The Fall of Constantinople
![Picture](/uploads/7/9/8/3/798393/608032328.jpg)
This map shows the Byzantine Empire at various times throughout history. Look at the extent of the empire under the rule of Justinian versus how much territory they controlled in the century prior to the Turkish invasion.
By the end of this assignment, I will be able to:
- Explain the causes and the effects of the fall of Constantinople
Why did Constantinople fall?
What effect did this event have?
Directions: Using the sources below, create a Cause and Effect chart on the fall of Constantinople.
Source 1
![Picture](/uploads/7/9/8/3/798393/1425581103.png)
The last dynasty on the throne of the Byzantine Empire lasted from 1204 to 1453 AD. At first they did pretty well. They made some good alliances with some Italian cities and dominated Mediterranean Sea trade in the 1200s AD.
But unfortunately the Empire gradually lost its few remaining possessions: mainly lands in around Greece. For the most part this was not the fault of the Emperors. It was because of attacks by the Ottoman Turks. The Ottoman Empire was a Muslim Turkish empire that covered a vast area of the Middle East, southeastern Europe, and North Africa. It was founded in the 14th century (1300’s) and existed until 1922.
The Ottomans were attacking the Byzantines much more strongly than they ever had before. Not only did the Ottomans want the city of Constantinople for trade reasons it was also because the Ottomans had lost a lot of their land in the east to the Mongols, and they were trying to make up for it by capturing land to their west. The Mongol people were a group of tribes from the grasslands of central Asia. In the early 1200s a warrior named Genghis Khan united the tribes and built a mighty empire. At the height of its power, the empire stretched from what are now China and Korea to Eastern Europe
For decades the advance of Ottoman strength and the enlargement of its territory had seemed unstoppable to the Byzantines. In 1438 the Byzantine emperor, with a huge group had made a personal visit to Italy in a desperate effort to assemble allies against the Ottomans. Much was said and little was achieved.
But unfortunately the Empire gradually lost its few remaining possessions: mainly lands in around Greece. For the most part this was not the fault of the Emperors. It was because of attacks by the Ottoman Turks. The Ottoman Empire was a Muslim Turkish empire that covered a vast area of the Middle East, southeastern Europe, and North Africa. It was founded in the 14th century (1300’s) and existed until 1922.
The Ottomans were attacking the Byzantines much more strongly than they ever had before. Not only did the Ottomans want the city of Constantinople for trade reasons it was also because the Ottomans had lost a lot of their land in the east to the Mongols, and they were trying to make up for it by capturing land to their west. The Mongol people were a group of tribes from the grasslands of central Asia. In the early 1200s a warrior named Genghis Khan united the tribes and built a mighty empire. At the height of its power, the empire stretched from what are now China and Korea to Eastern Europe
For decades the advance of Ottoman strength and the enlargement of its territory had seemed unstoppable to the Byzantines. In 1438 the Byzantine emperor, with a huge group had made a personal visit to Italy in a desperate effort to assemble allies against the Ottomans. Much was said and little was achieved.
![Picture](/uploads/7/9/8/3/798393/169617664.gif?250)
In addition, a terrible bubonic plague came from the Mongol Empire in the 1300s and killed thousands of people in Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Finally in the Ottomans surrounded the city of Constantinople. In1453, a force of over 70,000 Ottomans attacked Constantinople with the help of cannons to take down the city walls. Constantinople was defended by somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 soldiers. It took only 2 months for the city to be taken.
Source 2
Assessment
Using the information from the reading and the video, make a chart or other graphic organizer that identifies the causes and the effects for the fall of Constantinople.