On This Day in History: May 29

The fall of Constantinople

AUDIO VERSION HERE

Say the words “Roman Empire” and what comes to mind? Caesars and gladiators and coliseums and et tu, Brute? Say “Constantinople” and many get an earworm of an old novelty song about how Istanbul used to be Constantinople but now it’s—AAAAUUUGGGGHHH GET IT OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!!!!

--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: May 29, 1453--

The Roman Republic began about half a millennium before Jesus. It took until about 300 BCE before it began to expand beyond the Italian peninsula, making it a de facto empire if not a de jure one. Julius Caesar was dictator for a brief time in 44 BCE before being assassinated, but it was his adopted son Octavian who was declared “first citizen” in 27 BCE. That’s when the transition from republic to empire was complete.

And then that empire ended in 465 CE, but that was the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire would survive another thousand years. Because you see, in 285 CE it was decided the empire had grown too large to manage, and it was split in two, with the eastern capital in Constantinople—THERE’S THAT FUCKING SONG AGAIN!

THERE’S THAT FUCKING AD AGAIN WITH HIM ASKING ME TO

May 29, 1453, marks the end of the Eastern Roman Empire, which had also come to be known as the Byzantine Empire, with the fall of Constantinople to another empire: the Ottoman.

Led by 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II, the Ottomans besieged the fortress of Constantinople with overwhelming force for 53 days. The taking of the city marks a number of turning points in history. Many historians consider it to be a marker of the end of the Medieval period which had begun with the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

It also revealed the power of gunpowder, as prior to this time substantial fortifications such as Constantinople’s were effective at repelling invaders, but large cannons proved to be an effective counter to such defensive boundaries.

Finally, Constantinople represented a barrier between Asia Minor and Europe. With its fall, the Ottoman Empire was better positioned to invade mainland Europe, leading to its control of much of the Balkan peninsula.

By the way, the original version of the song “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” was released in 1953, on the 500^thanniversary of the fall of Constantinople, by a Canadian group called The Four Lads. It was certified gold and has been covered a number of times since.

Get the book On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down.