The fall of Constantinople ranks one of the most significant events that changed the world. The triumph of the crescent and moon over the cross forever changed the course of history whose consequences are still felt up to today. The fall of Constantinople marked the fall of Byzantine Empire; an empire so vast that its demise was unthinkable before the success siege of the city of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks led by Sultan Mehmed II in 1453.

Constantinople was one of the most fortified cities in the world then. It was guarded by an army of approximately 10,000 men. Well aware of this, the Ottomans’ assembled an army of between 100,000 to 150,000. With the high number of men and superior fighting techniques led by an elite fighting squad known as the Janissaries no force could prevent the fall of Constantinople.

Once the city had fallen over to the Turks, Sultan Mehmed renamed the city to Istanbul. More transformation of the city was to follow through the building of Mosques, monuments, and impressive aqueducts. The city was officially an Islamic city. To the conquered, new rules followed. The Greeks were made to form communities known as the Milets.

The Christians were permitted to practice their religion, but could not bear arms and had to dress in distinguishing clothing. Constantine XI considered by historians as the last empire of the Roman republic died with a sword in his hands, and his body was never recovered. These events marked the fall of Constantine, and the demise of the Byzantine Empire after 1100 years.

The fall of Constantinople

The fall of Constantinople was devastating to Christians in Europe. The pope attempted to launch a crusade against the city, but could not raise a sizable army to sustain a successful campaign against the city and thus no attempts were ever made to recapture the city. The Fall of Constantine also marked the end of the middle Ages and the start of Renaissance. Many scholars fled from the new Ottoman Empire and headed to Italy where they fueled the birth of Renaissance with new ideas.

The Muslims domination of existing trade routes necessitated the need to find new trade routes in the west. This led to the expeditions that forever changed the world, by discovering new lands and new markets. Some of the most famous expeditions were led by Magellan, Drake and Columbus.

With the fall of Constantinople the world course took a paradigm shift.

Constantinople (now called Istanbul) was considered to be the seat of power in the Golden Days of territorial expansion, originally founded and established by the Roman Emperor Constantine the First; it was completed around the year 330 AD, some six years since the emperor first started rebuilding the city.

Constantinople used to be the city of Byzantium, originally founded by the Greeks in 671-662 BC, which was in turn conveniently located where Europe and Asia are connected (both by land and by water).

Not long after it was initially established, Emperor Constantine the First declared it as the new capital of the Roman Empire, as it was strategically situated where a ruler could have the benefit of luxuries and convenient access to his armies and territories.

Sometime in the year 425 AD up until the middle of that century, the city of Constantinople became the largest and most influential city of the Roman Empire, with the Emperors choosing to stay in the main palace of this capital. In the years of Emperor Justinian’s rule, Constantinople became the center of conquest and re-conquest. Following those years were ages of both victory and defeat, including the Battle of Manzikert (1017) and the Comneni (1081 to 1185), which strengthened the Empire’s central government; though at a certain point, Constantinople ended up under Greek rule.

Considered the capital of Christianity for centuries, it was eventually captured by the Latins (1204), before the Nicaeans took it from them (1261). Constantinople continued to exist until its fall in the year 1453. To this day, however, Constantinople’s culture is still apparent in territories it had touched.