1453 (the Conquest And Tragedy Of Constantinople)

By (author) Kaldellis Anthony
Short description/annotation:
Drawing on riveting firsthand accounts, Anthony Kaldellis offers a new narrative of the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, a watershed year that closed the book, once and for all, on the Roman Empire and confirmed for Europeans their worst fears about an expanding Ottoman Empire.
Description:
A detailed account of the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, a watershed year that closed the book, once and for all, on the Roman Empire and confirmed for Europeans their worst fears about an expanding Ottoman Empire. Anthony Kaldellis offers a new narrative of the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, a watershed year that closed the book, once and for all, on the Roman Empire and confirmed for Europeans their worst fears about an expanding Ottoman Empire. By the fifteenth century, Constantinople had seen better days, but it was still a vibrant center of learning, worship, commerce, and information. 1453 sketches the tense but exciting shared world of Italians, Turks, and Romans that was thrown into crisis by Mehmed II''s decision to conquer the city. Kaldellis showcases a detailed reconstruction following events on a day-by-day basis, pulling from gripping eye-witness testimonies in Latin, Italian, Greek, Russian, and Turkish. He weighs the strategies of both the attackers and defenders, and proves that, contrary to the fatalism that marks almost all narratives written with hindsight, in reality the defense was hardly a lost cause. The defenders knew exactly what they were doing. They were willing to risk their lives, but it was not their intention to become martyrs. Instead, it was the sultan who was scrambling to neutralize a seemingly impregnable defense. That he did so was a testament to his ingenuity and tenacity. The final chapters of 1453 trace the fate of the vanquished and their captivity. It also weighs the impact of the city''s fall on the conquerors, the conquered, and on world history. 1453 was not merely a symbol for the passing of the Middle Ages and the onset of early modernity: it changed the very nature of the Ottoman empire and redirected the transmission of cultural legacies, especially those of Greek classical scholarship. The fall of Constantinople is therefore a nexus of converging pathways between east and west, medieval and modern, ends and beginnings.
Table of contents:
Preface 1. The Queen of Cities, Still 2. Turks, Romans, and Italians 3. The Outbreak of War 4. The Strategy of the Defenders 5. Mehmed''s Plan of Attack 6. The Defenses Hold 7. Stalemate 8. The Final Assault 9. Conquerors and Slaves 10. The Impact of the Fall
Review quote:
A fresh take on the 1453 conquest of Constantinople that will challenge readers in history and classics to reconsider traditional interpretations.
Review quote:
Prolific revisionist historian of the Byzantine Empire Anthony Kaldellis returns to the fray with this meticulously researched analysis of the final act, the Ottoman siege and conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Was the outcome a foregone conclusion, as historians have been telling us for hundreds of years? This powerful narrative of hope and tragedy brings the evidence vividly before our eyes and challenges us to think again.
Review quote:
A captivating blow-by-blow account of one of the most important military confrontations in history.
Review quote:
With careful analysis of old sources and recent scholarship, this fresh investigation makes for a high-stakes dramatic narrative. The twists and turns of the story are a good reminder of the contingency of history-that individual choices and actions have consequences.
Review quote:
Anthony Kaldellis''s compelling study of the final collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire advances a striking reassessment of both its demise and its broader historical significance