Fall of Constantinople
Also called: Fall of Constantinople 1453 · Topic: Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Changing Traditions"; Class 11, Ch 5 "Changing Cultural Traditions"
Meaning
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the city of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine empire, which was the eastern part of the old Roman Empire. Its fall ended that empire. Historians treat it as one of the turning points of the Renaissance age. It is often linked with Greek scholars carrying their books westwards into Italy.
Example
In 1453 the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II took Constantinople. The city became the Ottoman capital and was later known as Istanbul.
Don't confuse with
- Fall of the western Roman Empire: this came in the fifth century, nearly a thousand years earlier. After it, Italian towns fell into ruin. The eastern (Byzantine) half lasted until 1453.