Fall of Constantinople
The fall of Constantinople, also known as the conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun on 6 April.
| Fall of Constantinople | |||||||||
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| Part of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars and the Ottoman wars in Europe | |||||||||
The siege of Constantinople (1453), French miniature by Jean Le Tavernier after 1455. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
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Land forces:
Naval forces:
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Land forces:
Naval forces: | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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200–18,000 (first day) Heavy: 15,000–50,000 (disputed) |
4,500 killed in action (both military and civilian) 30,000–50,000 civilians enslaved | ||||||||
| History of the Byzantine Empire |
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| Preceding |
| Early period (330–717) |
| Middle period (717–1204) |
| Late period (1204–1453) |
| Timeline |
| By topic |
| Byzantine Empire portal |
The attacking Ottoman Army, which significantly outnumbered Constantinople's defenders, was commanded by the 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II (later nicknamed "the Conqueror"), while the Byzantine army was led by Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. After conquering the city, Mehmed II made Constantinople the new Ottoman capital, replacing Adrianople.
The conquest of Constantinople and the fall of the Byzantine Empire was a watershed of the Late Middle Ages, marking the effective end of the Roman Empire, a state which began in roughly 27 BC and had lasted nearly 1500 years. For many modern historians, the fall of Constantinople marks the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the early modern period. The city's fall also stood as a turning point in military history. Since ancient times, cities and castles had depended upon ramparts and walls to repel invaders. The Walls of Constantinople, especially the Theodosian Walls, were some of the most advanced defensive systems in the world at the time. For 800 years, the Theodosian Walls, regarded by historians as the strongest and most fortified walls in the ancient and medieval era, protected Constantinople from attack. However, these fortifications were overcome with the use of gunpowder, specifically from Ottoman cannons and bombards, heralding a change in siege warfare. The Ottoman cannons repeatedly fired massive cannon balls weighing 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) over 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) which created gaps in the Theodosian Walls for the Ottoman siege.