Student Question
What caused the Fall of Constantinople, and what were its effects?
Quick answer:
The Fall of Constantinople in 1453 was caused by internal divisions, civil wars, and external threats, notably from the Ottoman Turks led by Mehmet II. The city's capture marked the end of Byzantine power and shifted the balance towards Islam, with Constantinople becoming Istanbul. This event ended the Middle Ages and spurred the Renaissance as intellectuals fled to Europe. It also disrupted trade routes, prompting exploration and the discovery of new maritime paths.
The Byzantine Empire was the core of western civilization and it continued to nurture Christianity after the fall of Rome. The beginning of the fall of Constantinople, the capitol of the Byzantine Empire, was sparked by the first crusades in 1095. The Crusaders would need to go through the Byzantine Empire in order to capture the holy city of Jerusalem from the Muslims and Jews. The Christian leaders in Constantinople did not provide their full support to the Crusaders right away. They attempted diplomacy since they were also surrounded by Muslims. These attempts at diplomacy were met by some zealous crusaders with frustration and they attacked and looted the city in 1204. This weakened Constantinople as well as the ties between Christian forces in the east and west.
At the same time, Byzantium was divided between Italians, Franks and Balkans. The following century was also characterized by a series of...
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civil wars. The situation in the 14th century was looking similar to that of western Rome before it fell; the once great empire was weakened and civil wars occurred as feuding states tried to usurp power. Additionally, the Ottoman Turks were beginning to emerge on the border of the Byzantine Empire and the domain of the Seljuk Turks. Their population was growing rapidly along with their territory and their armed forces were often enlisted as mercenaries in the Byzantine civil wars.Â
In the middle of the 15th century, Mehmet II, also known as Mehmet The Conqueror came to the Turkish throne. Mehmet II had plans to expand the power of the Ottoman Turks and conspired to take Constantinople to this end. Mehmet II began attacking surrounding cities all the while claiming that he would respect the remaining strongholds of Christian Byzantium. This was a deception, as the defenders of Constantinople would find out when The Conqueror led his forces to the city in 1453. Mehmet's forces surrounded the city and took Constantinople after a few months of fighting.
The Ottoman Empire would continue expand until its fall in 1924. The fall of Constantinople dealt a major blow to the spread of Christianity. Mehmet renamed the city Islambol (lots of Islam) and The Hagia Sophia (the greatest church in the city) was turned into a Mosque. These symbolic gestures represented the shift in the balance of power towards Islam.
The fall of Constantinople resulted in other cultural and political shifts that changed the trajectory of Europe. Many Turks moved into the Balkans, which were under Ottoman rule, changing the cultural composition of the area that exists to the present day. Also, many scholars and historians believe that the fall of Constantinople marked the end of the middle ages and helped to fuel the renaissance. This is argued because many intellectuals and artists fled the city and went to Europe, bringing with them their ideas on science, art and philosophy.
Lastly, the transition of the empire into Muslim domains severed the overland trade route from western Europe to east of the empire. This had the effect of encouraging sea travel and the discovery of new trade routes. The expansion and development voyages by ship had profound effects that would be felt all over the globe in the following centuries.