Capture of Constantinople

Conquest of Constantinople
Part of the Byzantine–Ottoman Wars and Ottoman wars in Europe
The last siege of Constantinople, contemporary 15th century French miniature
Date 6 April – 29 May 1453 (53 days) Location Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) Result Decisive Ottoman victory Fall of the Byzantine Empire
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire  Republic of Genoa  Republic of Venice  Kingdom of Sicily  Papal States Ottoman defectors	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Constantine XI † Loukas Notaras  Theophilos Palaiologos † Giovanni Giustiniani Longo (WIA) Orhan Çelebi	Mehmed II Zagan Pasha Suleiman Baltoghlu
Strength
Byzantines Land forces: 7,000–10,000-12,000, many of whom were civilians 600 Ottoman defectors Naval forces: 26 ships	Ottomans Land forces: 50,000–80,000 100,000–160,000–200,000 70 cannons14 large and 56 small caliber) Naval forces: 70 ships, 20 galleys 90 – 126 ships
Casualties and losses
4,000 killed in total (including combatants and civilians) 30,000 enslaved or deported	Unknown but heavy

Decisive Ottoman victory

Byzantines Land forces:

Naval forces:

Ottomans

Land forces: 50,000–80,000

Naval forces:

The Fall of Constantinople (Greek: Ἃλωσις τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, Halōsis tēs Kōnstantinoupoleōs; Turkish: İstanbul'un Fethi Conquest of Istanbul) was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by an invading army of the Ottoman Empire on 29 May 1453. The Ottomans were commanded by the then 21-year-old Mehmed the Conqueror, the seventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who defeated an army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. The conquest of Constantinople followed a 53-day siege that had begun on 6 April 1453.

The capture of Constantinople (and two other Byzantine splinter territories soon thereafter) marked the end of the Byzantine Empire, a continuation of the Roman Empire dating to 27 BC, an imperial state lasting for nearly 1,500 years. The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople also dealt a massive blow to Christendom, as the Muslim Ottoman armies thereafter were left unchecked to advance into Europe without an adversary to their rear. After the conquest, Sultan Mehmed II transferred the capital of the Ottoman Empire from Edirne to Constantinople.

It was also a watershed moment in military history. Since ancient times cities had used ramparts and city walls to protect themselves from invaders and Constantinople's substantial fortifications had been a model followed by cities throughout the Mediterranean region and Europe. The Ottomans ultimately prevailed due to the use of gunpowder (which powered formidable cannons).

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Wikipedia