Constantinople

Untitled Slide

• Although besieged innumerable times by various
• peoples, it was taken only three times.

Untitled Slide

• The crusaders established an unstable Latin state
• in and around Constantinople while the remaining
• empire splintered into a number of Greek successor states.

Untitled Slide

• The Black Plague between 1346 & 1349 killed almost half
• of Constantinople's inhabitants.

Untitled Slide

• The army defending Constantinople was
• relatively small; it totalled about 7,000 men, 2,000 of whom
• were foreigners.

Untitled Slide

• The sultan himself arrived with his last troops, the defenders took up their positions.
• As their numbers were insufficient to occupy the walls in their entirety, it had been
• decided that only the outer walls would be manned. Constantine and his greek
• troops guarded the Mesoteichion.

Untitled Slide

• Before the siege of Constantinople, it was known that the ottomans
• had the ability to cast medium sized cannons, but the range of some pieces
• they were able to field far surpassed the defenders' expectations.

Untitled Slide

• Constantinople claims 7 hills, like Rome, a rocky terrain
• that had limited earlier utilization of a state so important for
• sea trade.

Untitled Slide

• The city is now known as Istanbul. Before it was named in
• honor of its founder, Constantine, it was called Nova Roma "New Rome"

Untitled Slide

• It was famed for architectural masterpieces such as the church of
• hagia sophia, the sacred palace of the emperors,
• the hippodrome, and the golden gate.
• Constantinople contained numerous artistic and literary treasures
• before it was sacked in 1204 & 1453

Untitled Slide

• Constantinople was built over 6 years, and consecrated on 11 May 330
• Constantine divided the expanded city, like Rome into 14 regions
• and ornamented it with the public works worthy of an imperial metropolis.

Sources

• www.roman-empire.net
• Wikipedia