The Fall of Constantinople: A Turning Point in the Roman Empire

Brooke Adamson Angelyn Mendoza Kristine Aquino Senior Division Group Website

How we chose our topic: Our topic is the fall of Constantinople in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks and how it affected the world. We chose this topic because a group members father is very interested in history, particularly Constantinople. She learned some facts from him and it sparked her interest. We thought it would be interesting to learn about a turning point in Europe, as it seemed different and intriguing. We looked at a few other topics but settled on the fall of Constantinople because it was something not normally taught in history books.

How we conducted our research: We went to the library a few times and took notes from reference books about the Roman Empire. We learned very quickly that not many books had information on Constantinople and started to look in atlases or books about medieval Europe. We then went on to research our topic on the internet. Again, we found it difficult to find information so we started combining information from different websites. We found very few primary sources as the topic took place a long time ago, when there were not cameras. We took all of our notes on index cards and transferred them to a single document on a computer.

How we created our website: We typed up all of our information and went through it, altering and simplifying. At first, we wanted to do an exhibit but we decided that a website would be an interesting way to organize our information. We organized our information but at the same time, were conducting more research so that we could have every bit of information we needed. We copied our information into the website and worked on organizing it and making it unique.

How our project relates to the theme: Our project relates to the theme because of the ripple effect it caused. The fall of Constantinople caused people to explore the world resulting in the founding of America. It affected trade, religion, and much more. If Constantinople hadnt fallen, Istanbul might not

even exist, America could have been found by someone else, and the Renaissance may never have happened. The fall of Constantinople is also a turning point in history because it marked the end of the Roman Empire forever.