May 29, 1453 CEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented
Mehmed II Conquers Constantinople
On the timeline · around May 29, 1453 CE ·
What happened
In 1453, 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II besieged Constantinople with giant bronze cannons and took the thousand-year-old capital of the Byzantine Empire. He made the city — Istanbul — his new capital.
Why it matters
The fall of Constantinople ended the Byzantine Empire and the Middle Ages for many historians, and announced the Ottomans as a world power.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. 1453: The Fall of Constantinople · Reputable source
- World History Encyclopedia. Mehmed II · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The Middle Ages → — The end of the medieval Byzantine world