On Tuesday, 29 May 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman army of Sultan Mehmed II, ending the 1,476 year history of the Roman Empire. The 164th Roman Emperor, Constantine XI, himself led the last defense of the city, dying in the ensuing battle in the streets.

The city was looted for three days, in accordance with the traditional Muslim punishment allotted to a city that had resisted a siege. Mehmed was nicknamed "the Conqueror," and Constantinople was renamed Istanbul and became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Disclaimer & Copyright Notice