TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Siege · 1453
Constantinople, the capital city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, was captured by the Ottoman Empire on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun on 6 April. The attacking Ottoman Army, which significantly outnumbered Constantinople's defenders, was commanded by Sultan Mehmed II (later nicknamed "the Conqueror"), while the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) army was led by Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. After conquering the city, Mehmed II made Constantinople the new Ottoman capital, replacing Adrianople.
| Date | 6 April – 29 May 1453, (1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days) |
|---|---|
| Location | Constantinople, Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire (present-day Istanbul, Turkey), |
| Result | Ottoman victory |
| Territorial changes | Constantinople conquered by the Ottomans · Fall of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire Serbian Despotate | Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire Republic of Genoa Republic of Venice Papal States Crown of Aragon Kingdom of Sicily Kingdom of France Varangian Guard Orhan Çelebi loyalists |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Mehmed II Halil Pasha Zagan Pasha Suleiman Baltoghlu (WIA) Karaca Pasha Hamza Bey Mahmud Pasha Ulubatlı Hasan † Hadım Şehabeddin | Constantine XI † Loukas Notaras Theophilos Palaiologos † Demetrios Kantakouzenos Andronikos Kantakouzenos Giovanni Giustiniani (DOW) Gabriele Trevisano (POW) Alviso Diedo (WIA) Gabriele Orsini del Balzo † Cardinal Isidore (POW) Johannes Grant † Orhan Çelebi |
| Strength | Land forces: 100,000 soldiers in total, including: 75,000 regulars 20,000 irregulars 5,000 Janissaries Naval forces: 31 galleys 95 large row boats Unknown but large amount of Non-combatants | Land forces: Less than 8,000 soldiers in total, including: 5,000 Eastern Roman (Byzantine) soldiers 2,000 Western soldiers 600 Orhan Çelebi loyalists 200 Catalan retinue 200 Cretan archers Naval forces: 26 ships 10 Eastern Roman (Byzantine) 8 Venetian 5 Genoese 1 Catalan 1 Anconitan 1 Provençal |
| Casualties | Heavy | Heavy |
Mehmed II promised his soldiers three days of plunder, in accordance with Islamic law and the custom of the time. However subsequent sources state that he rode into the city on the first day and called an immediate halt to the looting. His soldiers obliged as very little plunder remained from the city's previous sack by crusaders. After ordering an end to the looting, Mehmet II issued a proclamation that all Christians who had avoided capture or who had been ransomed could return to their homes without further molestation, although many had no homes to return to, and many more had been taken captive and not ransomed.
Took place during the reign of Mehmed II (1451–1481). Mehmed II
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.