This morning Constantinople was finally seized by the great Mehmed II. The city defended itself for over seven weeks - a feat against the seemingly unstoppable Ottoman army. In its former glory, Constantinople might have stood a chance against the Ottomans, but now the ever declining city, which had decreased to a population of only 50,000 people, was forced to bow down to Mehmed.
Mehmed has righteously gained his new title of 'Mehmed the Conqueror', as Constantinople was not a simple feat to overcome. His first obstacle was the chain laid out across the waterway separating him from his desire - Constantinople. The Ottomans solved this dilemma by dragging their seventy ships over a hill on greased runners, and then back into the water to bombard the city. Once they reached the walls of Constantinople however, they realized their task would not be quite as simple as they thought - these were not simple walls - they were walls that had withstood hundreds of years of attack - and they were not ready to give up now. It was up to the Ottomans to be the first army to break them down. With the help of gunpowder and 26 foot cannons that bombarded the walls with 1,200 pound boulders, this morning, after seven weeks of attacking the city nonstop, the Ottomans finally found their way into Constantinople.
Mehmed the Conqueror has forever altered the history of Constantinople, and with it, also it's name. Goodbye Constantinople - Hello Istanbul!
