Fall of Constantinople

German invaders pounded the Roman Empire in the west; emperors shifted their base to the
eastern Mediterranean. The Emperor Constantine rebuilt the Greek city of Byzantium and gave
it the name Constantinople. In 330 he made Constantinople the new capital of the empire. In time
the eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire.

Crisis and collapse

After the death of Justinian the empire started a slow decline. The Empire suffered from many
wars against the Persians in the East, the Lombards, settled in Italy, the Avar and the Slavs
invaded the Balkan Peninsula. By the time of the schism the Byzantine Empire was declining.
Struggles over succession court intrigues and constant wars undermined its strength. As in
Western Europe powerful local lords gained control of large areas. As the empire flattered its
enemies advanced. The Normans conquered southern Italy. Even more serious the Seljuk Turks
advanced across Asia Minor. A nomadic people out of central Asia, the Seljuk’s had converted
to Islam in their migrations westward. The Muslim Empire conquered Syria, Palestine, Egypt
and much of North Africa. By the 1000 A.D. the Seljuk Turks threatened the empire. The
Europeans started a crusade against the Turks. On the fourth crusade the Europeans turned their
backs on the city and conquered it in 1204. In A.D. 1261 the Byzantines finally recaptured
Constantinople, but it never regain its former strength.

Like many tribes the Ottomans were a tribe running from the Mongols. The tribes united under
Osman I, the name Ottoman comes from his. “During the 1300 A.D. the Ottomans took over
large part of Anatolia. Eventually they move to Europe. They tried to capture Constantinople but
failed”. Instead of conquering Constantinople they capture Adrianopolis, made it their capital
and renamed it to Edirne. On 1422 the Ottomans under sultan Murad II, sieged Constantinople
but also failed. After this lost, the Ottomans signed a truce with the Byzantines that would last
until 1453.

The first Ottoman soldiers were the ghazis, or warriors of Islam. Ottomans used an elite
infantries in all of their battles called Janissaries. Janissaries were young war captives and
Christian slaves from Europe. First they were schooled in Islamic laws and converted to Islam,
then trained as special soldiers. The Ottoman were also the first to use gun powder on a giant
cannon called Great bombard. Some of these were used in the attack of 1453.

Emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus, lived from 1405-53

- Christians Defenders (estimated)

- Byzantine Greeks: 7,000
- ‘Foreigners or Latin's´
- (Italians, Catalans & other European Volunteers): 5,000
- Total: 12,000
Sultan Mehmed II, lived from 1432-81
- Ottoman Turks (estimated)
- Regular infantry: 68,000
- Janissary infantry: 12,000
- Bashi-bazouks militia: 20,000
- Ghazis (Islamic volunteers): 20,000
- Total: 120,000

Mehmed II started his siege of Constantinople in early April 1453, with and army of 120,000
men against a defender force of 12,000. However by May 29th he only had the 12,000 Janissaries.
Mehmed launches a final assault his troops find a small gate, Kerkaporta, open. Mehmed rushes
as many troops as he can inside of the city. The Italians begin to flee due to their commander
Giustiani Longo had been hurt. Constantine XI was killed in the fight defending the city.
Mehmed finally won the battle.

Aftermath and impacts on the world

After Mehmed's victory, Mehmed gave permission to his troops to loot the city. The city is
looted taking many sacred Eastern Orthodox relics. Most of the citizens were sold into slavery.
Mehmed moved the capital from Edirne to Constantinople, the name didn´t change until the
founding of the republic of Turkey after WW1. The church Hagia Sophia was turned into a
mosque. The lost of Constantinople was a great lost of faith for the Eastern Orthodox, Moscow
took the place as head of the Orthodox church. The Venetians and the Genoese lost some
territory they had in the Balkans but gain all of the byzantine trade, by gaining this more
economy was flowing into the Italians and this helped trigger the Renaissance. Power also swift,
with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, all power went east. When Constantinople falls
power swifts back to the west to Spain, France, England, Portugal, Netherlands, and Italy.