scamander

Morning all,

Apologies if it's been mentioned but the cannon were a huge advantage. The walls had been a great defence, but they were (like any wall) liable to cannon. If nothing else it caused the focus of the seige to move from the main strength of the defenders. The use of the cannon across the water from the Galatian side of the Golden Horn was a very clever idea.

Though the Ottomans were not navally capable early on the disastrous foray led by the Venetians/Genoese across the Golden Horn weakened the defenders still.

Infighting was a massive factor. The seige itself was a very close run thing, it literally went to the toss of a coin, had an army risen in the Balkans and marched on the beseigers or had the defenders held out for a few more days the result would have been different (though it is likely that the city would have been weakened to the extent of making it easy pickings for whomever came next).

sturm

It was mentioned scamander, but thanks for the input

Efendi

They says Ottoman had a huge cannon which could fire once in tree hours. withing the tree hours interwal Greek could mend the wall.
may be it is a speculation. who knows.

cannelidis1

that is so true and the first cannon exploded killing its creator. It could hurl a cannon ball weighing 1200 pounds a mile and at first they Turks had a difficult time aiming it but then some Hungarian diplomats helped them. I think the Hungarians had a belief that they could not take the city till the Turks or some enemy took it but I cannot quote a source on this right now. Both the Latins, as the Byzantines called them, and the Hungarian, Serbian thought the city should be theirs. I know the list of wanna be rulers in Constantinople can grow from there- LOL
I think it is in 1453 by Crowley but maybe Runciman. David Nicol had a good book also titled the Fall of Constantinople but in my move to Arizona I left it in Washington State- 1700 mile move
.

Efendi

It is said that Ottomans coulnt breach the chains in the bosphorous. Bosphorous guarded by huge chains blocking the gate which made it impossible to enter by the warships.

Mehmet moved the warship over the land using many oxes and oiled woods into the Bhosporous from the inner side.. so that ships entered Bosphorous from land not from the other end guarded by chains.

I hope you understand my english.

I lived in Istanbul for a year. May be it is crazzy idea or may be it is a myth.

Efendi

If Serbians want Constantinie too why they helped Ottoman in the fall? If i am not wrong they were ally against to Byzantine at the first right?

cannelidis1

They had been subdued by Murad earlier so they were used as mercenaries. I was referring to prior to this, the 14th c. AD. I am sorry for the confusin Efendi. The desire to take Constantinople is older than the Turkish presence in the 11th c AD.

I use BC and AD and not ce of bce because I hate political correctness- I am a rebel at heart but I was born in the southern States-

sturm

By the way, one Bulgarian tzar also used that tactic, to transfer ships.

falcon

Which one and when? at what battle?
I have read the Bulgarian history, but i'm not an expert.

sturm

Well i dont know exactly when, but i know it was tzar Simeon, who wanted to do so, in his planed attack on Constantinople.
Bulgaria was aways poor on navy, with not a lot of ships, so they needed somebody who has ships, and Simeon tried to negotiate with the Fatmids, but the diplomat of the arabs was captured in Constantinople, and Byzantine empire offered gifts and alliance to the Fatmids, and they broke there alliance with the Bulgairans.
So the battle didnt happend, the only thing we needed was ships.