What city did the ottoman empire conquer in 1453 putting an end to the byzantium empire?
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The Means of Destruction: How the Ottoman Empire Finally Ended the Byzantine Empire Show
By Benjamin Donovan Northerner Historical Review, Vol.1 (2013)  Introduction: The year 1453 brought with its passing two of the most important historical events of the early modern period: the end of the 100 Years War, and the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks. While both events had a drastic effect on Europe, the Ottoman’s conquest arguably had a greater effect in Eastern Europe, since the Ottoman Turks dominated the diplomatic efforts of the states there for the greater part of the next 200 years. However, no European had any reason to believe that the Ottomans would capture Constantinople, since they had tried two times previously and had failed in both of those attempts. Despite those failures, many factors contributed to significant changes within the Ottoman State that put them in a position to effectively assault the city, and thus establish themselves as an empire worthy of recognition by Europeans. The Ottomans conquered Constantinople and ended the Byzantine Empire by military conquests and diplomatic treaties by Mehmet II’s predecessors Bayezid I and Murat II. In addition, Mehmet II’s desire to prove himself an adequate leader plus western influences on Ottoman military technology and improvements on more traditional Ottoman tactics meant that the Byzantine Empire was brought to its knees.
Bayezid I (r. 1389-1402) and his military actions had a profound impact on the later Ottoman conquest of Constantinople since he launched the first Ottoman siege of the city. Bayezid made an earnest attempt to conquer the city, instigating both an eight-year siege and an eight-year blockade of Constantinople in an attempt to bring the rebellious Emperor Manuel II back into submission. Although the Ottoman Empire under Bayezid did not have the proper means to capture the city his siege still has relevance because it instilled a general desire in succeeding Ottoman sultans to conquer the city and make good on Bayezid’s adoption of the title Sultan of Rum, or Rome and hence overlord of Byzantium. Bayezid’s siege also failed because he advanced so rapidly into Europe and then to Constantinople that, “King Sigismund of Hungary led the call for a crusade against the Turks. A Christian army of nearly 100,000 mustered at Buda in July 1396 under the leadership of Sigismund… headed down along the Danube valley to Nicopolis, where they put the Turkish-occupied fortress under siege.” This displays another problem for Ottoman sultans before Mehmet II. Powerful foreign entities drew the Sultan’s attention from the main siege effort by their actions. While Bayezid did manage to defeat Sigismund’s army at Nicopolis, the invasion seriously hindered his siege of Constantinople. However, the intrusions of foreign powers continually distracted Bayezid from the siege and ultimately forced him to abandon it. Bayezid’s efforts against his European enemies directly influenced Mehmet II’s decisions when he attacked Constantinople. The siege established the belief Constantinople constituted part of the Sultan’s birthright and also highlighted important Ottoman weaknesses. Click here to read this article from Northerner Historical Review Related Posts
Subscribe to MedievalverseThe Ottoman Empire was one of the mightiest and longest-lasting dynasties in world history. This Islamic-run superpower ruled large areas of the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa for more than 600 years. The chief leader, known as the Sultan, was given absolute religious and political authority over his people. While Western Europeans generally viewed them as a threat, many historians regard the Ottoman Empire as a source of great regional stability and security, as well as important achievements in the arts, science, religion and culture. Origins of the Ottoman EmpireOsman I, a leader of the Turkish tribes in Anatolia, founded the Ottoman Empire around 1299. The term “Ottoman” is derived from Osman’s name, which was “Uthman” in Arabic. The Ottoman Turks set up a formal government and expanded their territory under the leadership of Osman I, Orhan, Murad I and Bayezid I. In 1453, Mehmed II the Conqueror led the Ottoman Turks in seizing the ancient city of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire’s capital. This put an end to the 1,000-year reign of the Byzantine Empire. Sultan Mehmed renamed the city Istanbul and made it the new capital of the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul became a dominant international center of trade and culture. Mehmed died in 1481. His oldest son, Bayezid II, became the new Sultan. Rise of the Ottoman EmpireBy 1517, Bayezid’s son, Selim I, brought Syria, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt under Ottoman control. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak between 1520 and 1566, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. This period was marked by great power, stability and wealth. Suleiman created a uniform system of law and welcomed different forms of arts and literature. Many Muslims considered Suleiman a religious leader as well as a political ruler. Throughout Sultan Suleiman’s rule, the empire expanded and included areas of Eastern Europe. What Countries Were Part of the Ottoman Empire?At its height, the Ottoman Empire included the following regions:
Ottoman Art and ScienceThe Ottomans were known for their achievements in art, science and medicine. Istanbul and other major cities throughout the empire were recognized as artistic hubs, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Some of the most popular forms of art included calligraphy, painting, poetry, textiles and carpet weaving, ceramics and music. Ottoman architecture also helped define the culture of the time. Elaborate mosques and public buildings were constructed during this period. Science was regarded as an important field of study. The Ottomans learned and practiced advanced mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, physics, geography and chemistry. Additionally, some of the greatest advances in medicine were made by the Ottomans. They invented several surgical instruments that are still used today, such as forceps, catheters, scalpels, pincers and lancets. FratricideUnder Sultan Selim, a new policy emerged, which included fratricide, or the murder of brothers. When a new Sultan was crowned, his brothers would be imprisoned. When the Sultan’s first son was born, his brothers and their sons would be killed. This system ensured that the rightful heir would take the throne. But, not every Sultan followed this harsh ritual. Over time, the practice evolved. In the later years, the brothers would only be put in prison—not killed. TopkapiA total of 36 Sultans ruled the Ottoman Empire between 1299 and 1922. For many of these years, the Ottoman Sultan would live in the elaborate Topkapi palace complex in Istanbul. It contained dozens of gardens, courtyards and residential and administrative buildings. Scroll to Continue Part of the Topkapi palace included the harem, a separate quarters reserved for wives, concubines and female slaves. These women were positioned to serve the Sultan, while the men in the harem complex were typically eunuchs. The threat of assassination was always a concern for a Sultan. He relocated every night as a safety measure. The Ottoman Empire and Other ReligionsMost scholars agree that the Ottoman Turk rulers were tolerant of other religions. Those who weren’t Muslim were categorized by the millet system, a community structure that gave minority groups a limited amount of power to control their own affairs while still under Ottoman rule. Some millets paid taxes, while others were exempt. DevshirmeIn the 14th century, the devshirme system was created. This required conquered Christians to give up 20 percent of their male children to the state. The children were forced to convert to Islam and become slaves. Although they served as slaves, some of the converts became powerful and wealthy. Many were trained for government service or the Ottoman military. The elite military group, known as the Janissaries, was primarily made up of forced Christian converts. The devshirme system lasted until the end of the 17th century. The Decline of the Ottoman EmpireStarting in the 1600s, the Ottoman Empire began to lose its economic and military dominance over Europe. Around this time, Europe had strengthened rapidly with the Renaissance and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Other factors, such as poor leadership and having to compete with trade from the Americas and India, led to the weakening of the empire. In 1683, the Ottoman Turks were defeated at the Battle of Vienna. This loss added to their already waning status. Over the next hundred years, the empire began to lose key regions of land. After a revolt, Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. In 1878, the Congress of Berlin declared the independence of Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria. During the Balkan Wars, which took place in 1912 and 1913, the Ottoman Empire lost nearly all its territories in Europe. When Did the Ottoman Empire Fall?At the start of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was already in decline. The Ottoman army entered the war in 1914 on the side of the Central Powers (including Germany and Austria-Hungary) and was defeated in October 1918. Following the Armistice of Mudros, most Ottoman territories were divided between Britain, France, Greece and Russia. The Ottoman Empire officially ended in 1922 when the title of Ottoman Sultan was eliminated. Turkey was declared a republic on October 29, 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), an army officer, founded the independent Republic of Turkey. He then served as Turkey’s first president from 1923 until his death in 1938, implementing reforms that rapidly secularized and westernized the country. Armenian GenocideThe Armenian Genocide was perhaps the most controversial and damning event associated with the Ottomans. In 1915, Turkish leaders made a plan to massacre Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Most scholars believe that about 1.5 million Armenians were killed. For years, the Turkish government has denied responsibility for the genocide. In fact, it’s illegal, even today, to talk about the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. The Ottoman LegacyAfter ruling for more than 600 years, the Ottoman Turks are often remembered for their powerful military, ethnic diversity, artistic ventures, religious tolerance and architectural marvels. The mighty empire’s influence is still very much alive in the present-day Turkish Republic, a modern, mostly secular nation thought of by many scholars as a continuation of the Ottoman Empire. SourcesThe
Ottoman Empire, BBC. What empire ended in 1453?The Byzantine Empire finally fell in 1453, after an Ottoman army stormed Constantinople during the reign of Constantine XI.
Who conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453?Constantinople stood as the seat of the Byzantine Empire for the next 1,100 years, enduring periods of great fortune and horrific sieges, until being overrun by Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
Where did the Byzantine Empire end?Its remaining territories were progressively annexed by the Ottomans in the Byzantine–Ottoman wars over the 14th and 15th centuries. The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 marked the end of the Byzantine Empire.
What happened to Constantinople in 1453 when the Ottomans conquered it?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 fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun on 6 April. The city's collapse marked the end of the Middle Ages.
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