In 1453, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, brought his army to the walls of Constantinople, one of the most important cities of the period, to change the history of the world.
After a 53-day siege, Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who took the city by passing the walls that were considered impassable, succeeded in changing both his empire and the course of history.
For the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the conquest of Istanbul had to take place.
When we look at the states in Anatolia in 1453, it is difficult to talk about Ottoman domination. The Ottomans, who did not dominate all of Anatolia, but controlled important cities, knew that they had to take Constantinople in order to increase the security of their lands.
Let’s take a look at the reasons for the conquest of Istanbul:
- Desire to ensure the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire.
- Constantinople being an obstacle to Ottoman trade.
- Byzantium posing a threat to the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire and provoking the principalities against the Ottomans.
- Istanbul being one of the last strongholds of Christianity.
There is something difficult about attacking Constantinople. If you attack the city with your whole army and make an unsuccessful conquest, other states in Anatolia can easily take your lands by turning this into an opportunity. On the other hand, the demolition of the great walls was said to be an impossible event at that time. It was a famous city in Constantinople with its great walls.
Another unfavorable situation for the Ottomans is the failure of the previous 3 conquest attempts. 2 Ottoman sultans and 1 prince tried to conquer this holy city 3 times before 1453, but failed.
Despite these two issues, which could bring the end of the empire in a negative result, the Ottomans started preparations to conquer Constantinople due to the provocations of Byzantium and the words of our Prophet about the conquest of Istanbul.
What preparations did the Ottomans make for the Conquest? The biggest cannons were poured, armies were gathered and a fortress was built.
Confused despite the negative opinion of many statesmen, Fatih Sultan Mehmet made many preparations for the siege.
Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who built the Rumeli Fortress and established a center opposite the Anadolu Fortress, built a large navy consisting of 400 pieces in order to cut the aid from the sea. After taking the sea part under control, the castles around the city were conquered to prevent the dangers from the land. Peace treaties were signed with many states in the Balkans, and an army was sent to the Balkans for possible European aid.
Large cannons were poured to demolish the walls, and these cannons created a war tactic that would cause the collapse of many empires after 1453.
After a long preparation period, the Ottomans, who thought that they were ready for the conquest, came to the city walls on April 6, 1453.
How was the city surrounded? Conquering the city behind the walls was not easy.
Undoubtedly, Constantinople was one of the cities that faced the threat of conquest most times in history. Constantinople, one of the most important cities of our planet with its location and beauties, faced the siege of many great states before the Ottoman Empire. This is why when the conquest began, the administration and people of Constantinople did not have great anxiety because they had great walls that were called indestructible.
Confident that their religious brothers, Europe, would help them, the city thought that they could win the war simply by keeping the Ottoman armies outside the walls for a while.
The walls are never destroyed.
The Ottomans had big plans to demolish the walls. However, these plans did not work as desired in the first stage of the war. Due to the problems experienced in artillery, the walls were still standing intact, which strengthened the Byzantine army and caused a great demoralization in the Ottoman army.
On top of the wall problem, the defeat of the 400-piece navy in the sea part put Fatih in deep thoughts and these thoughts caused an idea that seemed impossible to be realized.
We run ships from land.
While the war, which was the scene of great struggles, was progressing as the Byzantines wanted, it suddenly turned to the Ottomans as the Ottomans marched the ships from the land and stepped into the Golden Horn.
While the galleys were launched from Galata overnight, the walls continued to be hit with artillery fire. In this way, the Byzantines did not notice the sounds of the galleys and when they woke up in the morning, they were met with a great surprise. With the opening of the Golden Horn region, the Byzantine army dispersed all over the city and the city began to be hit with high power from every point.
Constantinople is now Ottoman.
The Ottomans continued their attacks with the opening of large gaps in the walls, and managed to intimidate the tired and hopeless Byzantine army. With the mercenaries leaving the city halfway with the course of the war, the city passed from Byzantium to the Ottomans with a final attack on 29 May 1453.
How many soldiers did Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquer Istanbul with? The Ottomans attacked Constantinople with a huge army.
Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, who wanted to take Constantinople in a disgrace, did not hesitate to use all the resources of his empire. Although there is no clear information, this conquest took place with an army of 250,000 according to Hammer, 160,000 according to Barbaro, and 200,000 according to Sfrantzes and Dukas. On the other hand, one of the important historians of our country, Prof. İlber Ortaylı argues that it was impossible to establish an army of 200,000 at that time. It was stated that the reason for this was that an army of this size could not be established due to health and logistics problems.
The Ottomans, who fought both from the land and from the sea, established an army in the Balkans so that no help came to Byzantium during the war. This huge army, consisting of horsemen, infantry, artillery and many more soldiers, is considered one of the largest armies of its time.
What happened to Europe after the war?
With the conquest, the rise of the Ottoman Empire gained great momentum and the empire now became a major threat to Europe. With this conquest, the Ottoman Empire, which had a say in Europe, went down in history as the state that snatched an era and opened a new one.
With the fall of Byzantium, the scientists in the city went to Europe and started the Renaissance. However, European states looking for different trade routes found new sea routes and continents in order not to trade through Istanbul.
The war paved the way for many discoveries that led to the collapse of empires in Europe. Now that it was known that the walls were not a safe structure, bells began to ring for the empire behind many walls.
The results of the conquest of Istanbul in terms of world history:
- The Middle Ages are over, the New Age has begun.
- The European Christian world was divided in two.
- The importance of the Ottoman Empire for Europe increased.
- It started the Renaissance.
- The groundwork was laid for geographical discoveries.
- The Eastern Roman Empire ended.
Now let’s take a look at the unknown aspects of the conquest.
- The looting of the city
- Greek Fire
- Only 7000 soldiers were protecting the Byzantines.
- Is Ulubatli Hasan real?
The looting of the city
Constantinople has historical buildings and objects. In addition, the city was like a museum where unique items were exhibited in the 1200s. On the other hand, looting stood out as an incentive for the soldiers at that time.
According to some sources, it is stated that the looting ended after Mehmet the Conqueror entered the city after the third day, and the Byzantine people came out of their hiding place and took their belongings and houses back.
There are many different opinions about looting, but it was known that the city was empty because the city was plundered by the Crusaders in the 1200s. Therefore, it is thought that there is less looting.
Fire of the Sea: Greek Fire
Greek Fire, which was used by the Byzantines for many years, became the worst fear of the enemies as a weapon that flared even more on the water. The fire that caused the destruction of many navies, when combined with water, instead of extinguishing, it flares up even more and causes unstoppable destruction.
Although it could not be used very actively against the Ottoman navy, the Byzantines managed to keep the city safe by actively using Greek Fire against the states that wanted to besiege the city for many years.
Only 7000 soldiers were protecting the Byzantines.
Many sources write that by the time the Ottomans approached the city walls, Byzantium was defended by only 7000 soldiers. The reason for this difference in soldiers is the big walls. Even gigantic armies could not pass through these walls, as it seemed an impossible event to destroy the great walls until 1453.
There is a view in HeritageDaily that Byzantium had only 7000 soldiers to defend the city against the Ottoman’s 80,000 soldiers.
Is Ulubatli Hasan real?
The young janissary Ulubatlı Hasan, who became famous for planting the Ottoman flag on the tower, is described in history books as a folk hero. The character of Ulubatlı Hasan, which was put forward by the historian named Melissinos for the first time in the 16th century, is also found in the books of several historians, but the opinion that it is not real is more dominant.
Source: TRT Haber – Wondrium Daily – Britannica
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