The turning point between East and West
The defining moment of the Ottoman
Empire
The End of the Eastern Roman Empire
By: Adam Love
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~Useful Links~
The_Fall_of_Constantinople.mov
Modern_Istanbul.mov
~Maps~
Byzantium Constantinople
Extent of Constantinople under Theodosius
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Bibliography
~Chronology~
April 6
April 12
April 18
April 20
April 22
May 7
May 18
May 29

– Mehmed II arrived on the plains before
Constantinople, and began preliminary bombardment of the fortifications.
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– Advanced the cannons to the edge of the great ditch (Foss) and began the
“ first general preparatory gunpowder artillery bombardment in history.
”
• After 6 days of bombardment the outer towers were beginning to crumble.
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– 2 hours after sunset, Mehmed II begins assault with his elite Janissary Force.
• Repelled by Giustiniani with his 700 Genoese
Knights
• Over 200 Janissary dead, no Knights killed.
– Mehmed II orders his admiral Baltoghlu to attack and destroy the chain boom across the
Golden Horn.
• Byzantine Fleet repelled the Ottoman Fleet
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– Rescue ships sent by Pope (3 Genoese Galleys and 1 Imperial Transport).
• Baltoghlu was unable to stop the ships reaching the city of Constantinople.
– Mehmed II began to focus his energy on controlling the Golden Horn and the waters surrounding Constantinople.
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– Mehmed II orders thousands of workmen to begin portaging his navy across the land just north of the city to bypass the chain boom.
• By dawn the following day, all of the Ottoman Fleet, some 70 ships, had been safely and ingeniously hauled across land using teams of Oxen and human effort.
• The Emperor Constantine tried to burn the Ottoman
Fleet a few days later during the night. He did not succeed.
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– Ottoman ’ s launch another major assault against the Mesoteichion sector involving
30,000-50,000 men.
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– Under the direction of Mehmed II, the
Ottoman
’ s constructed an armored siege tower to protect workers attempting to fill in the ditch (foss).
• During the night, Giustiniani led a sortie out and blew the armored siege tower up with gun powder.
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– Mehmed II planned a simultaneous 3 point attack, against the walls Blachermae Gate, the Lycus Valley, and the Romanus Gate.
– It was in the Lycus Valley the Mehmed II planned on being successful.
– Used three waves of attackers, denying the defenders any time to rest or repair.
• Bashi-Bazouk Infantry, Provincial Levies Regulars, Elite
Janissary Infantry.
– Killed the Emperor Constantine in battle, Siege of
Constantinople ended.
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• Discovery Education. “
United Streaming.
”
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/i ndex.cfm> accessed November 8, 2007.
• Gabriel, Richard A. “
Empires At War:
Volume III.
”
Greenwood Press, 2005.
• Finkel, Caroline. “
Osman
’ s Dream.
”
Basic
Books, 2005.
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