A Military Aspect

The Final Siege and fall of Constantinople

Siege of Constantinople

Turkish Troops: 80,000 plus supportByzantine Defenders: less than 9,000 men

The Manpower

The Byzantines had settled down and relied on static defense to protect them.

They had the terrain that formed a three tier defense system

Troops commanded by Emperor Constantine XI Paleologus

Relied on archaic weapons and fighting doctrines

Byzantines used Greek Fire on previous attempts at invasion to great success

Byzantines

Ottomans were a coalition of Turkic peoples.Had received the technology of gun powder Commanded by Sultan Mehmet II

Ottomans

Turkish Secret weapon: Gun powder

Byzantine Secret Weapon: Greek Fire

 Crowley, Roger. 1453. New York: Hyperion, 2005.

Davis, Paul K. 100 Decisive Battles From the Ancient Times to the Present. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Works Cited