Paper Abstract
A 6 page research paper that discusses the reasons behind the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in the fifteenth century. For roughly a thousand years, Constantinople stood as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and, at least in Eastern eyes, it was the "New Rome, the hallowed historical capital of Orthodox Christendom" (Runciman 3). Prior to the final attack on the city by Ottoman Turks under the leadership of Sultan Mehmed II, Emperor Constantine XI called upon the Pope and Western Christendom do come to the aid of fellow Christians. The West failed to respond, which brings up the question of whether it was this failure or Turkish military might and weaponry that brought about the final fall of the city. Examination of the scholarly opinion on this subject shows that had the West responded to Constantinople's plight it would have probably made little difference, as the Ottoman Empire's eventually victory was inevitable. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
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