1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that brings you a 4 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: little nugget of history every day. Today is The day 5 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: was May fourteen fifty three, Constantinople, the capital of the 6 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: Byzantine Empire, was captured by the Ottoman Empire. The fall 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire. Roman 8 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: emperor Constantine the First founded the city of Constantinople in 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: Constantinople served as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 1: later known as the Byzantine Empire. The city survived as 11 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: the empire's capital for more than one thousand years, lasting 12 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: through attacks and rebellions. In twelve o four CE, nights 13 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: of the Fourth Crusade captured Constantine Noble. The Crusaders founded 14 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: the Latin Empire on lands they captured, while the rest 15 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: of the Byzantine Empire split into the Empire of Nicea, 16 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: the Empire of Trebizond, and the Despotate of Epirus. In 17 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: twelve sixty one, the Nicenes regained control of Constantinople from 18 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: the Crusaders. Michael the Eighth Polio Logos repaired and restored 19 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 1: the capital, rebuilding monasteries and other buildings, but the Byzantine 20 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: Empire was declining. Reconstruction was expensive and devalued Byzantine currency. 21 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: The Empire's population was decreasing and its territory was contracting. 22 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: The Black Death killed a large chunk of the population 23 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 1: in Constantinople, and a civil war took place in the 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: empire from thirteen forty one to thirteen forty seven. The 25 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: Byzantine Empire also faced attacks from the Bulgarians and the Serbians. 26 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: At the same time, the Ottoman Empire, founded in the 27 00:01:56,120 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: late thirteenth century, was expanding. The Ottoman Empire captured Borsa 28 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: from the Byzantines and made it the capital city. The 29 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: Empire also invaded Thrace and captured Adrian Noble, making it 30 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: the new Ottoman capital. It captured Thessaloniki from the Venetians, 31 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: and after the Ottomans emerged victorious in the Battle of 32 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: Kosovo in thirteen eighty nine, the Serbians fell out of 33 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: power in the region. By this point, the Byzantine Empire 34 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: had become a vassal to the Ottomans. While the Byzantine 35 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: Empire was on the verge of collapse. The Ottoman Empire 36 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: was closing in on Constantinople. In fourteen fifty one, Sultan 37 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: Mehmed the Second took the Ottoman throne for the second time. 38 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: The Byzantine emperor at the time was Constantine the eleventh. 39 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 1: When the Ottoman threat was imminent, Constantine appealed to Pope 40 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: Nicholas the Fifth for aid. The Pope did seek help 41 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: from the West, but many Western states were tied up 42 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: in their own conflicts and didn't have the people or 43 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: money to send help to Constantinople. Venice and Genoa sent 44 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: military support to the city, but the help that the 45 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: Byzantines did get was no match for Ottoman forces. The 46 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: siege of the city began on April six, fourteen fifty three. 47 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: The Ottoman army likely had between sixty and eighty thousand people. 48 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: There were likely less than ten thousand Byzantine forces. On 49 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: top of that, the Ottomans had plenty of cannon. Mehammed's 50 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: plan was to blockade Constantinople on all sides while attacking 51 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: the Theodosian Walls, the defensive walls that fortified the city, 52 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: But the Byzantines were able to repair a lot of 53 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: the damage. Between the cannon shots. The Ottomans began constructing tunnels, 54 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: but the Byzantines intercepted them. The attack went on for 55 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: weeks with some effective resistance from the Byzantine side, despite 56 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: being outnumbered. Near the end of May, mahemmed offered to 57 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: lift the siege if the Byzantines gave him the city, 58 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: but Constantine refused to surrender Mehemedic called a council of 59 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: war and the Ottomans prepared for a final assault. In 60 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: the early hours of May nine, Hamant launched a coordinated 61 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: artillery infantry enable assault on Constantinople. By the third wave 62 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: of the attack, women and children were defending the walls. 63 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: Ottoman troops fledded into the city. Thousands of people were killed, 64 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: died by suicide, or were shipped away to be enslaved. 65 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: Buildings like the Ia Sophia were looted for their treasures 66 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: and destroyed. That afternoon, Moment entered the city and called 67 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: for an end to the looting. He also called for 68 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: the Ia Sophia to be converted into a mosque. Constantinople, 69 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: renamed Istanbul, became the new Ottoman capital, and what was 70 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: left of the Byzantine Empire soon became part of the 71 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: Ottoman Empire. The fall of Constantinople removed mainland Europe's defense 72 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: against Ottoman expansion and marked the end of the old 73 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: Roman Empire. Over time, the city's population increased and the 74 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: harbor became an important trade center. Istanbul remained the capital 75 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: of the Ottoman Empire until the state was dissolved in 76 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeff Cote and hopefully you know a little 77 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,040 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. And if 78 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions for future episodes, you 79 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:14,919 Speaker 1: can send them to us at this day at iHeart 80 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: Media dot com. You can also hit us up on 81 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: social media where at t D I h C podcast. 82 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening to the show and we'll 83 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 84 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 85 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.