Constantinople. End or Beginning? by Doruk Koyuncu

Constantinople was one of the most important centers of the Middle Ages. Another value that increased the historical importance of Constantinople was its geopolitical location. This city, which served as a bridge between Europe and Asia and was the center of the Eastern Roman Empire, has always been important. In the 15th century, when the Turks began to expand into Europe, it was confined to the Ottoman Empire. We will discuss the location of Constantinople, its importance to Europe, and the consequences that followed its capture by the Turks. Constantinople is the religious center of Orthodox Christians. After the Turkish Sultan Mehmet II (Fatih) came to power, he was aware that Constantinople had to be captured for both his own throne and the progress of the empire. After Mehmet II came to the throne in 1451, he began preparations for the conquest of Constantinople. Constantinople was the last remaining part of the Byzantine Empire. It also meant everything to the empire. Byzantine Emperor Constantine was ready to do anything to protect the empire and the city. As Mehmet II began preparations for war, Constantine also asked for help from Europe. During this process, he received smaller-scale help than he expected. With the 2nd Castle he built on the Bosphorus, Mehmet II took an important step to prevent any help that would come during the siege of the city. The siege, which began in 1453, continued under very difficult conditions for the Turks. Constantinople's sturdy two-tiered walls made sieges very difficult. However, with the development of technology, Mehmet II could damage the walls with his cannons. The city could not be surrounded from all sides thanks to the Golden Horn extending into Constantinople. Whenever Byzantium experienced a siege, it closed the entrance of the Golden Horn with iron chains and the small ships of the period could not overcome these chains and enter the Golden Horn and could not form a complete siege. This made it easier to protect the city. Thereupon, Mehmet II formed ships and transferred them on land to the Golden Horn and gained a great advantage by placing the city under complete siege. As a result of the 53-day siege, the Ottoman Empire managed to capture Constantinople. Byzantine Emperor Constantine lost his life during the war. The narrative of Constantinople has always been limited to this siege war and its effects on Europe have been pushed into the background. Constantinople was a city with the most important scientists and artists of the period. After the conquest, the Turkish Emperor allowed the Orthodox people to live in the city and allowed the center of Orthodoxy to remain in this city, but many artists and scientists left Constantinople and went to Europe. In addition, with the European-Asian connection completely in the hands of the Turks, Europeans had to search for new trade routes. This conquest of Constantinople accelerated both the renaissance and geographical differences in Europe. After the Turks spread to the European continent and conquered Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire, the Ancient Greek region was completely under Turkish control. After these processes, scientists and artists who escaped or immigrated to Europe made Europe more familiar with Ancient Greek philosophy. With the translation of Ancient Greek works, Plato's and Aristotle's works into Latin by these people, enlightenment accelerated in the European continent. After the loss of Byzantium, Europe saw this as a disaster. However, the movements that followed gave birth to many innovations. The artists who migrated to Europe provided a broader framework for Renaissance art. As we mentioned before, Platonic and Aristotelian ideas that had been forgotten in Europe regained value and formed the foundations of Humanism in Europe. The support of these artists by the Medicis greatly accelerated the development process of Europe. The fact that the trade routes were largely taken over by the Turks enabled the increase of new trade routes. Especially the Venetians and Genoese, who were the rulers of the Mediterranean, had to develop new strategies. As a result, the formation of many new trade routes enabled Europe to develop significantly in economic terms. This event, which Pope Nicholas V saw as a great loss and thought that Europe had to fight against the Ottomans and went into mourning, indirectly formed a cornerstone in the development of Europe in the following years and centuries. Of course, it should not be perceived as ignoring the developments, artists and scientists that Europe had created within itself, but the loss of Constantinople seems to have led to a positive step in the progress of Europe.