The Siege of Constantinople

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The Siege of Constantinople

• The turning point between East and West
• The defining moment of the Ottoman Empire
• The End of the Eastern Roman Empire
• By Adam Love

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The Siege of Constantinople (1453 C.E.)
Chronology
Useful Links

• April 6
• April 12
• April 18
• April 20
• April 22
• May 7
• May 18
• May 29

The_Fall_of_Constantinople.mov Modern_Istanbul.mov
Maps
Byzantium Constantinople Extent of Constantinople
under Theodosius
Title
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Bibliography
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April 6, 1453

• Mehmed II arrived on the plains before
  Constantinople, and began preliminary bombardment
  of the fortifications.

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April 12, 1453

• Advanced the cannons to the edge of the great
  ditch (Foss) and began the first general
  preparatory gunpowder artillery bombardment in
  history.
• After 6 days of bombardment the outer towers were
  beginning to crumble.

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April 18, 1453

• 2 hours after sunset, Mehmed II begins assault
  with his elite Janissary Force.
• Repelled by Giustiniani with his 700 Genoese
  Knights
• Over 200 Janissary dead, no Knights killed.
• Mehmed II orders his admiral Baltoghlu to attack
  and destroy the chain boom across the Golden
  Horn.
• Byzantine Fleet repelled the Ottoman Fleet

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April 20, 1453

• Rescue ships sent by Pope (3 Genoese Galleys and
  1 Imperial Transport).
• Baltoghlu was unable to stop the ships reaching
  the city of Constantinople.
• Mehmed II began to focus his energy on
  controlling the Golden Horn and the waters
  surrounding Constantinople.

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April 22, 1453

• Mehmed II orders thousands of workmen to begin
  portaging his navy across the land just north of
  the city to bypass the chain boom.
• By dawn the following day, all of the Ottoman
  Fleet, some 70 ships, had been safely and
  ingeniously hauled across land using teams of
  Oxen and human effort.
• The Emperor Constantine tried to burn the Ottoman
  Fleet a few days later during the night. He did
  not succeed.

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May 7, 1453

• Ottomans launch another major assault against
  the Mesoteichion sector involving 30,000-50,000
  men.

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May 18, 1453

• Under the direction of Mehmed II, the Ottomans
  constructed an armored siege tower to protect
  workers attempting to fill in the ditch (foss).
• During the night, Giustiniani led a sortie out
  and blew the armored siege tower up with gun
  powder.

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May 29, 1453

• Mehmed II planned a simultaneous 3 point attack,
  against the walls Blachermae Gate, the Lycus
  Valley, and the Romanus Gate.
• It was in the Lycus Valley the Mehmed II planned
  on being successful.
• Used three waves of attackers, denying the
  defenders any time to rest or repair.
• Bashi-Bazouk Infantry, Provincial Levies
  Regulars, Elite Janissary Infantry.
• Killed the Emperor Constantine in battle, Siege
  of Constantinople ended.

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The Fall of Constantinople
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Modern Istanbul
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Bibliography

• Discovery Education. United Streaming.
  lthttp//streaming.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm
  gt accessed November 8, 2007.
• Gabriel, Richard A. Empires At War Volume III.
  Greenwood Press, 2005.
• Finkel, Caroline. Osmans Dream. Basic Books,
  2005.

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