Fall of Constantinople
Constantinople, Byzantine Empire (present-day Istanbul, Turkey)
What happened
The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II besieged Constantinople, defended by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI and the Genoese commander Giovanni Giustiniani. The 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II surrounded Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, with a huge army, a fleet and giant cannons. The defenders blocked the Golden Horn harbour with a great chain, so Mehmed had his ships dragged over the hill on 22 April and launched them into the harbour. After a 53-day siege, the city fell on 29 May 1453.
Why it matters
Result: Ottoman victory. Leaders: Mehmed II / Halil Pasha against Constantine XI / Loukas Notaras. Why it matters: The fall ended the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople became the Ottoman capital.
What came next
Mehmed, now called 'the Conqueror', made the city his capital and turned the great church of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Many Greek scholars fled to Italy, which historians often link to the Renaissance.
Did you know?
Mehmed had about 70 large cannons dragged from his headquarters at Edirne, in addition to cannons cast on the spot, including by the engineer Orban.
Timeline
- 6 April 1453 CEThe Ottoman siege of Constantinople begins.
- 22 April 1453 CEOttoman ships are dragged over the hill into the Golden Horn.
- 29 May 1453 CEConstantinople falls.
- 1453 CEMehmed makes Constantinople the Ottoman capital.
- 3 May 1481 CEMehmed II dies.