The events of 1453 left an indelible impression in the memory of contemporaries. The fall of Byzantium was the main news for the peoples of Europe. For some, this caused sadness, for others, gloating. But no one was indifferent.
Whatever the reasons for the fall of Byzantium, this event had enormous consequences for many European and Asian countries. However, the reasons should be discussed in more detail.
The development of Byzantium after the restoration
In 1261 the Byzantine Empire was restored. However, the state no longer claimed its former power. The ruler was Michael the Eighth Palaiologos. The possessions of his empire were limited to the following territories:
- northwestern part of Asia Minor;
- Thrace;
- Macedonia;
- part of Morea;
- several islands in the Aegean.
After the sack and destruction of Constantinople, its importance as a trading center fell. All power was in the hands of the Venetians and Genoese. They traded in the Aegean and Black Seas.
The restored Byzantium became a collection of provinces, which also fell intoseparate districts. They were losing economic and political ties with each other.
Thus, the feudal lords of Asia Minor began to arbitrarily conclude agreements with the Turkish emirs, the aristocrats fought for power with the ruling dynasty of the Palaiologos. It is not surprising that one of the reasons for the fall of Byzantium was feudal strife. They disorganized the political life of the state, weakened it.
The situation in the economic sphere was not the best. In later years there was a regression. It was expressed in a return to subsistence farming and labor rent. The population became impoverished and could not pay the former taxes. The bureaucracy remained the same.
If asked to name the reasons for the fall of Byzantium, one should also remember the aggravation of social relations within the country.
City wave
Factors such as the decline of industry, the collapse of trade relations and navigation led to the aggravation of social relations. All this led to the impoverishment of the urban strata of the population. Many residents had no means of subsistence.
The reasons for the fall of Byzantium lie in the wave of violent urban movements that swept in the forties of the fourteenth century. They were especially bright in Adrianapolis, Heraclea, Thessalonica. The events in Thessalonica led to the temporary declaration of an independent republic. It was created in the style of the Venetian states.
The reasons for the fall of Byzantium also lie in the reluctance of the major powers of Western Europe to support Constantinople. To the governments of the Italian states, the kings of France and England, Emperor Manuel IIcontacted him personally, but at best he was only promised help.
Delay of death
The Turks won victory after victory. In 1371, they proved themselves on the Maritsa River, in 1389 - on the Kosovo field, in 1396 - near Nikopol. Not a single European state wanted to stand in the way of the strongest army.
In the 6th grade, the reason for the fall of Byzantium is the power of the Turkish army, which sent its forces against Constantinople. Indeed, Sultan Bayezid the First did not even try to hide his plans to capture Byzantium. Nevertheless, Manuel II had hope for the salvation of his state. He learned about it while in Paris. Hope was connected with the "Angora catastrophe". Learn more about this.
The Turks faced a force that could resist them. We are talking about the invasion of Timur (in some sources, Tamerlane). He created a huge empire. In 1402, the army under his leadership moved to Asia Minor. The Turkish army was not inferior in size to the enemy army. Decisive was the betrayal of some emirs who went over to the side of Timur.
A battle took place at Angora, which ended in the complete defeat of the Turkish army. Sultan Bayezid fled from the battlefield, but was captured. He was kept in an iron cage until his death. Nevertheless, the Turkish state survived. Timur did not have a fleet and did not send his forces to Europe. In 1405, the ruler died, and his great empire began to disintegrate. But it's worth going back to Turkey.
The loss at Angora and the death of the Sultan led to a long struggle between Bayezid's sons for power. The Turkish state briefly abandoned plans to capture Byzantium. But in the twenties of the fifteenth century, the Turks got stronger. Sultan Murad II came to power, and the army was replenished with artillery.
Despite several attempts, he failed to take Constantinople, but in 1430 he captured Thessalonica. All its inhabitants became slaves.
Florence Union
The reasons for the fall of Byzantium are directly related to the plans of the Turkish state. It surrounded the perishing empire in a dense ring. The possessions of the once powerful Byzantium were limited to the capital and the surrounding area.
The government of Byzantium was constantly looking for help among the states of Catholic Europe. The emperors even agreed to subordinate the Greek Church to the power of the pope. This idea appealed to Rome. In 1439, the Council of Florence was held, at which it was decided to unite the eastern and western churches under papal authority.
Unia was not supported by the Greek population. In history, the statement of the head of the Greek fleet, Luke Notara, has been preserved. He declared that he would rather see the Turkish turban in Constantinople than the papal tiara. All sections of the Greek population well remembered the attitude of the Western European feudal lords who ruled them during the Crusades and the existence of the Latin Empire.
A large amount of information contains the answer to the question "how many reasons for the fall of Byzantium"? Everyone can count them on their own by reading the entire material of the article.
New Crusade
European countries understood the danger that awaits them from the Turkish state. For this and a number of other reasons, they organized the Crusade. It took place in 1444. It was attended by Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Germans, a separate part of the French knights.
The campaign was unsuccessful for the Europeans. They were defeated near Varna by powerful Turkish troops. After that, the fate of Constantinople was sealed.
Now it is worth highlighting the military reasons for the fall of Byzantium and listing them.
Unequal power
The ruler of Byzantium in the last days of its existence was Constantine the Eleventh. He had a rather weak military force at his disposal. Researchers believe that they consisted of ten thousand warriors. Most of them were mercenaries from the Genoese lands.
The ruler of the Turkish state was Sultan Mehmed II. In 1451 he succeeded Murad II. The Sultan had an army of two hundred thousand soldiers. About fifteen thousand were well-trained Janissaries.
No matter how many reasons for the fall of Byzantium would be named, the inequality of the parties is the main one.
Nevertheless, the city was not going to give up. The Turks had to show considerable ingenuity in order to achieve their goal and take possession of the last stronghold of the Eastern Roman Empire.
What is known about the rulers of the warring parties?
The Last Constantine
The last ruler of Byzantium was born in 1405. His father was Manuel II, and his mother was the daughter of a SerbianPrince Elena Dragash. Since the maternal family was quite noble, the son had the right to take the surname Dragash. And so he did. Konstantin's childhood passed in the capital.
In his mature years, he was in charge of the province of Morea. For two years he ruled Constantinople during the absence of his elder brother. Contemporaries described him as a quick-tempered man who nevertheless possessed common sense. He knew how to convince others. He was a fairly educated person, interested in military affairs.
Became emperor in 1449, after the death of John the Eighth. He was supported in the capital, but he was not crowned by the patriarch. Throughout his reign, the emperor prepared the capital for a possible siege. He also did not stop looking for allies in the fight against the Turks and made attempts to reconcile the Christians after the signing of the union. Thus it becomes clear how many reasons for the fall of Byzantium. In the 6th grade, the students are also explained what caused the tragic events.
The reason for the new war with Turkey was the demand of Constantine to increase the monetary contribution from Mehmed II for the fact that the Ottoman prince Urhan lives in the Byzantine capital. He could claim the Turkish throne, therefore he was a danger to Mehmed II. The Sultan did not comply with the demands of Constantinople, and even refused to pay the contribution, declaring war.
Konstantin could not get help from Western European states. The Pope's military aid came too late.
Before the capture of the Byzantine capital, the Sultan gave the emperor the opportunity to surrender, saving his life andretaining power in Mistra. But Konstantin did not go for it. There is a legend that when the city fell, he tore off his insignia and rushed into battle along with ordinary warriors. The last emperor of Byzantium died in the battle. There is no exact information about what happened to the remains of the deceased. There is only a lot of speculation on this issue.
Conqueror of Constantinople
The Ottoman Sultan was born in 1432. The father was Murad II, the mother was the Greek concubine Hyuma Hatun. After six years, he lived for a long time in the province of Manisa. Subsequently, he became its ruler. Mehmed tried several times to ascend the Turkish throne. He finally succeeded in doing so in 1451.
When capturing Constantinople, the Sultan took serious measures to preserve the cultural values of the capital. He established contact with representatives of Christian churches. After the fall of Constantinople, the Venetians and Genoese had to conclude non-aggression pacts with the Turkish state. The agreement also touched upon the issue of free trade.
After subduing Byzantium, the Sultan took Serbia, Wallachia, Herzegovina, the strategic fortresses of Albania. His policies spread east and west. Until his death, the Sultan lived with thoughts of new conquests. Before his death, he intended to capture a new state, presumably Egypt. The cause of death is considered to be food poisoning or a chronic illness. It happened in 1481. His place was taken by the son of Bayezid II, who continued his father's policy and strengthened the Ottoman Empire.empire. Let's return to the events of 1453.
Siege of Constantinople
The article examined the reasons for the weakening and fall of Byzantium. Its existence ended in 1453.
Despite the significant superiority in military strength, the Turks besieged the city for two months. The fact is that Constantinople was helped by people, food and weapons from the outside. All this was transported across the sea. But Mehmed II came up with a plan that allowed him to block the city from the sea and land. What was the trick?
The Sultan ordered to place wooden decks on land and grease them with lard. On such a "road" the Turks were able to drag their ships to the Golden Horn harbor. The besieged took care that the enemy ships did not enter the harbor through the water. They blocked the way with huge chains. But the Greeks could not have known that the Turkish sultan would transport his fleet overland. This case is considered in detail along with the question of how many reasons for the fall of Byzantium in the history of the 6th grade.
City Invasion
Constantinople fell on May 29 of the same year when its siege began. Emperor Constantine was killed along with most of the city's defenders. The capital of the former empire was plundered by Turkish troops.
It didn't matter how many reasons for the fall of Byzantium (you can find such information yourself in the text of the paragraph). What mattered was that the inevitable had happened. New Rome fell a thousand years after the destruction of old Rome. WithAt that time, a regime of despotic oppression of the military-feudal order, as well as the most severe national oppression, was established in South-Eastern Europe.
However, not all buildings were destroyed during the invasion of Turkish troops. The Sultan had plans for their further use.
Constantinople - Istanbul
Mehmed II decided not to completely destroy the city that his ancestors tried so hard to take over. He made it the capital of his empire. That is why he gave the order not to destroy the city buildings.
Thanks to this, the most famous monument from the time of Justinian survived. This is the Hagia Sophia. The Sultan turned it into the main mosque, giving it a new name - "Aya Sufi". The city itself received a new name. It is now known as Istanbul.
Who was the last emperor? What are the reasons for the fall of Byzantium? This information is present in the text of the paragraph of the school textbook. However, not everywhere is indicated what the new name of the city means. "Istanbul" came from a Greek expression that the Turks distorted when they took over the city. The besieged shouted "Is tin polin", which meant "In the city". The Turks thought that this was the name of the Byzantine capital.
Before returning to the question of what was the reason for the fall of Byzantium (briefly), it is worth considering all the consequences of the capture of Constantinople by the Turks.
Consequences of the conquest of Constantinople
The fall of Byzantium and its conquest by the Turks had a huge impact on many peoples of Europe.
With the capture of Constantinople, the Levantine trade went into oblivion. This happened due to a sharp deterioration in the terms of trade with the countries that the Turks captured. They began to collect large fees from European and Asian merchants. The sea routes themselves became dangerous. Turkish wars practically did not stop, which made it impossible to conduct trade in the Mediterranean. Subsequently, it was the reluctance to visit Turkish possessions that pushed the merchants to look for new ways to the East and India.
Now it is clear how many reasons are given for the fall of Byzantium by historians. However, one should also pay attention to the consequences of the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks. Moreover, they also touched the Slavic peoples. The transformation of the Byzantine capital into the center of the Turkish state influenced political life in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the sixteenth century, Turkish aggression unfolded against the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Hungary. When in 1526 the Turkish army defeated the crusaders in the battle of Mohacs, it took possession of the main part of Hungary. Now Turkey has become a threat to the possessions of the Habsburgs. A similar danger from the outside contributed to the creation of the Austrian Empire from the many peoples who lived in the Middle Danube basin. The Habsburgs became the head of the new state.
Threatened the Turkish state and the countries of Western Europe. By the sixteenth century it had grown to enormous proportions, including the entire North African coast. However, the Western European states had different attitudes towards the Turkish question. For example, France saw Turkey as a new ally againstthe Habsburg dynasty. A little later, England also sought to get closer to the Sultan, who wanted to capture the Middle Eastern market. One empire was replaced by another. Many states were forced to reckon with such a strong adversary that the Ottoman Empire proved to be.
The main reasons for the fall of Byzantium
According to the school curriculum, the issue of the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire is considered in high school. Usually, at the end of a paragraph, the question is asked: what were the reasons for the fall of Byzantium? Briefly, in the 6th grade, it is supposed to designate them precisely from the text of the textbook, so the answer may differ slightly depending on the author of the manual.
However, there are four most common causes:
- The Turks had powerful artillery.
- The conquerors had a fortress on the banks of the Bosporus, thanks to which they controlled the movement of ships through the strait.
- Constantinople was surrounded by a 200,000-strong army that controlled both land and sea.
- The invaders decided to storm the northern part of the city walls, which were less fortified than the others.
In a short list, external reasons are named, which are primarily related to the military might of the Turkish state. However, in the article you can find many internal reasons that played a role in the fall of Byzantium.
