550 Years Ago Today: The Fall of Constantinople

North Park University ^ | Unknown | Unknown

[Gunrunner2]

The Janissaries were a force made up of captured Christian children, raised to become Muslim and despise their own people. Seems Muslim's can't even grow their own successful warriors.

[Revolting cat!]

Go ahead, celebrate the 500th anniversary of that, I'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of this:

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)

"Istanbul" 1953

Words by Jimmy Kennedy
Music by Nat Simon

[Seydlitz]

There was nothing that made the rise of Islam inevitable. Rather, it hit the Byzantine and Persian empires with exquisite timing. Much of the early 7th century was dominated by a brutal and protracted war between the Byzantine and Persian empires. The Byzantines, led by the great soldier-emperor Heraclius, ultimately triumphed. However, both empires were exhausted by the struggle. They never fully recovered by the time the Islamic armies from Arabia hit them.

Moreover, both empires were exacting a very heavy tax on their citizens. The Muslims promised a substantial reduction in taxes to all who converted; non-believers had to pay a special poll-tax. Once this tax-exempt status was removed, the spread of Islam came to a dead halt. Charles Martel's admirers like to claim that he stopped the Arabs, but his victory was only won against a largish raiding party, not a real Arab army of conquest. It was the end of Muslim tax breaks that ultimately defined Islam's borders.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I'm operating on memory now, and would need to hit some books to refresh it, but if I remember right, Islam swept up very quickly, and the Byzantines didn't have sufficiently trained military forces in what had been their secure Southeast - it was as if things were out of control before they could effectively react under their system of government, and given that communications required a decentralized structure anyway, made it impossible to deal with forward of the rugged areas of Asia Minor.

[Billthedrill]

What really crippled the Byzantines is when the CRUSADERS trashed and plundered Constantinople earlier.

Yep. 4th Crusade, one of the most interesting watersheds between the medieval and the modern. The biggest problem the Greeks had was that the Catholics in Rome were trying to get them to convert and they didn't want to, hence were very tardy in hoping for military help from a country that had plundered them three hundred years before in similar circumstances.

In fact, they had, to that point, better success coexisting with the Muslims than they did with their nominal co-religionists, so it seemed more of a tossup then as to which side was worse news for them than it might seem today. The Italians finally did send help, too little too late, and with theological strings attached. IMHO, were it not for the schism in Christendom a city that had been Christian from its very founding might still be so.

This date was one Gibbon used as his own annus mirabilus - the 100 Years' War ended this year and Gutenberg was just starting to use his new printing press. It's hard to believe how much of the way the world is today was set in place at this time.

[Billthedrill]

Actually, the pronunciation "Istanbul" is nothing but a Turkish corruption of the Greek "Constantinople" - they didn't think they were even changing the name when they took the town. And for good reason - it was, at the time, the most impressive city in the world. (Lest we get too amused by this, the way we pronounce "Constantinople" in English isn't right either).

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I believe (going by memory) that the Byzantines had between 60 and 80 years warning (it took about 80 years for Islam to take over the mid-east). Be that as it may, they certainly had enough warning to request (and receive) help from the west.

[Salman]

Constatinopolis (Greek pronunciation), was colloquially known as Stanpolis. The Turks pronounced this Stamboul.

Stamboul became Istanbul in the 1920s, because Kemal Ataturk wanted names that "sounded" more natively Turkish. Likewise for Angora and Ankara.

[Seydlitz]

When the Muslims first hit the Byzantines was in the 7th-8th centuries. At this time, Europe was in the Dark Ages. Quite simply, there was no way and no how they could send any help to the Byzantines.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

That's my recollection too - most of the remaining Roman system of order (and that governing system lasted a long time - well into the 500s in some places in Italy, France and Spain) had broken down, and everything had gone to crap in most places by then.

[redheadtoo]

Old New York

Is that an oxymoron?

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

You might recall that the Crusades started in the dark ages. This was European help to the Byzantines and Jerusalem.

During the First Crusade, the Crusaders managed to reconquer Nicea, Antioch, Armenia and Jerusalem (amongst others) from the Turks.

Constantinople didn't actually fall until 1204 (I believe) during the fourth crusade (it was recaptured by the Greeks 50 or 60 years later).

[denydenydeny]

Actually, the pronunciation "Istanbul" is nothing but a Turkish corruption of the Greek "Constantinople" - they didn't think they were even changing the name when they took the town.

It was my understanding that the name came from the road signs pointing out the way to the city: ES TEM POLU (literally "to the city") became Istanbul.

[Consort]

[SpinnerWebb]

"Been a long time gone, Constantinople"

Hell, the Dixie Chicks are stealing lyrics..... one of their top songs from there latest (I mean... last) album is "Been a Long Time Gone"

[Drew68]

Kinda look like American chicks, don't they?

[Junior]

The Byzantines held the Islamic hordes at bay for centuries. By design the Byzantine armies were underpaid and underequipped (keeps the possibility of a coup to a minimum); however they were blessed with some of the most able generals to ever grace a nation. Belisarius comes quickly to mind.

[Sparta]

Byzantine Empire ping

If you want on or off the Western Civilization Military History ping list, let me know.

[Sparta]

These particular Turks happen to be hot!

Not to mention, the current Miss World is Turkish.