Find out how the Fall of Constantinople happened in 1453, and understand why this was one of the main events in human history.
- Who conquered Constantinople?
The Fall of Constantinople is one of the most important events in human history, as it represented the end of the Byzantine Empire , or Roman Empire in the East , an institution that has stood since 395 AD The importance of this event is demonstrated by the fact that, in the 19th century , the historians who articulated the chronological line in Ages ( Ancient , Medieval, etc.) put the year of this event, 1453 , as the landmark of the end of the Middle Ages and, therefore, of the beginning of the Modern Age .
But who conquered Constantinople? Why did this happen in the 15th century? Those responsible for the fall of Constantinople were the Ottoman Turks. These, who were also known only as Ottomans , ascended as a civilization in the 13th century from a dynasty born within the Islamic civilization, known as Seljuk . Osman de Sogut , or Othman, was the founder of the first Turkish-Ottoman sultanate, in 1299.
- Turkish-Ottomans against Byzantines
The Ottoman Turks, like all Islamic dynasty, needed to demonstrate their strength through territorial conquests. As the sultanate of Othman was built between the Balkans and Asia Minor (where Constantinople was), the target to be conquered, of course, was the powerful and very rich Byzantine Empire. The military attacks of the Ottomans against the Byzantine cities became frequent during the 14th and 15th centuries. The conflict between Byzantine emperors and usurpers of the throne, at the same time, such as that which occurred between João V Paleólogo and João VI Cantacuzeno , contributed to the internal breakdown of the Empire.
In this context, one of the Ottoman sultans, Solimão Paxá (not to be confused with Solimão the Magnificent , sultan in the 16th century), managed to attack and conquer three important Byzantine cities, Adrianópolis , Gallipoli and Filipópolis , and even threatened to cross the walls of Constantinople, but failed.
These events were followed by a series of depositions and usurpation of the Byzantine throne, making the political unity and security of the Empire even more difficult. Between the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th, three sieges were built against Constantinople, in the years 1391, 1396 and 1422. The city almost fell.
- Turkish-Ottoman Empire under Mehmet II
The last siege above was made by Murad II , a sultan who also went to war against Western forces, such as the Republic of Venice, because he wanted to conquer land in the Eastern European region and also feared a military union between Christian East and West against his sultanate. Murad II, however, died in 1451. In his place, he took over Mehmet II , who defined the definitive conquest of Constantinople as a priority.
- May 29, 1453: Constantinople falls
The Byzantine emperor at the time of Mehmet II was Constantine XI Paleologist , son of John VIII Paleologist . Constantine XI attempted a religious-military alliance with the West in 1452, called the Union of Florence , to fight Mehmet II’s troops, but it was in vain. Ottoman forces began attacking Constantinople in April 1453 with 60,000 fighters and heavy artillery, such as the great bronze bombardment, a sixteen-ton cannon and a 635 mm caliber – fatal to the walls that protected the city. Within two months, the capital of the Byzantine Empire was completely dominated.
