The Siege of Constantinople (1453).

Here's an entry from the Oldies but Goodies file....In as much as Christianity has shaped Western Civilization, this is, arguably, the single most important event in shaping Eastern and Western cultures and requires a rather lengthy explanation. But, it put things into perspective for me, historically, and I hope it does for you, too.For 800 years, Constantinople was the world's richest city/fortress of trade that bridged the East and the West. Rome, the seat of the Catholic Church had fallen 1100 years before, making Constantinople, the seat of Orthodox Christianity and the Capitol of the Roman Empire. By the 15th Century, it had shrunk to an impoverished, isolated city/state and its ruler was Constantine XI.In 1204, its demise began when the Roman Catholic Crusades ransacked the city, while Constantinople was at the height of its powers. Weakened, the Ottoman Empire began to isolate it from the outside world. Muslims had been trying, off and on for 700 years to seize this stronghold,... Read more

UPDATE:  Today is May 29, and on this day, in 1453, Constantine XI, the last Roman Emperor, died in battle as Constantinople fell to the Turks. Culturally this event was devastating to the West, although military, the Roman Empire had become so feeble that few troops actually were involved. ORIGINAL COMMENT:  This is one of my lifelong projects and that is to become as familiar with the Fall of the Roman Empire in 1453 as possible. I find it incredible that I have not rated it before this! However, I really can't add anything to the reviews of Ridgewalker and Enkidu, but to say amen. One thing that is overlooked is that the Roman Emperor Constantine XI had brought the Orthodox Church back into union with the Catholic Church by the Council of Florence that ended in 1445. The unity from this Council was aborted by the fall of Constantinople in 1453 as the Turks fostered disunity of the Christians. The unity was resisted by many of the Orthodox and this weakened the Roman... Read more

The seige at Constantinople was NOT at all a decisive moment in history. The Byzantine Empire suffered from a slow decline which ultimated culminated in the fall of their capital. The fall of Constantinople was expected and had little affect on the rest of the world. It was merely the RESULT of a gradual fall.

Uh....What Ridgewalker said...

Ridgewalker is absolutely right about the significance of this enormous event. This was the final fall of the Roman Empire, and arguably the most significant single victory of Islam over Christendom, with massive influence on subsequent events. The best writeup I know on the siege and fall of Constantinople is in Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's at the very end of this huge work. Even if you read nothing else, his writing is so vivid and memorable that it's worthwhile just to read the last couple chapters: imagine the feelings of those last Byzantines in the Church of Santa Sofia, those who survived, their fear and terror and sorrow, in their last free moments before being captured and sold into slavery.

Yeah, it was a pretty lopsided matchup. Big freakin' cannons, a huge manpower advantage, and I must say that it signaled the death of the castle as a means of defense against your enemies. One of those big historical bookmarks where the world has a noticable shift, to say the least.