On May 29, 1453, the siege of the capital of the Byzantium Empire ended and it fell to the forces of the Ottomans. Considered the final end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern age, these walls in their time were considered the finest of defensive systems. The advent of an effective use of artillery along with over-whelming force marked the end of walls as defensive structures. 1000 lb cannon balls broke through the walls, leaving entry points for the 60,000 Ottoman infantry to overcome the 7000 Byzantium defenders. The schism between the Latin and Orthodox Churches ultimately prevented western Europe help in defending the city.
Constantine XI, Byzantium emperor, placed a chain across the mouth of the Golden Horn and added 60ft wide moats along the 12 miles of ancient walls.
Sultan Mehmet II defeated the defenses: the Ottomans dragged their ships overland through Galata to bypass the chain barrier and used heavy artillery to open breaches in the wall.
“Everywhere there was misfortune, everyone was touched by pain. There were lamentations and weeping in every house, screaming in the crossroads, and sorrow in all churches; the groaning of grown men and the shrieking of women accompanied looting, enslavement, separation, and rape.“
A Byzantine survivor:
“On the third day after the fall of our city, the Sultan celebrated his victory with a great, joyful triumph. He issued a proclamation: the citizens of all ages who had managed to escape detection were to leave their hiding places throughout the city and come out into the open, as they were to remain free and no question would be asked. He further declared the restoration of houses and property to those who had abandoned our city before the siege. If they returned home, they would be treated according to their rank and religion, as if nothing had changed.“
The city wasn’t officially named Istanbul until 1930 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of the Turkish Republic.
