The city of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) was founded in 660 BC. Founded under the name of Byzantium. This became the main residence of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great on May 11, 330 AD. After the emperor’s death in 337, it was renamed Constantinople. It was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and remained so until the Ottoman conquest in 1453. An exception, however, was the conquest in the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It was then the capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1923 under the names of Kostantiniyye and Istanbul. From 1930 the name Istanbul caught on internationally and it has been a cosmopolitan city since the 4th century.
The Fourth Crusade
The aim of the 4th Crusade from 1202 to 1204 was actually the conquest of Egypt. French knights and Venetian sailors and soldiers were the main participants in this crusade. Contrary to the crusade idea and the Pope’s objections, Constantinople was conquered instead. But this did not last long. In 1261 Constantinople was reconquered by the Byzantines.
Byzantine Empire
With its city walls and moats, Constantinople was one of the best fortified cities of the time. The fleet consisted of 26 warships. With 7000-10000 defenders, the Byzantines were outnumbered. The supply of the population was still given. Before the siege, supplies of food were brought into the city. Constantine IX ruled the Byzantine Empire.
Ottoman Empire
Mehmed II was the seventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire and ruled it. The Ottoman army off Constantinople numbered more than 50,000 men and 100-200 ships of various sizes.
The expansion of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires around 1450
Source: wikipedia.org
Why did Mehmed II want to conquer Constantinople?
There were different reasons for the conquest of Constantinople from the Ottoman point of view:
- The location and importance of the city in Europe
- Emperor Constantine XI sent envoys to the Sultan’s court to collect debts and demanded double repayment
- The Ottoman fortress of Rumeli was built on Byzantine land and the Byzantines demanded the immediate evacuation of the fortress
- These were enough reasons for Mehmed II to attack Constantinople
The course of the conquest of Constantinople
The siege of Constantinople from the Ottoman side began on April 6th. The first few days were not exclusively characterized by violence, but were used for preparatory work. The first battles began on April 12 with the arrival of the last Ottoman fleets and an associated large-scale attack. The capture of the Golden Horn, Constantinople’s main port, on April 28th dashed Byzantine hope. In the meantime, the food supplies were almost exhausted.
- April 6: The siege of Constantinople begins
- April 12: Beginning of the first skirmishes
- 28 April: Conquest of the Golden Horn
The siege of Constantinople in the spring of 1453
Source: wikipedia.org
The fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453
On the night of May 29, the full attack on Constantinople began. The city was attacked both along the city walls and by fleets on the Golden Horn. The defenders’ troops quickly dispersed. By 8:30 a.m., the entire city had been taken. The city was sacked by the Ottomans. In the course of this looting, there were numerous bloody clashes.
The Consequences of the Conquest of Constantinople
The conquest of Constantinople brought with it religious and power-political consequences as well as economic consequences.
Religious and power-political consequences
- The conquest was celebrated with great festivals throughout the Islamic world
- Sultan Mehmed II achieved international fame and was considered the most famous ruler of the Muslim world in the Islamic world
- Many Muslims, especially Turks, immigrated to the Ottoman Empire
- Mehmed II also promised freedom of religion and protection to other faiths, so that Greeks, Slavs, Christians and Jews also came to the city
- The conquest of Constantinople helped the Ottoman Empire secure its place among the great powers of Europe and the Middle East
economic consequences
- As the population increases, so does tax revenue
- Under Mehmed II, the city became one of the most important industrial and commercial centers of the Ottoman Empire
- Trade between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean was now exclusively in Turkish hands
- In the 16th century, the city became the largest city in Europe and the entire Mediterranean region
- At the same time, it became one of the most important trading cities in the world
The conquest of Constantinople – everything important at a glance:
The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was of great importance to the Ottoman Empire. It brought religious and power-political advantages as well as economic advantages for the Ottomans.
- Constantinople was named after Emperor Constantine the Great
- The city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453
- On May 29, 1453, the Ottomans managed to conquer and plunder the city
- After the Ottoman conquest, Constantinople was considered the capital of the Ottoman Empire
- The conquest led the Ottoman Empire to grow from a small state to a major power, controlling all maritime trade between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea