#constantinople

During the final Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453, the city's massive Theodosian Walls withstood weeks of relentless bombardment and repeated assaults. Among the many stories surrounding the city's fall is the claim that a small postern gate known as the Kerkoporta was accidentally left open, allowing Ottoman soldiers to slip inside the defenses.

The story comes primarily from the Byzantine historian George Sphrantzes, who wrote that a group of Ottoman troops entered through the unattended gate, climbed the walls, and raised their banners, contributing to panic among the defenders. However, modern historians debate whether this incident actually occurred or whether the city had already been effectively breached elsewhere. Most agree that the decisive breakthrough came during the massive Ottoman assault on May 29, 1453, after fierce fighting and the wounding of the Genoese commander Giovanni Giustiniani.

On July 17, 1203, the armies of the Fourth Crusade launched a major assault on Constantinople, the magnificent capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally organized to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim control, the crusade had been diverted by political intrigue and financial pressures, leading the crusaders to attack one of Christianity's greatest cities instead. After fierce fighting along the city's formidable walls, the defenders struggled to hold back the attackers.

As the battle unfolded, Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos lost confidence in his ability to defend the capital. Rather than continue the fight, he fled Constantinople under the cover of night, taking part of the imperial treasury with him and leaving the city leaderless. His flight effectively ended his reign and plunged the empire into further political turmoil.

Few Byzantine emperors left behind a darker reputation than Andronikos I Komnenos. After spending years imprisoned and struggling against his own family’s political enemies, Andronikos returned to Constantinople determined to reclaim power. His rise was fueled by revenge, and he famously threatened his rivals with the words: “I shall fall upon your family like a lion pouncing on a large prey.”

Once on the throne, Andronikos attempted to restore imperial authority but soon became known for brutality and suspicion. He purged rivals, targeted members of the imperial family, and created a climate of fear within the Byzantine court. His reign was also marked by scandal, personal excess, and accusations of cruelty that damaged his already fragile reputation.

On July 9, 381, the First Council of Constantinople concluded after being convened by Theodosius I. Gathering Christian bishops from across the Eastern Roman Empire, the council reaffirmed the teachings established at the First Council of Nicaea and rejected theological movements that challenged the belief in the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Its decisions helped shape the foundations of Christian doctrine for centuries to come.

Constantinople

View of the Golden Horn in Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul, Turkey

Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror

Artist: Follower of Gentile Bellini (Venetian, 1429-1507) Date: Early 16th century Medium: Oil on panel Collection: Private Collection

Mehmed the Conqueror

As ruler of the expanding Islamic Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmet II was one of the most powerful men in the world when this portrait was painted. Fascinated by portraiture and European culture, he sent a request for a painter to the Venetian authorities in 1479. Gentile Bellini, having recently completed a series of portraits of the doges (elected rulers) of Venice, was well qualified for the task.

In 1453 Ottoman sultan Mehmed II "the Conqueror" shook Europe by capturing Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), which had been the capital of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire for more than a millennium. He had prepared carefully for an assault on the city, gathering a navy of 320 vessels and an army of up 200,000 troops, and building a fortress, Rumerlihisari, on the European side of the Bosporus to Match an existing one on the Asian side and enforce control of the strait.

The Ottomans took the city on May 29 after a fifty-seven-day siege. Mehmed claimed the title of Caesar of Rome. He also conquered Anatolia and much of southeast Europe. An Ottoman army even invaded Italy in 1480 and Pope Sixtus IV, fearing they meant to take Rome, tried to raise a crusade against him - but at the end of the invasion led to a negotiated settlement.

At home Mehmed rebuilt much of Constantinople. He ordered the transformation of the famous fourth-century church of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. He presided over a highly cultured court that promoted learning and was patron of many Renaissance artists, including Gentile Bellini, who painted his portrait in 1480.

Known for:

Capturing Constantinople

Being a patron of the arts