the Islamic powers of the world had been throwing stones at this red apple, trying desperately to knock it from the tree. Constantinople was the jewel in the crown of Christianity. It was the last defense to protect Europe from the Islamic swarms. But because of its long-standing corruption of the Truth of God, and in response to the cry of the saints, the angels were carefully preparing a power from the east that would pour over the Euphrates and blast forth God’s trumpet judgments in slaying a 1/3 part of the Roman Empire. And so, from within the walls of Constantinople, the emperor – Constantine – and his men, looked out in terror as the Ottoman Turks approached the city.
    [Show full text]
  • The Age of Gunpowder
    The Age of Gunpowder An Era of Technological, Tactical, Strategic, and Leadership Innovations Volume V Emory Endeavors in History 2013 Cover Art by Kevin Callahan The Age of Gunpowder Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief: Nicole Goetz Chief Copy Editor: Kyle Johnson Copy Editors: Alex Astroth George Granberry Cathryn Morette Formatting Tsar: Kim Black Design Kahn: Eric Huh Table of Contents: June Park Introduction: Tonio Promotion: Arish Jamil Cover Design: Sam Bleiweis Publisher: Benjamin Sinvany Copyright © 2013 Nicole Goetz All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1493780310 ISBN-13: 978-1493780310 The Age of Gunpowder An Era of Technological, Tactical, Strategic, and Leadership Innovations Table of Contents Introduction 1 Tonio Andrade Choe Mu-Seon and The Early Era of Wokou Piracy: Catalyst for the Development of Gunpowder in Korea, a precursor of Korea-Japan Diplomacy 9 Peter Kim Gunpowder as a Vehicle for the Power Aggrandizement of King Sukchong 23 June (Seo Jung) Park Wrath of the Khans: Ming Border Policy, 1368-1574 44 Benjamin Sinvany Why Mysore? The Idealistic and Materialistic Factors Behind Tipu Sultan’s War Rocket Success 62 Arish Jamil The Downfall of the Iroquois 84 Sam Bleiweis A Country Dangerous for Discipline: The Clash and Combination of Regular and Irregular Warfare during the French and Indian War 100 Nicole Goetz Surpassing Xerxes: The Advent of Ottoman Gunpowder Technology in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries 116 Kyle Johnson The Decline of Japanese Firearm Manufacturing and Proliferation in the Seventeenth Century 136
    [Show full text]
  • An Aspect of the Genoese Network and Its Colonial World in the Middle Ages
    An Aspect of the Genoese Network and its Colonial World in the Middle Ages Yoko KAMENAGA-ANZAI Caractéristiques du réseau génois et son monde colonial au Moyen Age Les Génois au Moyen Age sont célèbres pour leurs activités commerciales. Ils possédaient de nombreux comptoirs commerciaux et coloniaux en Méditerranée, mer Noire, et dans le monde atlantique. Chios, l’île grecque de la mer Egée, est l’une des colonies génoises principales. Ce comptoir colonial occupait une place importante aux yeux des Génois, parce qu’il constituait un centre principal pour le négoce de l’alun produit en Focea et du mastic en provenance de Chios. Les génois ont dominé l’île à travers une definitif concession privée accordée par l’empereur byzantin au négociant, amiral et mercenaire génois Benedetto Zaccaria qui le avait occupé et ses descendants au cours de la première moitié du 14ème siècle, ainsi que à travers de la «maona», une structure coloniale spécifique aux génois, et ce aux alentours de la moitié du 14ème siècle jusqu’à la première moitié du 16ème siècle. J’évoque dans cet article certains aspects du réseau génois à travers l’analyse d’actes notariés établis par le notaire génois Giuliano Canella à Chios au cours de la seconde moitié du 14ème siècle, période de crise de l’histoire génoise. Tout d’abord, je déduis le nom du lieu d’après le nom patronymique du contractant et par la même occasion la base commerciale. Ensuite, j’entame un examen concret de la communication génoise avec des non-génois résidant à Chios, et ce en me référant à l’utilisation d’interprètes.
    [Show full text]
  • Ghost of Thalassa 06 May 2013 V20.Mmsw
    GHOST OF THALASSA By Ian J. Courter COPYRIGHT© 2011. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PORTION OF THIS SCRIPT MAY BE PERFORMED, PUBLISHED, REPRODUCED, SOLD, OR DISTRIBUTED BY ANY MEANS OR QUOTED OR PUBLISHED IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING ANY WEBSITE,WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT. [email protected] GHOST OF THALASSA FADE IN: EXT. CONSTANTINOPLE (1453) - LAND WALL - NIGHT CONSTANTINE XI, last Roman (Byzantine) emperor, leads Greek and allied defenders against the final Ottoman Turk assault. Constantine; Genoese adventurer GIOVANNI GIUSTINIANI LONGO; and GREEK and GENOESE TROOPS stare into the darkness. Byzantine and Genoese flags FLAP in the wind. Torches HISS. (NOTE: All dialog for the siege and sea voyage is in Medieval Greek) The MAIN TITLE is followed by: Constantinople May 29th, 1453 There is MOVEMENT in the dark. Constantine draws his SWORD. CONSTANTINE (yelling) They are coming! Sound the trumpets! Trumpets BLARE up and down the walls. TURKISH TROOPS surge out of the dark and over the rubble-filled moat. They enter breaches in the outer walls, YELLING as they go. Giustiniani looks around. GIUSTINIANI (shouting) Let none gain the walls! Kill all who try! EXT. CONSTANTINOPLE - BETWEEN THE WALLS - NIGHT There is NOISE and SHOUTING as the two forces fight hand-to- hand. The Turks push the defenders towards the inner gate. EXT. CONSTANTINOPLE - CHARISIUS GATE - BATTLEMENTS - NIGHT Metal CLANGS on stone. A hook embeds in a crenal. Constantine steps to the wall and leans over. CONSTANTINE’S POV A rope tied to the hook sways as a Turk climbs to the top. 2. RETURN TO SCENE Constantine stabs him in the face.
    [Show full text]
  • Sultan Mehmed II
    Sultan Mehmed II Born: 30 March 1432 Died: May 3rd, 1481 1st Reign: 1444-1446 2nd Reign: 1451-1481 Background: Mehmed II was born on 30th, March 1432 in Edirne. His father Murad II, left Mehmed in charge of the throne when he was only 12 years in 1444 until 1446. However, when John Hunyadi and the Hungarians launched an invasion against the Ottomans, Murad came back and took the throne for the remainder of his life. Then when his Murad died Mehmed retook the throne. Candarli Halil Pasha (the younger) vs Mehmed II: (Pronounced CHandarli) Mehmed had inherited his father’s Grand Vizier, which us sort of like a prime minister, Candarli Halil Pasha. However, Mehmed soon discovered that Halil Pasha wanted to undermine his rule and particularly his grand project. Mehmed wanted to conquer Constantinople. Halil secretly met with the Loukas Notaras, the Grand Duke (also a like prime minister) of the Byzantine Empire, to try and convince Mehmed not to attack Constantinople. Conquering Constantinople: The great Byzantine Empire was on its last leg. The remnant of the once great Roman Empire, the empire lasted 1,000 years after the fall of Rome. But the Orthodox Christian had always been seen in Europe as the guardian of Christianity from the Muslims in the Middle East. But the Empire was severely weakened by centuries of Crusades and wars with the Turks and Persians. In 1452, Mehmed built the fortress of Rumeli Hisar on the Northeastern entrance of the Bosphorus strait that was nicknamed the “throat cutter” because it cut off Constantinople receiving any supplies and reinforcements from the Black Sea.
    [Show full text]
  • The Advent of Ottoman Gunpowder Technology in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
    116 Emory Endeavors in History 2013 Surpassing Xerxes: The Advent of Ottoman Gunpowder Technology in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries Kyle Johnson Abstract The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the advancement of Ottoman Turkish gunpowder technology in comparison to that of the West during the mid to late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the early years and height of the Ottoman Empire. To achieve this, two seminal battles are examined, the Siege of Constantinople in 1453 and the Siege of Rhodes in 1522. By recounting military tactics and arsenals during these two conflicts, this paper shows that Ottoman gunpowder technology developed slowly at first, but was quickly adapted to the techniques they encountered as the empire expanded into Europe, eventually coming to rival European technology. Introduction pring, 1453. Artillery surrounds the city of Constantinople, so precariously perched on the edge of Europe. An engineer surveys his S work: a mighty bombard that can scarcely be moved by one hundred and fifty oxen. For the Ottoman besiegers, this is the means to reduce the city walls to rubble and remove the troublesome inhabitants of the city from their side once and for all. For the besieged Byzantines, this gun represents their doom, sapping their resolve before ever it makes a sound. Suddenly, a loud explosion fills the air. The bombard, along with its maker, the great engineer Orban, are no The Age of Gunpowder 117 more.253 Many modern historians believe this scenario to be factual, asserting that Orban was killed when his own gun exploded during the siege.254 The accuracy of this story is unsubstantiated, but the story still sheds light on a central issue in the history of the region.
    [Show full text]