Sultan Mehmed II besieged Constantinople with a large Ottoman army and powerful artillery. The defenders, led by Emperor Constantine XI, relied on formidable walls but had limited manpower.
After weeks of bombardment and fighting, Ottoman forces broke into the city on 29 May 1453. Constantine XI died during the final defence.
The conquest ended the Byzantine Empire and made Constantinople the Ottoman capital. Claims that it alone caused the Renaissance or European overseas expansion oversimplify longer processes.
Why It Matters
The conquest transformed the eastern Mediterranean and became a powerful marker in Christian and Muslim historical memory.