Fall of Constantinople: A History from Beginning to End

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marked a number of significant historical turning points. It saw the end of the last vestige of the Roman Empire, which had been founded more than 1,400 years before, and marked the beginning of a period of dominance for the growing Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, this moment is taken as marking the end of the Middle Ages in Europe and the beginning of the Renaissance, as the fall of Constantinople was directly linked to both these events.

But just why was the city of Constantinople so important, and why did its conquest herald such massive changes? This is the story of one city and two empires and how they clashed to shape the modern world.