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Today we will be dealing with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans, which took place on 29 May 1453. For the Greek article go here. Click on the map for a larger version (from Greek Wikipedia).
Today marks the 555th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans. Monday the 29th of May 1453 brought to an end the Byzantine period, which started in the 4th c. AD with the creation of the Eastern Roman Empire and the move of its capital to Byzantium, modern day Istanbul.
The Byzantine Empire evolved into a Christian Orthodox state and at its peak it controlled vast areas (see map).
click for large version
In the latter stages of its existence it became rather dependent on the Italian city-states (such as Genoa and Venice) and was also conquered by the fourth crusade-led by the Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo-in 1204. This brought an end to any hopes of the two churches, Orthodox and Catholic, joining. The impact of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans was a political one: the Ottomans assumed the role of the Empire, their leader Mehmet II believing that his state’s destiny was to replace the defunct Eastern Roman Empire with his own. The prestige of capturing a truly imperial city gave the Ottomans’ aspirations for their empire new impetus.
Mehmed II the Conqueror (reign 1444-46, 1451-81)
The Ottomans went on to establish Constantinople (Kostantiniyye, Istanbul, Islambol), as their imperial capital, and invested it with their architectural and cultural influence. Istanbul today is a wonderful mixture of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman architecture. Apologies, but I don’t count post 1940s architecture as anything good to look at.
Hagia Sophia (Byzantine-6th century)
The Istanbul Grand Bazaar (Ottoman-15th century)
The Basilica Cistern (Byzantine-6th century)
Read extracts of The Fall of Constantinople 1453 by Steven Runciman here.
Today I would like to highlight a documentary from ERT’s Online Archive. The documentary explores the historical ties between Venice, the Byzantine Empire and what is now Greece through the centuries. The documentary is in Greek and runs for about 30 minutes. You can watch it here, or alternatively click the image below. You can pause and restart at your leisure.
Enjoy and don’t forget to comment, this is your forum 
Μάριος
