The chronicle of the siege of Constantinople April to May 29 1453 by Makarios Melissenos This chronicle as a historical composition, is known today as a fabrication by this author. Melissenos, Metropolitan of Monemvasia, forged in the years 1573-5. It follows that the text of Pseudo-Phrantzes proves no more than that it was believed in the sixteenth century that Mehmed II had granted the Patriarchate of Constantinople its privileges by written instruction. On the other hand texts of greater authenticity, written at a date nearer teh events in question, supply more accurate evidence on this subject. These texts are the Apologia of Patriarch Gennadius himself to Theodore Branas (1463) and the recently published Logos peri ton kat afton (Discourse on his own times) by Theodore Agallianos, also in 1463. In the first of these there is express mention of the privileges granted by the Sultan to the first Patriarch after the Conquest and to his direct successors. Sultan Mehmed had heard of his fathers victories and of the illustrious campaigns of his thrice-cursed ancestors, and was presently engages in a deliberation on the nature of the memorble deed he he would have to accomplish. With such thoughts in mind, he focused his attention on the most ruinous cause for us: to wage war against our City. He said to himself: If I conquer this City, I will surpass the glory of all my ancestors, who tried to capture her for so many times but failed miserably. Such secret intentions dictated the erection of his castle by the straits in the district Asomatos, as I have already mentioned, in order to deny passage to all vessels, big and small, sailing from the Black Sea toward our harbor and to provide easy passage from Asia Minor to Thrace for his troop. As the sultan was in a hurry to put this plan in operation, on March 26, 6960 [1452] he marched his army and occupied the western traits, destined to become the site for the construction of his fortress. Our emperor observed his clever maneuvers and was eager to be the first one to use force in order to prevent the completion of this project, but changed his mind when certain senators, priests, and citizen insisted that we should not offer any provocation, maintaining that the destruction of a castle within our immediate territory could be easily accomplished at any time; they urged caution unanimously until the sultans plans and ultimate designs were plain. They lived to see the completion of this castle and realized that they had acted foolishly, as they had been feeding on empty hopes. The war was finally brought within reach of our walls in June of the same year, when the sultans troops invaded our suburbs and enslaved all inhabitants outside the walls. In time, Mehmed put the final touches on his castle by strenghtening it with three strong towers, two facing landward, while the tallest of the three had command of the sea. The walls of his fortress were twenty-two feet thick and the width of the castle measured thirty-two feet. He roofed the towers and the castle with lead, secured it well, and installed a garrison. On August 28, the sultan led the forces from his castle and advanced into in our territory. On September 1, 6961 [1452] he went to Adrianople to inspect the walls, the moat, and to plan accordingly. Under the sultans orders, Turahan and his two sons, Ahmed and Omer, advanced against the Peloponnese with a huge army and waged war against the despots - the emperors brothers - in order to prevent them from aiding their brother with their forces at will. The sultan began the blockade of our City early in the spring. With his newly built fleet, he shipped artillery, siege engines, and similar devices, which had been constructed earlier. The vanguard of his army, under the command of Karaca Pasha, arrived and began the blockade of the City. Before the sultan arrived, Karaca besieged and captured the towers around the City, which were located in the nearby farms and villages; the locl inhabitants had sought shelter in those places, as the enemy had appeared suddenly in the area. Some of those places were enslaved, some surrendered because of hunger and general hardship, and numerous Christians were taken live. Meanwhile, siege engines, especially cannons, were being transported in large quantaties. Their size was enormous; certain pieces of artillery could not be moved by the combined effort of forty, or fifty, pairs of oxn and 2,000 men. On April 2, the sultan, accompanied by a great multitude of cavalry and infantry, reached our walls. He erected his tent opposite our Gate of Saint Romanos. His army seemed as numerous as the sands of the sea; it filled the entire distance from sea to sea, stretching over the Hexamilion [ the six mile land stretch of Constantinople]. The Anatolian forces camped to the right of the sultan tent and occupied the are extending all the way to the Golden Gate and the shore. The European troops were stationed to the left of the sultans headquarters, facing the area defended by our walls all the way to the Wooden Gate and the Golden Horn. The defense of our harbor was organized along the following lines: according to the emperors orders, our entrance was blocked with a heavy boom of iron links which secured the harbor. Our naval forces consisted of three ships from Genoa, one from Spanish Castille, one owned by a Frenchman from Provence, and three from Crete. Three Venetian merchantmen with their escorts, certain fast triremes, were also in the harbor and assisted in its defense. On the landside, our enemies positioned their biggest piece of artillery, whose opening measured ninety inches in diameter, and other cannons, a marvelous sight, on hight platforms reinforced by timber, so that they could concentrate their bombardment on fourteen spots along our defences. Their catapults caused damage to many illustrious houses and parts of the palace situated in the vicinity of the walls. The noise from the constant explosion threw the City into confusion, while our walls and towers were shaking with vibrations. Cannons, catapults, crossbows, and similar devices contributed to heavy casulties on both sides. Onslaughts, attacks, bombardment, and general warfare were continuous, maintained throughout day and night, as the sultan had originally hoped for a fast and easy victory in the belief that our few defenders would soon be exhausted by uninterrupted stress. Indeed they allowed us no respite. On the fifteenth day of this month, the rest of the sultans fleet arrived from the Black Sea, Nikomedeia, and Asia Minor, which amounted to 300 vessels, consisting of 18 triremes, 48 biremes, in addition to the 320 long ships and boats equippped with innumerable archers and soldiers. This force included 25 cargo boats loaded with timber, sling bullets, stones, and similar provisions necessary in all sieges. For the reasons already stated, the enemy fleet gained no access to our harbor, but sailed eastward and dropped anchor near the district Diplokionion [ Two Columns] by the Church of Saint Constantine. The war was taking on more serious dimensions; not a single day passed without the arrival of fresh reserves from Asia Minor to strenghten the sultans army. Our forces, however, were diminishing, like the waning moon, from constant attrition. Seeing that our resources were being depleted, certain recalcitrant and inhuman citizens found a suitable opportunity for their wicked disposition: every day they organized riots and demonstrations in squares and neighborhood throughout the City and made speeches, pouring from their filthy mouths curses and accusations against our unfortunate emperor and the other nobles. Our thrice-blessed emperor took no action against them but followed Davids saying: But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was a dumb man that openeth not his mouth, ... But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied [Ps.38:13,19]. Certain individuals approached the emperor, eager to inform him of the words of others. He heard others and walked on. Thus the proverb Every man loves a winner, but the loser is avoided by all, including his own father, found an applicable situation here. On May 24 it was whispered that the sultan was preparing his most serious attack, his general assault, by land and sea, for the twenty-ninth of this month. Every night a fire descended from the sky, stood over the City, and enveloped her with light all night long. Their first interpretations of this heavenly sign was that God was expressing his wrath against the Christians, indicating that the City would be burned and that her inhabitants would be enslaved to the Turks. But, as we persisted in repelling their attacks and in destroying their siege engines by pushing them from the walls forcefully, and as they believed in the false rumor about the imminent arrival of the Italian fleet..., another interpretation was put forth: God was fighting on the side of the Christians, whom he protected and defended; for this reason, the Turks would be unable to prevail. Thus the sultan and his entire retinue became visible depressed, as I mentioned, and were considering lifting the siege and departing on the following day. On the night before their scheduled departure the heavenly sign descended in its customary manner but did not envelop our City as it had before when it stood above her all night sultan an long; now it seemed to be far away, then scattered quickly, and vanished at once. The sultan and his court were immediately filled with joy and said: Now God has abandoned the Christians forever. Their conclusion was supported by the opinion of the wise men and of the scribes of their impious, foul religion and superstition, who said that the light declared the conquest of our City. All their hopes for eventual victory were thus revived, and their victory materialize and was brought about our sins. Halil Pasha, the senior member of the sultans court and his most experienced and most practical advisor, observed the mood of the sultan and that of the others, who were conquered by fear and cowardice. He put on a show of sadness, but deep down he was jubilant. The reason for his joy was the apparent justification of his policy, which had always advocated a peaceful relation with us, as he feared that the Western lords might retaliant and organize an expedition to force the Turks out of Europe. So he feigned sadness and spoke to the sultan: I had predice the outcome of this siege from the start and had often mentioned the troubles we were certain to encounter, but you refused to listen. Now, if it is agreeable to you, let us depart before we are face with a worse situation. The sultan paid attention to Halil and almost reached the point of dying of sadness and contempt, as he was forced to depart in shame. When his second vizier, Zaganos Pasha, saw the sultans mood, he recommended a general assault against us, as there was an ancient enmity between Zaganos and Halil. He spoke to the sultan with encouraging words: Why this depression and sadness, my sultan? Why the present cowardice? What thoughts have entered your mind? God is on our side, never fear. Did you fail to observe His light, which declared that the City is already in your hands? Have you forgotten your countless soldiers and innumerable forces, as well as their meticulous training? Alexander of Macedon conquered the entire world with an inferior army and with fewer provisions. I cannot believe, or even suspect, that the Italian fleet is on its way, as my brother Halil Pasha and certain others maintain. You all know well that there are many lords in Italy and the West, this situation creates continuous disagreement, conflict, and ever-present discord. Even if some manage to put their private quarrels aside, with a great deal of trouble and compromise, harmony does not last long and soon their alliances dissolve. But even when they ally themselves, they continue to fight, rob, and keep vigilant watch over one another. At this time, as you all know, new differences have arisen among them. The West is in no position to aid this City, I maintain, for the reasons I just mentioned. Even if the Italian fleet manages to sail, it should be of no concern to us, as any army numbering half, or even a quarter of your forces will never arrive. For this reasons, my lord and sultan, recover your spirit; the only threat against us can come from God alone. Have courage, show yourself a man, and asert your authority. Maintain a ceaseless bombardment today and tomorrow and bring their fortifications down as low as possible. The sultan was pleased with this speech and with the encouragement he received. He regained his former spirit, became cheerful, and addressed Zaganos: On this very night you are to inspect our forces and sound out the opinion of our soldiers. Zaganos carried out his orders and reported back: I have spoken with many soldiers and know how they feel: joyfully lead them to battle and victory will be ours. The sultan responded: Well, then, Zaganos, let us try our luck, since we have reached agreement. perhaps we will be as fortunate as many others. Give the order for a regiment to guard Galata and to prevent any aid from reaching the City. Halil Pasha was exremely upset and flt ashame with this turn of events, since Zaganos advice had prevailed. Out of spite, he searched for a way to prevent, if possible, the conquest of the City. He sent word to our emperor of what had passed and urged him to resist the upcoming attack bravely, as victory in mny conflicts is unpredictable. For this reason, we maintained a constant alert. All these events took place on the evening of May 27, afterward, the sultan ordered bonfires and torches to burn throughout the night and the following day; he declared a general fast for the soldiers, who were ordered to wash their bodies seven times so that purified, they could pray to God for victory. And so it happened. About the second hour after sunset, the sultan addressed his troops: Dear children of God, the Prophet, and myself, His servant! I am begging and imploring you to perform a great deed tomorrow, which will be remembered forever, as our ancestors accomplishments are to the present day. With eagerness, bravery, and excellence you are to pass over the walls with your ladders, as if you possess wings. Let us not destroy the glory that our ancestors won with Gods help; indeed the hour has come for us to increase it greatly. As it happens in all battles, some of you will die, as it is decreed by fate for each man. Recall the promises our Prophet concerning fallen warriors in the Koran: the man who dies in combat shall be transported bodily to Paradise and shall dine with Mohammed in the presence of women, handsome boys, and virgins. He shall find peace in green meadows blossoming with flagrant flowers and shall wash himself in clear waters. All this shall be granted by God. For my part, if the City I will double the salaries of ll soldiers and courtiers from this day on to the rest of their lives. The entire City will be yours for three days. I will permit you to loot and keep all gold and silver vessels and garments that you can find; you will be allowed to enslave men and women of all ages. You have my word, no one will be allowed to demand them from you or to annoy you in the least. He added a solemn oath that he would keep his promise, and thus finished his speech. His soldiers rejoiced greatly, and in unison they exclaimed in their language, La ilaha, Muhammad rasulullah, which means There is only one God and Mohammed is his Prophet. The enemys cries, like the roar of the stormy sea, were heard inside our City, and we were wondering what was happening in their camp. A short time later, after we heard their war cry, we learned that in truth the sultan intended to launch his terrible assault against the City the next day with all his army by land and sea. We looked at the multitude of the impious and it seemed to me that there were more than 500 adversaries for each of our defenders. Thus we committed all our hopes to Divine Providence. Our emperor ordered the priests, high clerics, the monks, plus all the women and children to parade our holy, revered icons and our sacred emblems along the walls and chant with tears the Kyrie Eleison, begging God not to deliver u, on account of our sins, to the hands of an enemy who is lawless, apostate, and most wicked of all, but to be merciful to us, His flock. Thus with lamentations they encouraged each other to oppose the enemy bravely in the hour of battle. Similarly in the evening of that sorrowful Monday, the emperor assembled all his court officials and their aides, the tribunes, the centurions, and the other chosen, noble soldiers. He delivered the following speech: Most noble leaders, illustrious tribunes, generals, most courageous fellow soldiers, and all loyal, honest citizens! You know well that the hour has come: the enemy of our faith wishes to oppress us even more closely by sea and land with all his siege engines and kill and to attack us with the entire strenght of his siege force, as a snake about to spew its venom; he is in a hurry to devour us, like a savage lion. For this reason I am imploring you to fight like men with brave souls, as you have done from the beginning up to this day, against the enemies of our faith. I hand over to you my glorious, famous, respected, and noble City, the shining Queen of Cities, our homeland. You know well, my brothers, that we have four obligations in common, which force us to prefer death over survival: first, our faith and piety, second, our homeland, third, the emperor annointed by the Lord, and fourth, our relatives and friends. Well, my brothers, if we must fight for one of these obligations, we will be even more liable under the combined strenght of all four, as you can clearly understand. If God grants victory to the impious because of my own sins, we will endanger our lives for our holy faith, which Christ gave to us with his on blood. This is the most important of all. Even if one gains the entire world but loses his soul in the process, what will be the benefit? Second, we will be deprived of such famous homeland and our liberty. Third, our empire, renowned in the past but presently humbled, low, and exhausted, will be ruled by a tyrant an impious man. Fourth, we will be separated from our dearest children, wives, and relatives. This wretch of a sultan has besieged our City up to now for fifty-seven days with all his engines and strength; he has relaxed the blockade neither day nor night, but, by the grace of Christ, our Lord, who sees all things, the enemy has often been repelled, up to now, from our walls with shame and dishonor. Yet now too, my brothers, feel no cowardice, even if small parts of our fortifications have collapsed from the explosions and the engine missiles; as you can see, we hve made all possible, necessary repairs. We are placing all hope in the irresistible glory of God. Some have faith in armament, others in cavalry, might, and numbers; but we believe in the name of the Lord, our God and Savior, and second, in our arms and strength granted to us by divine power. For these reasons, my fellow soldiers, prepare yourselves, be firm, and remain valiant, for the pity of God. Take your example from the few elephants of the Carthaginians and how thy dispersed the numerous cavalry of the Romans with their noise and appearance. If one dumb beast put another to flight, we, the masters of horses and animals, can surely do even better against our advancing enemies, since they are dumb animals, worse even than pigs. Present your shields, swords, arrows, and spears to them, imagining that you are a hunting party after wild boars, so that the impious may learn that they are dealing not with dumb animals but with their lords and masters, the descendants of the Greeks and the Romans. You are well aware that this irreligious sultan, the enemy of our holy faith, violate for no good reason the peace treaty we had with him and disregarded his numerous oaths without a second thought. Suddenly, he appeared and built his castle in the Straits of Asomatos so that he might be able to inflict daily harm on us. Then he put our farms, gardens, parks, and houses to the torch, while he killed and enslaved as many of our Christian brothers as he found; he broke the treaty of friendship. He befriended the inhabitants of Galata; the wretches rejoice over this, as they are unaware of the parable of the farmers son who was roasting snails and said, Oh stupid creatures, etc. Well my brothers, since he started the siege and the blockade, every day he opens his fatomless mouth and is seeking an opportunity to devour us and this City, which thrice-blessed Constantine the Great founded and dedicted to the all holy, most chaste Mother of God, our Lady, Mary, the eternal virgin. She became the Queen of the Cities, the shiled and aid of our homeland, the shelter of Christians, the hope and joy of all Greeks, the pride of the Orient. And this most impious man wishes to destroy this City, which was once proud and blooming like a rose of the field. I can tell you that this City mastered the entire universe; Now he wants to enslave her and throw the yoke upon the Mistress of Cities; our holy churches, where the Holy Trinity was worshipped, where the Holy Ghost was glorified in hymns, were angels were heard praising in chant the deity and the incarnation of Gods word, he wants to turn into shrines of his blasphemy, shrines of the mad and false prophet, Mohammed, as well as into stables for his horses and camels. Consider then, my brothers and comrades in arms, how the commemoration of our death, our memory, fame, and freedom can be rendered eternal. Next he turned and addressed the Venetians, who were standing at his right sight; Noble Venetians, my dearest brothers in Christ, courageous men, experienced and seasoned fighters! I implore you today to become, with all your soul, the defenders of this City caught in the misfortunes of such a war; for you have come to know her as your second homeland and mother forever. Once more, I ask and beg you to act in this hour as loyal allies, follow Christians, and brothers. Turning to his left, he addressed the Genuese: Most honored brothers from Genoa, courageous and illustrious warriors! You are aware and know that this City was not only mine but yours too for many reasons. You have often assisted her willingly in hours of need and have delivered her from her enemies, the sons of Hagar. Once again, it is time to demonstrate your love in Christ, your bravery, and your excellence in her cause. Then he spoke to the combined assembly: There is no time for longer speeches. I only entrust my humbled scepter to your hand; guard it with good will. I implore and beg you to exhibit, if you have any affection for me, the proper honor and obedience to your commanders, tribunes, and centurions, each according to his rank, regiment, and duty. With this, he concluded his speech. In the midst of tears and sighs he gave thanks to God, and all the rest, in unison, answered in sobbing: Let us die for our faith in Christ and for our fatherland. The unfortunate Romans [Greeks] listened to his words, became strong like lions, and asked and granted forgiveness to each other. Each man returned to his assigned post and kept a close watch over the walls. But the emperor went to the most revered Church of Saint Sophia, prayed with lamentation, and partook of the divine sacraments. Many others did so also during the night. Afterward, the emperor returned to the palace for a while and asked to be forgiven by all. Who can describe the wailing and tears that arose in the palace at that hour? The emperor and I mounted, left the palace, and toured the walls in order to arouse our sentinels to watch without falling asleep. All were on the walls and towers during that night and all gates had been shut securely; it was impossible for anyone to come in or go out. When we came to the area of the Kaligaria Gate, about the time of the first cockcrow, we dismounted and climbed onto the tower; we heard shouting and the great noise one might expect from the enemy camp. Our guards told us that it had been so all night. In addition, in the eastern parts the biggest enemy vessels were already on the move and the triremes and floating bridges in the harbor were approaching the walls and the shores. About the time of the second cockcrow, without a signal - which they had always given in the previous days - they started the attack with great zeal and violence. The sultan had issued orders that all the inexperienced troops, the young and the old, should begin the battle and the assault in order to wear us down a little; then the stronger, braver, and more experienced soldiers would ttck us with greater courage and eagerness. So it happened, and the battle and conflict became as hot as a furnace. Our forces resisted bravely, gave our foe a nasty welcome, pushed the enemies from the walls, and destroyed some of their war engines and some equipment. There were death on both sides, but especially on the Turkish. As the stars faded, the light of day broke, while in the east the rose colors of dawn appeared; we could see that the enemy multitude had surrounded the entire periphery of our defenses like a rope, from the one end of the City to the other. The opressive, dreadful assault lasted for two hours. Yet somehow, the Christians prevailed. The triremes with their ladders and floating bridge did not accomplish anything and were repelled from our sea walls. The enemy were so exhausted by toil and our resistance that they wished to fall back a little and catch their breath. But the sultans military police and court officials beat them back with iron clubs and whips so that they would not show their backs to the enemy. As our side was already given way. Theophilos Palaologus and Demetrios Kantakouzenos, two excellent men, sprang forth, fought, and turned back the sons of Hagar by pushing them strongly from the walls and ladders and by scattering them. Then our reserves arrived. The emperor, riding his horse, encouraged and exhorted the soldiers to fight boldly with these words: Stand your ground firmly, my brothers and fellow soldiers, I implore you for the mercy of God. I detect that the multitude of the enemy is beginning to break up; they are being scattered and are no longer attacking in formation, according to their custom. I hope to God that victory is ours. While the emperor was speaking in this manner, an arrow hit our general, Giovanni Giustiniani, on the right leg by the foot. Giustiniani did not have great experience in warfare and as soon as he saw the blood flowing from his body he turned pale all over; his former prowess was lost in fear and what he did after this brought no benefit to him: he left his post without a word and searched for a physicians. He said nothing to his fellow soldiers and put no one in charge to prevent the ensuing confusion and destruction. When the soldiers turned around and did not see their general, they immediately lost their spirit and were greatly confuse. The emperor hastened to their aid in this spot and noticed that our troops were disorderly and full of fear, as if they were sheep being pursued. When he was told of the cause of their behavior and saw his general fleeing, he approached him and said: Why have you done this, my brother? Return to your assigned station; your wound is not serious. Turn back, for the critical moment has arrived. The future of our City is in your hands. Save her. Even though the emperor said many things to him, he gave no answer and shamefully crossed to Galata, where he soon died of bitterness and contempt. The Turks noticed our prevailing confusing and were encouraged. Zaganos Pasha was present, spoke to the janissaries and the others, and raised their spirits. A janissary named Hasan, a giant of a beast from Lopadion [Olubad], rushed forward, covering his head with his shield in his left hand; in his right hand he held his sword and moved to the walls, where he saw the confusion. About thirty others followed him, envying his bravery. Our remaining forces on the wall released spears and bolts, rolled huge rocks against them, and pushed eighteen of them from the walls. Yet Hasan could not be checked before he came on the wall and routed our troops. When he succeeded, many others followed him and entered the fortifications. Our soldiers were unable to stop them, as we were few. By then, the whole host of the enemy were on our walls and our forces were put to flight. They abandoned the outer walls and were retreating to the inside ones through the gate, trampling over each other. As these events were unfolding, a shout was raised from the inside, the outside, and the areas of the harbor: The castle has fallen; Turkish standards and banners have been raised on the towers. It turned our troops to flight and encouraged our adversaries, who, with their war cries, were fearlessly and eagerly climbing our fortifications. When my unfortunate lord and emperor saw what was happening, he implored God, with tears in his eyes, and urged our soldiers to be brave. There was no hope of help and aid. He spurred on his horse and reached the spot where the Turks were coming in large numbers. He fought like Samson against the Philistines. Similarly, when Theophilos Palaeologus perceive that the emperor was fighting and that the City was in danger, he shouted with loud voice and laments, Better to die.... After the Turks had entered the walls, they scattered the Christians within the walls with missiles, bolts, arrows and stones; they took control of the entire area, with the exception of the towers Basileos, Leon, and Alexios, which were manned by the Cretan sailors, who bravely continued the struggle into the sixth and seventh hour and killed many Turks. Although they saw their numbers and were aware that the whole City was enslaved, they refused to be enslaved and maintained that death was preferable to life. When a Turk reported their bravery to the sultan, he ordered them to come down, under a truce; he declared that they, their ship, and all their equipment would remain free. Even so, the Turks had trouble persuading the Cretans to abandon the fight. Thus our enemy took possession of our City on Tuesday, May 29, about two and a half hours after dawn. As soon as the Turks were inside the City, they began to seize and enslave every person who came their way; all those who tried to offer resistance were put to the sword. In many places the ground could not be seen, as it was covered by heaps of corpses. There were unprecedented events: all sorts of lamnatations, countless rows of slaves consisting of noble ladies, virgins, and nuns, who were being dragged by the Turks by their headgear, hair, and braids out of the shelter of churches, to the accompaniment of mourning. There was the crying of children, the looting of our sacred and holy buildings. What horror can such sounds cause! The Turks did not hesitate to trample over the blood and body of Christ poured all over the ground and were passing His precious vessels from hand to hand; some were broken to pieces while others, intact, were being snatched away. Our precious decorations were treated in a similar manner. Our holy icons, decorated with gold, silver, and precious stones were stripped, thrown to the ground, and then kicked. Our wooden decorations in the churches were pulled down and turned into couches and tables. The enemys horses were clothed in priestly garments of silk embroidered with golden thread, which were also used as tableloths. They stripped our saintly vessels of their precious pearls, they scattered and trampled over all sacred relics. Many other lamentable cimes of sacrilege were committed by these precursors of antiChrist. No place remained unsearched and untouched. Christ, our Lord, protect all Christian cities and lands from similar affliction and sorrow! When all resistance had ceased, the sultan entered our City. His immediate concern was the fate of the emperor, as he was extremely anxious to discover whether he was still alive. An immediate search was ordered to locate the emperors body among the heaps of the slain. They washed the heads of many corpses, but the emperor could not be identified. His body was finally spotted by means of the golden imperil eagles traditonally imprinted on the greaves and shoes of our emperors. The sultan rejoice, became cheerful, and directed some Christians to bury the emperors body with imperial honors. Woe to me! Divine Providence should have decreed my death before this day. Halil Pasha, was imprisoned in a tower and executed a few days later, because he had advocated peace with our City and had maintained that a Western expedition would come to our aid and force the Turks out of Europe, as I have already mentioned. Halils death was lamented by many Turkish soldiers, as he was generally liked through the advice he had always offered to the sultan. Thus the dynasty of the Palaeologi reigned in the Queen of Cities for 194 years, ten months, and four days. Our empire was founded by Flavius Constantine and ended with Constantine Palaeologus. With our unfortunate City as its capital, the empire of the Romans [Greeks] lasted for 1,143 year, ten months, and four days. On the third day after the fall of our City, the sultan celebrated his victory with a great, joyful triumph. He issued a proclamation: the citizens of all ages who had managed to escape detection were to leave their hiding places throughout the City and come out into the open, as they were to remain free and no questions would be asked. He further declared the restoration of houses and property to those who had abandoned the City before the siege; if they returned home, they would be treated according to their rank and religion, as if nothing had changed. He issued orders for the election of a patriarch, according to custom and protocol, as our patriarch had passed away sometimes earlier. The high clerics who happened to be present, and the very few members of the church and of the lay population designated the scholar George Scholarius, and elected him patriarch under the name Gennadios. Thus this rascal of a sultan tried to pass himself off as the emperor of our City by imitating our Christian emperors: he invited Gennadios to dine and converse with him, receiving him with great honors. This rascal of a sultan had converted the most beautiful Church of Saint Sophia, into his own mosque. Furthermore, the miraculous Church of Blakhernai had been burned during the sack. The patriarch was not destined to remain in the Church of the Holy Apostles for long. He saw that no unfortunate Christians had survived in this vicinity; moreover, he feared for his own life in this deserted spot, because the murdered corpse of an infidel had been discovered in the courtyard of his church one day. For these reasons, he requested and received the Convent of Pammakaristos. The nuns of Pammakaristos were reasigned to the Church of Saint John in Trullo, where the fifty-sixth synod had gathered in the days of Emperor Justinian [II] Rhinotmetos, whose illustrious palace stood on the northern side of this church. So the sultan, this polluted man and murderer of Christians, a base and cunning individual, began playing the fox. He had neither respect nor kindness in his character, but his real intention was the desire to repopulate the City, whose inhabitants had been practically extinquished by constant warfare and especially by the last siege.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:58:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015