Wounded, but still ambulatory, Constantine fought until he was struck down by an Ottoman soldier. Like he had weeks before, he again asserted his resolve to defend Constantinople to the end: “My friends, if it is God’s will that our city shall fall, can we escape His wrath? The now-former Patriarch Gregory, we are told, implored the Emperor: “If the Imperial City could not be saved, let the Emperor be saved! Constantine and the few gallant men who shared with him the burden and responsibility of the defence recognized in that spectacle the precursor to general assault. What would the world say of me? Please feel free to use... Constantine and the Last Vespers at Hagia Sophia, Constantine, The Last Emperor of the Greeks, [A]nd then the last of the Caesars and his nobles went forth to die, An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative, Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam), The Quarantine Sessions: Covering The Beatles. Regardless of the sincerity of all of the Sultan’s promises, the historian and diplomat Cedomilj Mijatovic noted that the Ottoman’s assessment of the Emperor’s military position consisted of “undeniable facts.” He noted that “[t]he walls on the land side [of Constantinople] were broken through in several places, four towers were quite destroyed, the small garrison could not be otherwise than exhausted, and there was no prospect of a speedy arrival of help from without.” Nevertheless, Mr. Mijatovic observed that “Constantine had a more lofty conception of his own duty and dignity,” one that could not survive by accepting the Sultan’s terms. However, slowly but surely, the position of Constantine XI and his army deteriorated. Remember that grasping the possessions of others, thou mayest thyself become the prey of others!”. Our first account comes from “Constantinople: The Story of the Old Capital of the Empire,” by William Holden Hutton. The final message from Constantine XI to the Sultan read as follows (p. 138): “As it is plain thou desirest war more than peace, as I cannot satisfy thee by my vows of sincerity or by my readiness to swear allegiance, so let it be according to thy will. Constantine became the Despotes of the Morea (the medieval name for the Peloponnesus) in October 1443, ruling from the fortress and palace in Mistra. Unlike the valiant last stand by Constantine XI in Constantinople which marked the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the Roman Empire in the West did not fall after a notable battle. It remained a functioning church until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 – a period that makes up well more than half of its existence. It was upon the ringing of the church bells that “[t]he Emperor proceeded to St. Sophia.” According to this account, “[t]he church was crowded.” Mijatovic left the source material for a moment to speculate about what the Emperor was thinking as he walked into the Hagia Sophia for what would prove to be the final time: “It would have been only natural for him to think that it was, perhaps, the last time he would stand beneath that magnificent cupola, under which so many orthodox Emperors had worshipped in good and evil days.”. After concluding his prayers, Constantine XI then proceeded in a manner suggesting that he did not expect to return to the cathedral again: “Having passed some time in prayer, he approached every prelate present in the church, asked them to pardon him if he had ever offended any of them, embraced each of them, and then went to the altar and received the Holy Communion.”. However, on July 10, 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned the hallowed Hagia Sophia cathedral back into a mosque. This book was published in 1900. Constantine XI was the last Byzantine emperor, the last Christian ruler of what had been the Eastern Roman Empire, killed trying to defend his city against the final, successful Ottoman attack in May 1453. Enter your email address to sign up for The Newsletter Leaf Journal. The legend of Constantine, as I noted earlier, was a rallying cry for the Greeks in their war for independence against the Ottomans in the nineteenth century (Munger, supra). However, the Turks, after vicious fighting, breached the gates and poured into the city. Although Constantinople would not fall for another several weeks, the Emperor could clearly see the writing on the city walls. Welcome to The New Leaf Journal Guestbook. With 567 years having passed since Constantine and the Eastern half of the Roman Empire breathed their last, I thought that it would be fitting, with the aid of some older books and other resources, to make a toast to the last Emperor. We feature creative writing content and musings from our editors and writers. He was not, he had no need to be, ashamed of his tears, as he was resolved bravely to do his duty to the last.”. Constantine XI Palaeologus, Palaeologus also spelled Palaiologos, (born February 9, 1404, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]—died May 29, 1453, Constantinople), the last Byzantine emperor (1449–53), killed in the final defense of Constantinople against the Ottoman Turks. 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