The Ottoman Empire Season 01 Complete | Faisal Warraich

Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Israel... Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania... ...Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Hungary were once a kingdom spread... ..over territories was called the Ottoman Empire. How this empire in three continents and six centuries long came into existence... and became a superpower and how it fell like a house of cards that today is history? I, Faisal Warraich in DSJ's series the Ottoman Empire, will show the first part... ...of this great empire, the "Seeds of Dreams". This present-day Turkey, thousands of years ago was called Anatolia. To its

east, the Seljuk Empire ruled here. These Seljuks belonged to the Turkic race. While this entire area was in the possession of the Romans. The Roman Empire was extended to Anatolia and the eastern regions of Europe with this fort as a centre called Constantinople. But today it is known in the world as Istanbul. This Roman Empire was called Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire. A very beautiful lake in the same region of Anatolia, was called Wan. It goes that lake had a monster with a mixed shape of a crocodile and a fish. It is not known

whether or not, but the view of the lake is beautiful. On its banks, is beautiful historic church with Biblical inscription carved on its wall. On the bank of this lake, a 1000 years ago a brief war had turned the tide of history. Here a grand ceremony is held every year in August to remember that historic battle. This event is so important that the Turkish President also attends it. The ceremony features Turkish horsemen who without holding reins gallop horses... ...and turn their necks and shoot arrows backwards on the target. It is a game today, but 948

years ago, their forefathers did all the same to take away... ...this entire area, Anatolia, from the Romans. In the 11th century, the Seljuks and the Romans has wars for control of Anatolia. But basically this area was part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire. The Roman Empire built a long line of forts along its border to stop the Turks. And the military forces in these forts would fight the invaders. But the border forts failed to stop attacks which multiplied in number. The Roman Emperor Romanus gathered a large army to end Turkish threat forever. The number

of this army was a little over 100,000. While Romanus were preparing for war against the Seljuks... ...Alp Arslan, the greatest sultan of the Seljuk Turks... ...was engaged in a war with the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. The Fatimids controlled Baital Maqdis, the coastal areas of Syria... ...and Alp Arslan wanted to take these areas away. But obviously Alp Arslan could not fight on two fronts at the same time. He sent a message to the Roman emperor that he did not fight... ...the Turks would stop invading his territories And in return, the Roman frontier army would not raid

Turkish territories. But the problem was that the border between the two kingdoms was unclear. And neither of them had much control over the border areas. So the agreement remained inconclusive and the Roman emperor continued to... ...advance towards the border of the Seljuk Empire. In 1771, Romanus with a large army reached Manzikert in Anatolia. The Seljuk Empire was not far from here. So Alp Arslan also had no option but to leave a front. He ended fighting the Fatimids and came to his base in Iran to face the Romans. He prepared an army of 30,000 inclusive of

expert horsemen and archers. Alp Arslan reached banks of Lake Van and met a large part of the Romans from rear. It was a surprise attack which disarrayed the Roman army. The Romans had a doom when the Turkish soldiers therein secretly joined Alp's army. This made the Romans nervous and they fled. This escape also demoralized the Army led by the Byzantine emperor Romanus. As this army battled Alp Arslan, the killing of the Roman emperor was rumoured. This rumour broke the back of a large army of Christians. The army started to retreat after fighting disorganized for some

time. The Romans who came with a large army lost the battle in just 24 hours. But that was nothing compared to what was about to happen. At the end of the war, a common Seljuk soldier came before Sultan Alp Arslan. He brought the wounded and dusty Roman soldier before Alp Arslan. Sultan asked who is this? It was said that it was the Roman emperor Romanus. Alp Arslan could not believe that the Roman emperor was lying at his feet. He put his foot on Romanus's neck and asked... "Tell me, if I were brought before you like

this, what would you do?" Romanus said, "I would kill you or drag you chain in neck to Constantinople market." "You can't think how terrible my revenge will be," said Arslan. "I'll forgive you." Alp Arslan treated Romanus very well, gave him noble clothing, food and a treaty. Under which many regions of Anatolia came under the control of the Seljuks. The Roman emperor promised 1.5 million gold coins, an annual tribute... ..and the marriage of his daughter to the Sultan's son.. After that, the Roman emperor was freed but. But the same happened Alp Arslan had said "I will

punish you even the worse." Before Romanus reached his capital, Constantinople, the rebels attacked him. A rebellion against him in Constantinople and the new emperor had taken over. Rebels arrested Romanus, put out his eyes and jailed him where he died painfully. To this day, Anatolia never again fell to the Romans or the Christians. The Romans made many attempts to retake this area but could not succeed. Yes, this place has definitely become immortal in history. Turkish nomadic tribe which lived by driving animals lived somewhere around. Today this tribe is known to the world as Ottoman Turks. Their

real name, life in Anatolia, religion in the beginning, etc. are unknown. Anything about the Ottoman Turks was written about 100 years after their Empire. In which there may be a lot of colouring and narration and it may all be true. After the conquest of large parts of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks, these... ...Ottoman Turks also began to roam around in this lush and beautiful region. It is written in the books that they were brave, tough and warlike people. Then, the tribes in Anatolia loyal to the Seljuk Empire were tasked to defend... ...the Seljuk Empire from

the Romans. In a way, it was a buffer zone of the Seljuk Empire, a strategic depth. But the greatest loss the Seljuks had from Genghis Khan in the east. Genghis Khan loved good clothes which were made in the Islamic world. He sent traders to Muslim ruler in Iran and Central Asia Sultan Khwarazm Shah. The purpose was to collect the best cloth produced in these areas for Genghis Khan. But Khwarazm Shah killed these merchants thinking them spies. On it, Genghis Khan was highly furious. He sent a messenger to Khwarazm to probe the matter, but he too

was killed. Now Genghis Khan fell upon the Muslims as a whirlwind and a storm. He ravaged Muslim states from the border of China to Baghdad. He even reached Anatolia. Genghis Khan's successors also destroyed the Seljuk Empire. And the rest was a small Seljuk Empire called Seljuk Rome. It was a group of small kingdoms ruled by descendants of Alp Arslan's relatives. So, amid the Seljuk Rome and the Roman Empire, the tribe of Ottoman Turks... ...was gradually becoming stronger under the leadership of their leader, Osman. Not much is known about the birthplace of Osman and his early

life. It is not even clear that Osman's name was actually Osman. Or was Atman as the Arabic dialect name Osman was given to him much later. He was known to be a courageous person. His warriors were also great horsemen. So strong that they would shoot prey from galloping horses without holding reins. Osman would mix up with his soldiers. And his attitude made him very popular in his army. Osman had prepared a large army of cavalry Turks within a short time. He also gathered other Turkish chieftains around him. He became so strong that small groups of

Mongols would flee to avoid fighting him. Osman wanted to attack the Byzantine Empire to expand and protect his state. But the Sangarin or River Scaria was a natural obstacle in his way. Across the river was the Roman Empire which had built strong posts on the river. The archers on the outposts did not allow Osman's forces to advance. But then, in the year 1300 or 1302, a natural calamity struck. The river Singarin changed direction and Byzantine posts fell into it. Osman got a chance to cross over the river and attacked the Roman territories. When the Byzantines

heard of Osman's attack, they sent an army to fight him. Osman used a war skill of the Mongols that became the Ottomans' trademark. Osman first sent a small army to fight the enemy. When the battle started, his troops began to run back. The enemy chaising it, reached the point Osman and his army laid ambush. Osman saw the enemy approaching and attacked with full force. The Roman army was badly defeated in this battle. Osman conquered Roman forts and cities, including the important Yenisehir. Osman made this city his capital. Magnificent victories made Osman the hero of all

the Turks living in the region. Now the Turks of Anatolia began to gather under his banner one by one. Osman's army increased, but it was still much smaller than the Roman army. But he continued to attack the Byzantine Empire with a small army. And because of it, the number of his enemies was increasing. Once his uncle forbade Osman from this campaign but he became quite angry. He did not want his decisions to be challenged. Osman was so angry that he killed his uncle with an arrow. His uncle was killed, but he did consult a Shaykh

Adh Balii in important matters. He considered Sheykh Adh Balii as his mentor. Osman wanted to marry Sheykh's daughter but the Sheykh did not agree to it. It goes once Usman dreamt a moon from the Shaykh's heart falling into Usman's. Then the branches of a big tree from Usman's body spread in the east and west. Then 4 rivers from the tree roots and 4 big mountains shore up the branches. Then a strong wind blows and takes the tree leaves towards a great city. As per the dream, the city was where two oceans and two continents meet.

This city was like a ring and Osman wanted to wear this ring. But then his eyes opened. Osman narrated this dream to Sheykh Adh Balii who said... "Congratulation God gave you good news of an empire and marrying my daughter." History is witness to the realisation of this dream. It started with Osman's marriage to Rabia, the daughter of Sheykh Adh Balii. Osman had high spirit by the interpretation of dream and weakening Romans. In 1317, he besieged Bursa, an important city near Constantinople the most... ...important fortress of the Byzantine Empire, which is now called Istanbul. This war

continued for 10 years finally ending at victory of the Ottoman Turks. In 1326, the governor of Bursa surrendered to the Ottoman army. But when the city was conquered, Osman was close to death. Osman was overjoyed when his son Orhan told news of victory to his sick old father. He praised the son and appointed him as his successor. He also willed that after his death he should be buried in the city of Bursa... ...and make Bursa be made the new capital of the Ottoman Turks. Osman died a few days later and was buried in Bursa where

his shrine existed. Orhan also made Bursa the new capital according to his father's will. And now the Ottoman Turks had a state that they could be called an empire. This name was given and Orhan assumed the title of Sultan for the first time. Before that, he used the word 'Bay' for the chief. Like Osman Bey, Orhan Bey etc. And now this Orhan Bey was the first Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. And the foundation of the empire Osman had dreamt, had been laid. But now this new empire was facing threats. This threat came not only from

the Romans but also from the Turkish empire. A Turkish empire, the Carrasset, was strengthening in the west of the Ottomans. The Romans and the Careasset Turks may join to wipe out the Ottoman Turks forever. Due to this problem, Sultan Orhan was very worried. But then nature gave him the rate chance a sultan gets once in a century. What was the occasion? And how the Ottoman Empire, once a small state near the Romans, was... ...expanded to the West and East of the Romans in an era of Ottoman rule. All this will be shown to you in

the next episode of Ottoman Empire. Near Bursa, Sultan Orhan, Osman's son and founder of the Empire was enthroned. In 14th Century, many small and big states in Anatolia were against each other. Each had only two choices; either to capture the states around them. ...or ending themselves up being taken over by the big ones. The same challenge was faced by Orhan and that too from two sides. One from the Muslim Turks in the east. Which had produced two powerful Carrasset and Qormania empires. The largest Muslim Empire of Mamluks supported them, especially Qurmania. The Mamluk Empire extended

to present Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Orhan had a challenge from the Muslim Turkish states in the east and south... ...and another from the strong Roman Empire in the west, having the support... ...of the European countries and Christians to it. Then Sultan Orhan was practically at war with both of them. So how an empire beset by enemies, surrounded the Romans on both sides? I am Faisal Warraich who in DSJ's series Ottoman Empire will show you all this. So the rule of the Byzantine Empire from Anatolia had largely ended. But they had captured small towns

and fortresses in Bithynia, northern Anatolia. Orhan wanted to hold these cities to end the Romans from Anatolia and save itself. So he began to besiege these cities of Bithynia. The siege of the Roman forts in Bithyna, an area of ​​Anatolia, began. When the Byzantine emperor knew the capture of his fortresses by the Ottoman... ...Turks, he began to prepare an army to protect the cities. In 1328 he took an army of 4000 soldiers and set out to help the besieged cities. As the Roman emperor came out with his army, the news spread that the... ...emperor was

himself with his army coming to fight the Ottomans. First time a Roman emperor was leading an army so, the news spread widely. Sultan Orhan also came to know about it. So he also went with an army to stop the Roman emperor on his way. He got a strategic advantage in Maltepe near Nicomedia, now known as Izmit. It was a high hill visible from where the Roman army was visible from a distance. Turkish horsemen, experts in shooting, hid on the way of the Roman emperor. When the Roman army arrived there led by the emperor, the cavalry

archers.... ...lying in an ambush, made a terrible attack. There was a stampede in the Roman army. Then it happened the same that had happened to a Roman emperor. That is, the rumour of the emperor's death was spread or was made to spread. It was false news which demoralized the Romans and the Christian army... which fled back to the fortress of Constantinople. The emperor somehow managed to return to Constantinople with his life. Under normal circumstances, it was a skirmish defeat. It was not a regular battle but the defeat impacted the Romans psychologically. For the Roman army

and people, the Ottomans were like a minor tribal group. They thought themselves factually the best trained and fit army in the world. The 1000-year glorious history of the Roman Empire was also a witness to it. Romans It was nerves wrecking defeat to the that came with pride and emperor. The defeat disheartened them to halt supplies to their own forts in Anatolia. They had their own army inside them and were surrounded by the Ottomans. So how long the surrounded army without outside help could fight? One by one, all significant areas of Bithynia fell to the Ottoman

Turks. The Ottomans' win demoralized the Romans, it also did another thing. A key Roman general Canticazenus saw the formidable fighting force Ottomans. So instead of fighting the Ottomans he shrewdly planned to use their power. That's because Canticazenus wanted to be emperor himself. But obviously, he was neither the king's son nor brother. If he wanted to become king himself, he had to rebel. For it, the needed army to support him was already in the fort of Constantinople. He also needed outside help to stop army from reaching his army fighting inside These helpers could not have been

better than the Ottoman Turks in his eyes. So he started secret contacts with Ottoman Sultan Orhan Ghazi. Now the most important general of the Roman Empire joined the Turkish Sultan. He urged Sultan Orhan for help and promised attractive benefits in return... ...including one to wed his daughter with the Sultan in return for his help. Sultan accepted this offer. The test of this alliance soon began. In 1341, the Roman emperor died and his 9-year-old son John V was enthroned. At that time general Kantakouzenos rebelled. He demanded co-emperorship for himself or he would fight his own state.

Meanwhile, the 9-year-old emperor did not understand anything... ...but the Queen Mother, his mother who was his guardian... ...understood what the general was up to. So she also sought the help of another very powerful Turks, the Kerasi Empire. It is another matter that she could not get much help from the Kerassians. Now civil war broke out in the Roman Empire. In which the Ottoman Turks and General Kantakouzenos were on one side. On the other were the Roman emperor, Serbia, Bulgaria etc. And also the Kerasi Turkish Empire. After 6 years of civil war, Kantakouzenos was made co-emperor

of Constantinople. That means he had won the war. However, this civil war further fragmented the Byzantine Empire. Serbia became independent and Bulgaria occupied many parts of Thrace. The Byzantine Empire was limited to Constantinople and some coastal cities. The war enabled the Ottomans to have influence inside their arch-enemy empire. Rather the father-in-law of the Ottoman sultan was the co-emperor of the Romans. It was a great success for the Ottomans. Moreover, they overpowered the Kerasi Turks, their second biggest enemy. The Kerasi Empire slowly collapsed before the Ottomans. Because it had no strong ally. The capture of the

Kerasi Empire neared the Ottoman Turks to the Dardanelles... ...the part of the sea from where they could enter Europe. Because there were only two ways to enter Europe from Anatolia. One was through Constantinople Fort of Roman Empire which was hard to conquer. The second route was Dardanelles which you see on the map. Anyway, entering Europe and conquering Europe was a dream for the Turks. This dream was seen by their founder Ghazi Osman Bey. Now they were on the edge of that dream, but there was a sea in between. A small and narrow-width sea, but it

sea anyway. On the other, the strong European army did not want to see them across Dardanelles. In nature, events take place to create possibilities that time should be waited. In the 14 century, Kantakouzenos faced a revolt when he went to see his son a king. Contecazenus repeating the past again sought help from Sultan Orhan. Now he was Sultan Orhan's father-in-law. But now Sultan Orhan also placed another condition. For help, he sought base in Gallipoli across Dardanelles, between Europe and Asia. Canticazenus wanted Orhan's military help in Europe, so he agreed. So the Ottoman Turks entered Europe

without shedding a single drop of blood. They entered, albeit temporarily. Sultan Orhan sent his son Suleiman with a large army to Gallipoli. Help from the Ottoman army strengthened the position of Kantakouzenos. But at the same time, a problem arose. It was the tradition of the Turks that they took to Ghaza (holy war). That is, to annex the Christian areas in their empire they used to wage Jihad. Which they called Ghaza and those who did Ghaza were called Ghazi. Turkish rulers were also called Ghazis such as Osman Ghazi, Orhan Ghazi, etc. So Suleiman did not build

just one military base in Europe but moved for many. So he began action to hold the Thrace, west of Constantinople, the Roman hub. As occupation started, alarm bells rang in the hearts and minds of the Romans. As the strong Ottoman Turks, after the east of the Romans, were now in its west. And all this was happening because of the Roman emperor Kantakouzenos. So Kantakouzenos faced intense criticism and hatred from the Romans. To save face, he sent a message to Sultan Orhan not to occupy the European land. That he must limit himself to his military base

or withdraw. But it was replied the territories made part of the Muslim state would not be returned. Gallipoli and the east of Thrace were included in the Ottoman Empire. And these areas are still part of Turkey. This all happened due to Kantakouzenos so he was overthrown in Constantinople. The Romans got a new emperor who was not a friend but a blatant foe of Orhan. As it had been happening in the past. Kantakouzenos's rule ended and Sultan Orhan also passed away in 1362. By the time he died, Orhan had made the inherited state into a kingdom...

...doubled from the past and spread from Anatolia to Europe. Sultan Orhan had three sons and the kingdom had to go to one of them. To one of Sulayman, Murad or Halil. Or the empire was to be divided into three parts. Of them Suleyman, who built the military base in Europe on his father's order. He was out of the race because he had already passed away. Of the other two, Murad Ghazi killed Halil Ghazi. Sultan Ghazi Murad I was now the new ruler of the Ottoman Empire. So, Ghazi Murad I prompted the Ghaza tradition of the

Turks as he took over. But he made a new addition to the army, called the slave army. What was this army of slaves? And why did it become so famous in history? All this will be shown to you in the next episode of The Ottoman Empire. So where were we friends? We were on the 530 km long mountain range called the Balkan Range. Below this range, is a triangle with the sea on all three sides. This triangle is called the Balkan Peninsula. Around 1370, the Ottoman Turks formed an army of slaves from the same area.

Which remained the most powerful part of the Ottoman army for the next 500 years. How was this army prepared? And which was the strangest war in history... ...wherein a small force of 800 defeated an army of 50,000? But how it defeated? I, Faisal Warraich in DSJ's series Ottoman Empire, will show you all this. The Ottoman Empire was against a well-trained and organised Roman army. The Turks did have the strength and passion but lacked that discipline... ...needed to stand for a long against the strong European states and the Byzantine. So the Sultan needed to form a

strong army along with an elite force... ...to guard his person and trained so much that no other force could dare fight it. This army might have been prepared by the best Muslim youth from the Turks. But here was a problem. That is, the Ottoman Turks did not trust the Turks in the Ottoman Empire. Because the Turks' first loyalty was to their tribe and family... ...as such, they could revert to the old loyalty at any time... ...challenge the Sultan, leak news to their respective tribe. So for the new army, such youths were needed who were above

all doubts. So Sultan Murad started recruiting Christian children from ​​the Balkan areas. Now, Christian families subjects of the Ottomans, were obliged to... ...dedicate a son of the house each to the Sultan's elite force. So as annual levies, boys aged from 8 to 18 were taken from the Balkan Christians. They were raised overseas in the Anatolian region. They were taught Turkish language and culture and were converted to Islam. They were imparted tough training to fight a war for eight years. During this time, these children had turned into modern elite soldiers. Then they were made specialists in

different fields. Like archery, horse riding, music etc. Their pay and benefits were better than any other post in the army. This army was called Janissary. Which means a new army. It was a highly organized and dignified army. And why not? Because the minimum punishment for defiance was death. The Janissary army was personal slaves of the sultan, which did not mean... ...they were like the slaves the image which generally comes to mind. On the contrary, they had rights more than ordinary slaves... ...so much so that they were paid better than anyone else. It was the army

the Sultan wanted to make as the strongest of the Ottoman Empire... ...that was also to conquer Constantinople. Which also had to decide the fate of many Sultanates in the time to come... ...and also stand in revolt after centuries. Initially, the Christian parents were very sad over their children being taken away. But as time passed, and the influence and glory of the Janissary army appeared... ...the parents were pleased with sending the children to become a part of that army. Because influence grew in the core of the royal court. Now in 1370, a powerful army was also

being formed in the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Murad I was also carrying forward the tradition of Ghaza of the Ottomans. That was Jihad to occupy Christian territories and expand the Islamic empire. Jihad was to be waged in Europe, but the centre of the Ottomans was... ...in Bursa that is Anatolia. To guide the armies across the sea, it was necessary to have a military base... ...there where the sultan would stay to lead Ghaza in Europe. Sultan Murad conquered Europe's city of Edirne and made it capital of his Empire. The sultan spent time in Anatolia and Europe and

his teacher Lala Shahin... ...Pasha was appointed Governor of Edirne. The word Lala, by the Turks, is used to honour their teacher or mentor. Lala Shahin Pasha had been his tutor. European Christians were quite perturbed by the entry of the Ottomans... ...into Europe and the occupation of Edirne. And why not they be when their freedom was coming to an end. And the emperor of the Serbian Empire in particular was not happy. Because the city of Edirne was right next to its border. He feared the Ottoman Turks would advance if they reached this point. So he decided

to nip this threat at the roots and looked for opportunity for it. Where there is will there is a way. So he soon got this opportunity. In 1371, Sultan Murad I was not present in the new capital of Ederine. He was in Anatolia across the Dardanelles with a large army and the Janissaries. Here he was busy crushing some rebellions in the empire. In Ederine, Governor Pasha and an army of about 1,000 men were present. The Serbian emperor seized this opportunity. And prepared a large army of 50,000 soldiers for the battle. This beautiful river is beset

by buildings is the River Maritsa. About 7 centuries ago, in 1371, a large Serbian army was encamped on its banks. And it was ready for an intense attack on the Ottoman Turks. But, Lala Shahin Pasha, governor and the most skilled general of the Turks... ...got the news that the Serbian army was going to attack Ederine. The Atomic bomb is the most lethal weapon in a war. No... ...it is the number of army which matters. No, it is also not. The most powerful weapon in warfare is information. The intelligence from spies. Spies told Shahin Pasha that

the Serbian army had celebrations that night... ...followed by an attack on the Ottomans the next day. Pasha used this opportunity and quietly hid with 800 soldiers near the river. When the Serbian army was relaxing after celebrations, the Turks suddenly attacked. Even the angels of the half-asleep and half-drunk Serbian army did not know... ...that the number of attackers was less than a thousand. The unaware army took it for a big attack and ran senselessly here and there. Now the Serbs had death on both sides; from the river and the Turks. Christian army ran to the river,

but thousands were cut down in that escape. It was called the Battle of Moretsa River for being fought on the river banks. The killings of the Serbs in the battle of Moretsa turned the river water red. It was one of the few surprising battles in history. In which a small army defeated a much larger army on the basis of strategy. History also knows the Battle of Moritsa as the Great Destruction of the Serbs. The Serbs who came to defeat the Ottomans ended up losing their own land. The Serbian Empire, which was a huge empire, broke

into many parts. These parts accepted the supremacy of the Ottoman Empire and paid it tribute. The defeat of Serbs by the Ottomans and the destruction of this most important... ...European empire, was the death knell for the Christian states of Europe. The 8-century-long Muslim rule in Spain, Granada and Andalus was before them... ...which they failed to end completely till the Battle of Moritsa despite power. Muslim rule in Spain was still established in a small area in the form of Granada. As per Christians, one Muslim empire was ending in Europe and another was rising. So the European

Christians joined to fight the Ottoman Empire. The Pope led the drive to unite European Christians against the Ottoman Empire. That is, another crusade was about to begin. Earlier Muslims and European Christians had long crusades for Jerusalem.... ...and Muslims were victorious in them. Then Jerusalem was ruled by the Muslim Mamluk Empire. The Ottoman Turks also called the war against European Christians Jihad. And the Europeans also called it a religious war, i.e. Crusade. In the name of religion, drums for war were beaten on both sides. The Ottoman army was united and organized, but Europe was fragmented. It

needed a leader to fight a skilful army of the Ottoman Turks. Which the Europeans did not have at that time. But then this leader was found on the corner of the broken state of Serbia. It was a Serb Prince Lazar who rebelled against the Turks in the late 1380s. He refused to pay the tribute the Ottomans were getting since the Battle of Muretsa. Not only that, Lazar defeated the Ottoman soldiers in a skirmish. This victory of Prince Lazar raised a ray of hope in Europe to regain their freedom. Bosnia also revolted against the Ottoman Empire

and defeated Turkish troops. These two victories boosted the morale of European Christians. So Europe felt it could easily kick out the Ottoman Empire, at least from Europe. At the bottom of Balkan Range, an army gathered under the banner of Prince Lazar. Which was also supported by the Christian spiritual leader Pope. Not only this, but the knights of the Pope's special army were also part of this army. An army of 100,000 was ready to fight the freedom war under a religious slogan. Prince Lazarus, as a hero to European Christians, was commanding it. This time the Ottoman

Turks were also not ignorant. After two little defeats by the Serbs and Bosnians Sultan Murad left his son... ...Yaqub in Anatolia and returned to his European headquarters in Ederine. 2000 soldiers of Sultan Murad's personal army, the Janissary Army, were with him. On August 1, 1389, in Europe, exactly where the city of Kacanik is today. Sultan Murad I, with an army of 60000, stood in front of 100,000 crusaders. This battle is called the Kosovo War. It was a decisive battle for the Ottomans in Europe. His son Bayezid was also leading a section of Sultan Murad's army.

While in the center the Sultan himself was surrounded by his highly trained army. When the war started, the balance titled in favour of the Christians. They pushed back a part of the Ottoman army. The Ottomans were about to stagger when Sultan Murad took a very bold decision. He sent his best soldiers, his guards, to fight and himself stayed behind alone. It was a very dangerous move, a huge risk. The Sultan might have been killed that might cause defeat to the Ottomans. And see the same happened. A Christian knight somehow reached Sultan Murad and killed him

with a dagger. Look at the irony of fate that Sultan Murad died on the battlefield. On the other hand, Crusades leader, Prince Lazarus, was also killed in the battlefield. Now Lazar's son and Bayezid, son of Sultan were commanding their armies. The war became gruesome and deaths multiplied enormously. Amid this situation an incredible thing happened. A significant part of the European army began to retreat. This broke the back of the Christian army. It also goes that the chieftain of this part had joined the Turks from the beginning. It may be or may be he did so

to save his soldiers in this resultless war. The Kosovo war ended at retreat on both sides after losing thousands of soldiers. It was an undecided battle but was a strategic victory for the Turks. This war so much damaged the Serbs that they lost will to fight the Ottomans. Instead, they paid tribute to the Ottomans and became its vassal state. By 1390, the Balkan, including the Roman Empire, became a vassal of the Ottomans. They would pay annual tribute to the Ottomans... ...and also committed to provide soldiers to fight in necessity. Sultan Murad I lost his life

in the battle of Kosovo. But he left to his successors a huge empire of 100,000 square kilometres. He had expanded three times the empire got from his father Sultan Orhan. The empire had expanded, but Sultan Murad was no longer in the world. Such a large Ottoman Empire urgently needed a new Sultan. A son of Sultan Murad I, Bayezid, took part in the battle. He and some others knew that Sultan Murad I was no more. So he first of all kept this news a secret. His brother, Yakub, was gethering an army in Anatolia, where his father

had left him. So he had no idea about the war situation. So Bayezid sent some of his loyalists after his brother Yakub. As per the undeclared Turkish tradition, Yakub was strangled to death. This method was also practiced in other kingdoms of that period... ...that a new king was obliged to get rid of other candidates for the kingdom... ...to maintain order in the state. As elimination of other claimants to the Sultanate was to end palace intrigues. So every new sultan would get his brothers or possible contenders strangled. Bayezid as new Sultan of the Empire did not

have the Crusades as big challenge. His own Turkish tribes and their major helper Emir Timur was the real challenge. How did Emir Timur force the Ottoman Empire to its knees? How a kingdom, recipient of tribute from the Romans, was made to pay tribute? All this will be shown in the next episode of the history of the Ottoman Empire. We were in 1390 AD and on the edge of the Turkish Empire. Then the borders of two powerful states of the world met here. One was the Ottoman Empire and the other was the Timurid Empire. One was

Sultan Bayezid I and the other was Emir Timur, a warlord. One who was toppling the empires of Europe after Asia. And the other had conquered the regions from Baghdad to Delhi and from... ...the Arabian deserts to the mountains of Uzbekistan. When these two sultans came face to face, the empire of one was torn apart... ...and some time later the others also fragmented. What a story it was. I Faisal Warraich in DSJ's series The Ottoman Empire will show all this. After killing his brother Yakub, Bayezid I became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire

had spread to the West, i.e. Europe. Bayezid needed time to manage and organize it. He did that in Europe, the largest and closest Sultanate, Serbia... ...which was defeated by the Turks in a historical battle... ...established kinship and peace by marrying the daughter of its emperor. Now the Qurmaniya empire in the East was most threatening to the Turks. The Mamluk Empire which ruled Egypt, Mecca and Medina, backed Qurmaniya. So Bayezid married his sister to Aleaddin Bey, the emir of the Qurmaniya Sultanate. The marriage diplomacy brought peace to Europe, but even the bond of marriage... ...with Qurmaniya

could not make it a subservient state. Alaeddin Bey, the chief of Qurmaniya, while Bayezid was overseas in Ederine... ...preparing for war with Hungary in Europe. ...captured some territories of the Ottoman Turks. At the same time, he also captured a neighboring state of Kurds, Jarmyan. Bayezid came to the field with his army and gave a crushing defeat to Alaeddin. It was possible that Alaeddin would have been killed in this battle. But he escaped with the help of his wife i.e. Bayezid's sister. However, his two sons Mehmed and Ali were captured by the Ottomans. Due to such

wars, the Qurmaniyan state was near a complete end. But a storm from today's Uzbekistan jeopardised the Ottoman Empire itself. The name of this revolution was Timur Ling. Emir Timur, a warlord, had captured Samarkand through his fighting skills. He made it the headquarters and expanded his kingdom to Uzbekistan,... ...Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Russia, Syria and Turkey. Emir Timur conquered or occupied around 40 states and countries of different sizes. It was a strong sultanate ruled by one who proved his fighting skill as well as brutality. Emir Timur used fear as a tool and for that,

he killed indiscriminately thousands... ...of innocent and unarmed citizens wherever he went. He would burn the entire city and... ...fling in the fire women, children and the elderly in masses. He would bury them in the ground, hurl them into fire or blow their necks. And then make towers of their skulls. He would set their bodies afire their own fat and let them burn for several days. He liked the news of his cruelty to reach his enemies to strike his fear in them. Fear was his strongest weapon. He wanted his enemies to surrender rather than fight him.

In 1399, the borders of the Timurid Empire touched the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman and Timurid sultans clearly see their clash one day. Because both the rulers had deep arrogance and pride. This is also reflected in the letters both sent to each other. Why they were to write these letters? What happened was that Emir Timur was attacking and occupying Muslim areas. He destroyed Baghdad completely killed thousands and occupied Iraq. A Baghdadi prince, Tahir, went to the Ottoman Empire for refuge and was given. Likewise, the regions of Anatolia that were occupied by the Ottoman Empire... ...their Muslim

chiefs went to Emir Timur for refuge and they were given. Now, sheltering each other's enemies was not acceptable to either of them. They quietly started to plan to teach a lesson to the other. Emir Timur sent a letter to Sultan Bayezid through messengers. It read that you can retain the territories that you took from the infidels... ...and return others to their chiefs or I will fall on you like the wrath of God. This letter was a direct threat to a world power. No one addressed the ruler of the Ottoman Empire this way. Bayezid was infuriated

by Emir Timur's arrogance. He also reacted strongly in response. Firstly, he cut the beards of the Timurid messengers who came with the letter. And then he sent them back after insulting them from the court. It was a message that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was not afraid of anyone. It was a kind of battle drum, but before it, the fire was to be further fanned. Bayezid learned Emir Timur was going to attack the Ottoman Empire with the help.... ...of the second-largest Muslim empire, the Mamluk Empire. The Sultan sent a terrible letter to Timur. He

wrote "Since your boat of unlimited greed has landed in the pit of selfishness... ...so it would be better for you to lower the sails of your arrogance... ...and anchor the repentance on the shore of sincerity, for it is the shore of safety... ...or the storm of our revenge, will drown you in the sea of ​​punishment you deserve." This letter reached Emir Timur. No one could avoid this war now. European Christians who were fighting the Ottoman Turks until recently. And they were calling it the war of Islam and Christianity. They sent messages to Emir Timur to

support him against the Ottomans. Even the Byzantine Empire assured Emir Timur of secret support. Now the Timurid army started moving towards the Ottoman Empire. It captured Sivas, a part of the Turkish Empire, in 1401. He took the excuse it was the area held by Muslims and Bayezid usurped it. But this fort was very strong and could withstand a long siege. When Bayezid heard the news, he sent his son Ertugrul to protect him. This fort was difficult to conquer because it had very strong walls. But Emir Timur made a great move and dug the foundations of

the fort. The walls of the fort were collapsed and Emir Timur captured the city. Then Amir Timur avenged the Turks and civilians and spread his trademark fear. He buried 4000 prisoners alive in the fort's foundations and levelled the soil. Bayezid's son and other chiefs were also killed by Emir Timur. The news of the defeat and the death of his son reached the Turkish Sultan. So now he had no choice but to fight. At that time, Bayezid was besieging Constantinople. The successes of Timur and the loss of Ottoman land were alarming factors... ...Bayezid could not afford

to overlook. In the summer of 1422 AD, Sultan Bayezid moved with an army of about 90,000. He camped near Ankara where it was not easy for Emir Timur to attack him. Timur with his army reached there and found defeat to Bayezid was not possible. So he made a move and retreated with the army. Bayezid followed him and moved away from his safe camp. Emir Timur retreated and stopped at the border of his empire in the east. But even here he did not find the field of his choice. Bayezid brought him to the edge of the

forest of Turks' strategic advantage. Emir Timur did not want to give Bayezid the field of his choice in any case. That is why he was once again changed his position. An unusual happened and Timur disappeared with his 150,000 army. For weeks, Bayezid puzzled over where such a large army had gone. In July 1422, Bayezid got the news of the whereabouts of Emir Timur's army. It was thunderous news as Timur's army after long route was behind him in Ankara. And the city was under siege. And not only that. The Timurid army had burnt all the crops

and warehouses on Bayezid's way back. Bayezid now had no option but to go to Ankara. That is, passing through that way where there was no food, no water. Now the Timurid army had positioned itself in a place that suited it more. Amir Timur had three major advantages here. One is that the battlefield was his choice. Second, his army was about 60,000 more than Bayezid's. It also included elephants brought from India. Third, his army had a chance to rest and refresh. Now look at Bayezid's army in comparison. At this point he had three major losses. One

is that his army was exhausted. He was hungry and thirsty during the long journey. Secondly, 20,000 Turk soldiers died on the way due to long a journey and hunger. The third and greatest disadvantage was how to organize the army. That is, there were three types of warriors in his army. There was no army like a handful. One was the Janissary army which were special guards of the Sultan. They were the most powerful and trusted soldiers. There were Turkish and Tatar soldiers who were hired against money to serve. And he could change the party at any

time under any temptation. Thirdly, the European Serbs who had joined the Ottomans as a tributary state. Despite these merits and demerits both Sultans knew very well... ...that this is going to be the biggest war of military machines in the world. Because then no other empire on earth was more powerful than these two. This sparsely populated open beautiful city is the town of Cubuk in Ankara. This city, 6 centuries ago, had 150,000 Timurids and 70000 Turks face to face. The threatening powers of yesterday stood today to show practical strength. The first attack was made by Emir

Timur, but the Turkish army repulsed it. But then, as time passed, the Timurid army dominated the war. At one point, Sultan Bayezid ordered his son, Suleiman, to retreat to Bursa. He with his three sons and the Serbian army stood firmly against the Timurids. As the killing of Turk soldiers increased the Serbian troops also ran after Suleiman. Now only Bayezid was present in the field with a few of his loyalists. It was a very small force but it resisted the Timurid cavalry for several hours... ...which had surrounded him from all sides. However how long? At one

point Bayezid only Janissaries, his personal bodyguards, around. He broke the siege of the Timurid army and escaped. The Timurid army had won, but Sultan Bayezid had slipped out of their hands. But no. An arrow from a Timurid horseman fell down the galloping horse of the Sultan. The Sultan also came down and became a prisoner of Emir Timur. It was the worst defeat for the Ottoman Empire. It never had such a bad defeat in history. The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was a prisoner of the Timurid Empire. His three sons were also under the swords of

Amir Timur. Timur released his sons on the condition to recognise his supremacy. Bayezid, a great conqueror of Europe and Asia, used to get tribute from Europe. He could not bear this humiliation for long and died in prison within a few months. A few months later, in 1455, Emir Timur also died. The Timurid Empire then split into several parts. The Ottoman Empire was also divided into several parts among Bayezid's sons. They fell victim to civil war. Brother became a bloodthirsty of other brother. In this civil war, the Ottoman Empire was disintegrated, but did not end. What

was the reason for this? One of the reasons for this was that there was no such great power in Europe... ...capable of expelling the Turks from Europe after the end of Bayezid I's rule... ...or occupy Anatolia. Second, Emir Timur or his successors did not intend to stay and rule in Anatolia. Therefore, the Turkish Empire was not controlled by Timur or his successors. Bayezid's sons Mehmed, Suleiman, Isa and Musa had bloody wars for 11 years. Musa and Suleiman were killed in these battles. Isa ran away in a way, the history does not mention him today. Only

Mehmed I was left, who now became the Sultan. Mehmed I spent much time on reuniting the scattered territories of his Empire. He also wrote the history of the Ottoman Empire. Much of what we know today about early Ottomans is from the history of Mehmed I. After Sultan Mehmed I, his son Murad II became Sultan in 1421 and ruled till 1451. He organized the army further and trained a special force on using guns. These guns were called muskets that were newly introduced in Europe. Murad II nipped European powers which had revolted seeking the Ottomans weak. Much

of Greece, Albania, and Serbia came under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan also began to settle more and more Muslims in Albania. Even today Albania has the largest Muslim population. He made the Ottoman Empire once again the superpower of the world. So powerful to capture Constantinople, the symbol of greatness the Byzantine Empire. This city had been the star and centre of the Romans' eyes for 1000 years. It was considered one of the strongest cities in the world. Because its walls remained impregnable for centuries. In the 15 century, the city was virtually surrounded by

the Ottoman Empire. In 1453, a historical battle was fought for this city. Which was awaited for 700 years. The story of this war will also be shown in the next episode of Ottoman Empire. In the 15th century, an Ottoman sultan was a 19-year-old impetuous and daring man. One day he stormed the city regardless of the strong walls of Constantinople. He also had a new weapon to break down walls. That is the cannon. But his bravery and cannons failed and he retreated accepting defeat. This young man till death failed to realise the dream of conquering Constantinople.

What was that story? I Faisal Warraich, in DSJ's series The Ottoman Empire, will show this true story. Do you know the first young sultan who bombed the walls of Constantinople? It was Murad II, who was enthroned in 1421 and next year sieged Constantinople. He also had the most modern weapon of his time i.e. cannons. The cannons, under German experts, heavily shelled the Constantinople walls. Just know it, as many as 70 shells fell on only one tower. But Sultan's brother Mustafa, the governor of Hamit, rebelled on Romans' prodding. Murad II had to end the siege of

Constantinople and fight with his brother. Mustafa was killed however, Murad II failed to advance towards Constantinople. He received tribute from Constantinople and left it to it. But where the father had failed, the son learned from that failure. The son, Sultan Mehmed Fatih, did not want to repeat his father's mistake. The lesson in order to conquer Constantinople his state must have peace. No matter what cost to pay for it. And the second is to make our firepower, i.e. cannons, even more powerful. Powerful to pull down Constantinople walls stood challenging over 1000 years. Because after doing all

this, the Sultan could get that red apple. His father had passed away aspiring for. What was this red apple? There was a huge church in the city of Constantinople called Hagia Sophia. The statue of a Roman emperor on horseback was on a pillar outside church. This statue belonged to the same emperor who built the Hagia Sophia church. The statue was dressed like the giant Greek hero Achilles. In one hand he held a globe with a cross embedded in it. The Cross and the globe symbolized the dominance of Christianity over the world. It went in Europe,

a conqueror getting this globe and cross would rule the world. Therefore, the conquest of this city became a challenge for the rulers. Over 1000 years many accepted challenge but the Constantinople walls failed them. Ottomans also tried to conquer this city more than once but could not succeed. The Turks called this Cross globe the red apple. Because the red apple was a symbol of ruling over the whole world for them. They were eager to get that red apple. Because at that time they had already become the superpower of the world. After the death of Murad, Mehemd

II also inherited the challenge of the red apple. The challenge was inherited, but it was a difficult challenge. A challenge more difficult than getting the throne. Sultan Mehmed II did not have to fight any major war or rebellion for his succession. The factors behind his easily becoming Sultan were interesting and mysterious. First, see who was contending the Sultan for his succession. Mehmed II had two elder brothers, Ahmed and Ali. Ahmed was older but his father Sultan Murad II loved more his younger son Ali. And it was believed that he would be the next sultan. Mehmed

II, the youngest was thought stubborn, self-centered and idle. That is, there was no possibility of him becoming the Sultan. In these circumstances, it seemed that Ahmed or Ali would become Sultan. And the others will get silk cord meaning death when one has become the Sultan. But Ahmed, also the governor of Amaysa, died suddenly in 1437. His second brother Ali was sent as governor in his place. But in 1443, a Turkish chief Hazra Pasha killed Ali and his infant baby. What end Hazra Pasha met and why did he kill Ali Bey? This history does not explain

it. The removal of the brothers cleared the way for Mehmed II. And there was no family barrier left to his becoming Sultan. He became Sultan but one small problem still stood. That his Serbian stepmother's one-year-old son, also named Ahmed, was alive. Apparently, this one-year-old baby was no problem for Sultan Mehmed II. But the Sultan knew maintaining peace was a must to obtain the red apple. This one-year-old child was a potential threat to him, if not now, then in the future. As his Serbian stepmother was greeting the Sultan on his accession to the throne... ...on the

Sultan's order, one-year-old Ahmed was drowned in a water tank. The next day, the Sultan also killed this servant who had drowned Ahmed. Mehmed II married Ahmed's mother to a Turkish chief and sent her out of the city. Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire also made the law... ...that whichever of his sons will be enthroned after him... ...must kill the other heirs to the throne i.e. his brothers. So that peace is maintained in the state. The Sultan had also established peace with the states around. Through peace and trade treaties with European states Hungary, Venice and...

...Geneva he ended the possibility of war. Sultan Mehmed II successfully met the first challenge of peace in the kingdom. Now he had to find or build such a powerful cannon... ...capable of breaking the walls of Constantinople to let Sultan's army go in. Cannons made at the beginning of the 15th century... ...were flawed for their shells were made of tar, saltpetre and sulphur. All these things were mixed in the battlefield and filled into the cannon. When fired, the projectile did not explode after hitting the target but burned slowly. As such the target did not get much

damage. This is why the Sultan wanted a new and better cannon. Fortunately for him, the technology of shells was much improved in those days. These shells would detonate as they fell or hit a wall... ...causing heavy damage to the target. Cannons were also updated by casting with bronze instead of iron. Which raised the cost but improved the design. And getting the bronze wasn't too difficult either. In this regard, the Balkan states included in the empire, were used. Churches in these states had tonnes-heavy bells of bronze. Among other sources, bronze for cannons was obtained by breaking

these bells. The new cannons could fire shells 750 pounds heavy shells up to 16 feet. But the Sultan needed bigger cannons to cause heavy damage with fewer shells. Because he didn't want to fail anyway. His Premier Halil Pasha was checking him from attacking Constantinople... ...as it might prompt the whole of Europe to a new crusade against the Ottomans. For him, the Sultan's dream to conquer Constantinople was a folly of a youngster. But the Sultan was determined to realise his dream in any case. And he needed a cannon engineer. Who can make powerful cannons of his

choice. Sultan Mehmed II, who idealised Alexander the Great, proved equally lucky... ...as his desire was fulfilled. A Hungarian young engineer offered Emperor Constantine of Constantinople... ...manufacturing of cannons for him. But in exchange for these cannons, Orban demanded a huge salary and reward. Then the financial condition of Constantinople was very poor. The debt burden was heavy and the treasury was empty. Constantine XI was more concerned about filling the treasury than defending the city. He also did not find the young Ottoman Sultan to be a potential threat. European rulers from Constantinople to France had congratulated... ...Mehmed II

on becoming the ruler. That a weak sultan had acceded to the throne of the world power. Since Constantine XI felt no immediate threat from the Ottomans. So he bypassed the offer of the Hungarian cannon engineer, Orban. ...and fixed him a small salary as a pastime... ...not to let such an expert engineer go elsewhere. But the talented Orban was not satisfied. Because the salary did not match his abilities... ...that too was occasionally given after clerks would make a cut in its amount. So Orban followed suit of other Europeans and decided to reach the Ottomans. He wanted

a huge profit by offering the Sultan something he could not refuse. He knew the Sultan was anxious to break the walls of Constantinople. He closely examined the city walls and reached Sultan Muhammad II in Ederine. When Sultan learned a Hungarian engineer Orban had an offer to make cannons. The Sultan summoned him immediately. The Sultan himself had a great understanding of war technology. Therefore, after a few technical questions, he directly asked Orban... "Can you make a cannon so that the walls of Constantinople fall with so big shell?" Sultan explained the size of the ball with hand

gestures. Orban had spent months preparing for this one question. "I have seen the walls of Constantinople very closely," he said excitedly. ...my cannons are so powerful that not only the walls of Constantinople... ...but the walls of a great empire like Babylon would be razed to ground.” This was the answer the Sultan wanted. He promised to give Orban over four times the salary he demanded. And ordered him to prepare cannons as soon as possible. Three months later Orban produced the first cannon. It was sent to Rommel Hastar, a Turkish fortress on the shores of the Bosphorus.

In November 1452, a shell fired from this cannon sank a Venetian ship. This ship was trying to reach Constantinople. The sinking of the Venetian ship proved the power of Orban's cannon. The Sultan was pleased and ordered Orban to build an even bigger super gun. Preparation of super gun started. The preparation stage of the supergun was the most interesting. For this, a 27-foot-long structure was prepared with the help of clay and ropes. Orban built two large furnaces of bricks and stones heated to 1,000 degrees. And made a mount of charcoal around them. This mount was so

high that only the furnace's edge could be seen from the top. Still, the heat of the furnaces was so much that it reached the person standing above. When furnaces were ignited, workers gathered in one place calling Allah Allah. In the final days of preparation when tin was to be poured into the furnace. ...the ministers, muftis and sheikhs of the kingdom were called for blessing. Apart from them, no one was allowed to go near the furnaces. So that the new weapon is safe from the evil eye of anyone. Apart from the furnace crew, only 40 people

were present. The scholars and the ministers 100 feet away extolled the greatness of God. The ministers and scholars were asked to put alms of gold and silver in the furnaces. The gold and silver coins given by them were mixed with the burning material. Finally, this furnace produced a 27-foot-long bronze cannon with a 30-inch orifice. It was the same size the Sultan had told Orban. That is, the cannon of the Sultan's will was ready. Now it was time to test it. This cannon was taken out for test firing in January 1453. The people of the city

were warned the day before that there would be such an explosion tomorrow. Which will make it look like the clouds are thundering so be alert and don't worry. It was also preached in the city to try to protect pregnant women from the sound of the explosion. The cannon was brought to the city gate and many people fixed the stone ball in it. Then the gunpowder in the cannon was ignited by a candle. With an ear-splitting explosion, the shell exited the cannon and fell a mile away. A six-foot-deep crater occurred at the place where the shell

fell. The experiment was successful. The explosion was heard for ten miles. The Sultan sent the success news to Constantinople to demoralize... ...the guards and the emperor in that part. After this experience, more cannons were made in Orban's furnace. But none of the subsequent cannons were as large as the Supergun. Their general size was a little over fourteen feet. Orban built more than 60 such cannons. Now there was peace and order in the kingdom and cannons were also ready. Now the Sultan had met both conditions for attacking Constantinople. There was no reason to delay the war.

The Sultan pitched a flag in the courtyard of the palace as per the Turks' custom. It was an announcement that the Sultan was going to start a war. After that nobles through the messengers were asked to reach Ederine with the army. As a mode of war, every noble was asked to bring as many soldiers as possible. The noble was to arrange the weapons, armour and riding of these soldiers. In this way, by the spring of 1453, an army of 200,000 had gathered. Which also included a powerful fleet of 180 warships. Emperor Constantine had made Constantinople

his capital 1000 years ago. It was the irony of history when the army was getting ready to storm the city walls. The name of the emperor at that time was Constantine XI. This last emperor neither had cannons like Sultan Mehmed II nor an army of 200,000. But it is written in both Muslim and non-Muslim books that he was a brave man. He was an emperor who fought till his last breath. But of course, bravery alone could not withstand cannons and large armies. It required real resources. So trusted a lot in such a resource. Neither the

Ottomans' cannons nor an army of 200,000 was a counter to it. What was it that the weakest emperor trusted the most? We will show you this in the next episode. In 1453 this was the greatest city in the world once centre of the Roman Empire. He ruled the territories of Eastern Europe, Turkey, Syria and Egypt. No other city in Europe was more powerful and wealtheir than it. 1000 years ago the world population was about 250 million it had up to 800,000. Orthodox Christians used to pray facing Constantinople. In the 11th century, the crusades started to

protect this city from the Muslims. But today, in 1453, the city itself had about 60,000 people. Most of the city was in ruins. This city presented the ghost of a great empire of the past. ...which was keeping the grandeur in the strong walls. Now, the glory had been surrounded by the Ottoman Empire from all sides. Constantine I, and the last, Constantine XI had 90 emperors 1100 years in between. In 1000 years, the city was besieged 23 times. But no one could conquer it except a crusader army. Now this series was going to end. The war,

awaited by the world Muslims for 700 years, was going to start. I, Faisal Warraich, in DSJ's series Ottoman Empire will show this historic tale. In a war, willpower and essential resources are pivotal. But more important than the two is the Reason. The cause of the war. Sultan Muhammad II had four main reasons for conquering the city. One that Constantinople sheltered his rebel uncle Orhan Celebi with companions. And this was not acceptable to the Ottoman Turks. He wanted to make this grand 'Queen of Cities', the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The third reason was purely commercial.

Being at the conjunction of Europe and Asia, this city was the best route for trade. Every year, 1000 tons of goods from India used to reach Europe through this city. The fourth reason was the religious devotion of the Christians. That by occupation of the city Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire... ...enjoying full religious freedom, were to become more loyal to the Ottomans. There were other reasons for the Ottomans to conquer the city. But for Roman Emperor Constantine XI, there was only one reason to save the city. The city was a legacy of the Roman Empire

that came to it over the millennia. Constantine, a 49-year veteran, stood against 21-year Sultan Mehmed to save it. Ottomans were the superpower of the time, with all resources. On which they could account for waging a great war and sustain it. But Constantine had only one city. That was desolate and ruined with 40,000 inhabitants struggling for their survival. There was not enough money in the treasury to repair the western wall. The bombardment of the last attack had broken its inner part. Altogether he had 8000 soldiers. Among them, only four, five thousand soldiers were from his own

city. The rest were volunteers from as far away as Venice, Geneva and Rome in Italy. So in this situation what Constantine relied on to face the Sultan? It appeared to be a one-sided war but actually, it was not the case. Why so? Constantine XI had many advantages that the Ottoman Turks did not have. Mainly he had to defend not in the open field but behind the protected walls. His soldiers could throw shells, stones, arrows and Greek fire from safe places. The same Greek fire whose fire could not be extinguished even by water. Compared to it,

the enemy could harm his soldiers only after scaling the walls. And this task was almost impossible. There was a logical reason for it. Just look at the structure of these walls. The outermost had a 50-foot wide and 20-foot deep trench to be filled with water. Then three walls in a row and the third one from 36 to 100 feet in height. This last wall stretched for four miles. There was also a 60 feet wide platform between the second and third walls. The city guards on it could rain arrows on the advancing Ottoman army. That is,

a trench, two walls and soldiers shooting arrows from the walls. After passing through all of them could the Turkish army climb onto this platform. Where they can fight the guards. And the defenders also had the option of taking shelter behind the third wall. This strong defence structure would end a huge army struggling to climb. This was the history of the city for centuries. Not walls, but the entire map of the city was designed from a war point of view. Take a look from the outside. This is Constantinople. Above it is the narrow sea passage, the

Bosphorus, the sea. Below is the Sea of ​​Marmara, and Golden Horn above means water on the third side. But this Golden Horn was also the wake point of Constantinople. Crossing this narrow sea leads to the weak part of the walls of Constantinople. But the defenders of the city had come up with a brilliant solution for this too. That is, in April 1453, a 30-ton heavy chain was placed on this narrow seaway. Just like a barrier on a road, this chain was fitted on both sides. At one end the chain had Constantinople and the population of

Galata on the other. Galata was a colony of Geneva and some Genevans came to defend Constantinople. But officially, Geneva remained neutral. Therefore, the Ottomans could not enter Galata to remove the chains. The chain could not be cut as 10 Roman ships stood behind it for protection. Now see this place the Sea of ​​Marmara. After the Golden Horn invasion was possible from here but its sea was ​​rough. That is, the sea was not calm and it became very difficult to handle the ships. Ships could run aground, capsize, or even crash into a reef. That means this

place was also not suitable for attacks. The sea on 3 sides and the most secure walls on one were saving Constantinople. All Constantine had to do now was to stay locked in the city with his army. As the enemy reached exhausted Constantinople walls from Ederine... ...Constantine engaged him in continuous battle until... ...his army is half dead from the intense heat, hunger, thirst and disease. Despite a small army and limited resources, Constantine hoped for victory. These were the city's own security measures. Just wait. The strategic depth was another defence system. That is its relationship with Europe.

If you look at the map, this city looks lonely in the middle of the Turkish Empire. But outside the Ottoman Empire, it was all of Europe. If Pope Nicholas V declared the Crusades, all of Europe could help Constantinople. For it, the Pope had a condition of merging the Orthodox sect of Constantinople... ...into Catholicism and abolishing its separate status. Constantinople also accepted this condition in those days. Cardinal Isidore, for the Pope, reached Constantinople with about 300 archers. On December 12, 1452, two churches united at the church of Hagia Sophia. Now a European crusader army could help

Constantinople, but it didn't happen. Despite Pope's efforts, no European power agreed to go to war against the Ottomans. The reason was that religious fervour had waned greatly in the 15th-century Europe. After the defeats in the crusades during the Sultan's father's reign... ...the Pope no longer had the same influence on Europeans as before. European powers now looked more to their own interests than to religion. Moreover, militarily facing the superpower Ottomans by the Christian states... ...was not like a kids' game. It also meant putting his own state at stake. We have shown the Sultan had peace and

trade pacts with Hungary, Venice, etc. Even Serbia, a tributary of the Sultan, had also sent around 1500 soldiers to his help. But a little help did come to Constantinople from outside. In January 1453, a famous commander from Geneva, Giovani Justiniani... ...reached Constantinople with his 700 soldiers. Constantine, knowing Justiniani's military skills, made him the commander-in-chief. Constantine's army reached 9000, with Justiniani's troops and the papal archers. The Sultan dealt well with the strategic depth of the city. That is, it was neutralized by making agreements with the European powers. How the Sultan tackled Constantinople's army, walls and naval

position? Firstly, the Sultan had 20 soldiers compared to one soldier of the enemy. To breach the Constantinople walls and kill guards on them, he had cannons. A fleet of 180 ships was enough to blockade the city. This is the Bosphorus Strait. In 1451, this was the only route Constantinople had to meet the world. Ships from Geneva and Venice took wheat etc. from Black Sea to Constantinople. In 1452, the Sultan built Rumalihisari, a fort, facing Europe on the Bosphorus. The zealous young Sultan built the fort in just 4 and a half months which still exists. Some

400 soldiers were posted in the fort with cannons. In front of this fort, a fort, Andoluhisan, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus was... ...built by Bayezid I, the great-grandfather of the Sultan, and it exists today. Cannons and the army were deployed in this fort. Now no ship or boat could pass... through the 1/2 mile-wide sea between the two forts, without his permission. A Venetian ship was already sunk by Orban's cannon in Rumalihisari. Two more Venetian ships were seized trying to pass through the same sea. Thus this route was closed to any assistance to Constantinople.

The Sultan's fleet was already guarding the Sea of ​​Marmara, so it was closed too. So is the war going to be one-sided again? The answer is no. The Sultan had everything except that the Emperor of Constantinople had. And it was also a big confidence of Constantine XI. It was time. How? It was hot or cold, no army could stay outside Constantinople for long. March to April was the best for attacking when an army could lay siege till May. An army after that would face heat, thirst and diseases and force to end the siege. So Constantine

might win if he could keep the Ottomans out of the city for 3 months. Constantinople's defence was such that could hold off an army for 3 months. While the Sultan did not have a day more than these three months. Since his large army was to face the problems of food, drink and defecation. A small army could not endure such problems when it was his large army. That too composed of different tribes and under different chiefs. Remember that no army of that era was organized like the modern army of today. Men from tribes, nations, and regions

then formed an army loyal to their chiefs. These chiefs also used to bring people from their regions on this temptation... ...that if the war is won, more booty and slave men and women will come to hand. The chiefs would go back if it did not happen and war or siege prolonged. With all these things in mind, the Sultan left Ederine on Friday, March 23, 1453. The Sultan specially selected Friday as auspicious for his departure. The Sultan was advancing on a horse, with Sayedzades riding on either side of him. A large number of scholars and sheikhs

were also with them. All these people were loudly praying for success. Unlike other armies, this army did not harm the villages and towns on its way. The cannons were at the tail. 60 oxen and 200 men pulled the Supergun. Some units of the army also paved the way for the move forward of the troops. Teams of army engineers had moved to Constantinople before the main army. These teams were repairing roads and bridges on the army's route. High, low and rough roads were being paved for the passage of cannons. The dilapidated roads were concreted by laying

stones. With the army there were not only soldiers but people to do all the necessary work. They were cooks, carpenters, blacksmiths, cobblers, woodworkers... ...tailors, shell makers and coolies. The news of the Sultanate army also reached Constantinople. The Christian religious festival of Easter was about to begin. All hope of help from Europe was gone. The orthodox population of the city had again turned against the Catholic Church. April 1st was Easter Sunday. Every church in Constantinople was packed with worshippers. Prayers were offered to fail the Ottoman army and bells rang loudly. But in the Hagia Sophia there

was no one praying or lighting candles. Because the Catholic Pope could not send a crusader army to help Constantinople. So the Orthodoxs of the city also boycotted Hagia Sophia on Easter. On April 2, a large number of Ottoman forces began to arrive in front of the city. And all the gates of the city were sealed for the last time. The main gate of the city was pulled out long ago and stones were walled there. Bridges on the western wall trench were demolished to bar the Ottomans' way in. The Sultan left on Friday, March 23 and

reached the city on the evening of April 6. He stood on the same Maltipi hill to see the city, his father had once stood. This hill was far from the reach of the enemy's arrows and shells. The towering minarets of Hagia Sophia were clearly visible even from here. The soldiers whispered about getting the huge treasure in the cellars of this church. But, the Sultan, disinterested in it, was carefully examining the enemy defences. He set up his red and gold tent in front of the western wall of the city. His father had pitched his tent 31

years ago. In front of the same hill, by the Romanos Gate, was the wall which the cannons... ...of Murad II had fired upon and had partially breached. And now Constantine could not even repair it due to its poverty. But it was only an inner wall, while the outer wall was intact. The Ottomans would have no bar to enter the city if cannons breached outer wall. In this view, he pitched his tent on this hill to personally supervise this campaign. At the same place in the centre, were his best soldiers, the Janissaries,... ...the archers, the cavalry,

which had surrounded the hill of Maltipi. A trench was dug and fenced around the Sultan's tent and also covered by shields. A supergun was to be put in front of the Sultan's tent but it had not reached yet. Because it was so heavy that those pulling it were left behind by the rest of the army. But among the rest of the guns, only a few light guns had reached. The infantry from Anatolia was placed on the right hand of the Sultan and the army... ...of the vassal states from Europe on the left. The red apple

was in front of the Sultan and his army was confident to get it. But a ship from Venice brought news that caused a stampede in the Ottomans. What was this news? The supergun did not breach the walls of Constantinople then how did it come? An enemy told the Ottomans a way to win that worked. What was that story? We will show in the next episode, a full story of the conquest of Constantinople. Turkish and Urdu similarly say "Where there are red apples, there will be stones." But the Romans had no idea the stones on the

red apple would weigh 600kgs. That is, the stones made of granite will blow the walls of the city like straws. In 1453, the Ottomans pelted stones on Constantinople for red apple in their lap. But then suddenly everything turned upside down. The Ottomans' Spurgun was broken. An Italian ship fell apart the Ottomans and they took a step in chaos... ...that led them to the brink of disaster. I Faisal Warraich in DSJ's series Ottoman Empire will show the story of this war. The four-mile long defensive wall of Constantinople had three sections. The Sultan also lined up his

army in the same order. The most important of these three parts of the wall was the middle one... ...called Lykes Valley and was actually the weakest part of the wall. There was a gate on both sides of this section. St.Romanos Gate was on the right and Hadrian's Gate was on left of Sultan's tent. The Sultan stationed 50,000 soldiers in his command in front of the Lykes Valley. They also included 12000 Janissaries. Sultan stationed 50,000 soldiers on the right side beyond the St. Romanos Gate. It was a Muslim infantry from Anatolia. These were well-trained, well-armoured soldiers.

On the left of the Sultan from the Hadrianople Gate to the Golden Horn... some 100,000 troops were stationed. They were highly disorganized and poorly trained soldiers called Bashi Buzoks They also included the Christian army from Europe. Ahead of the Ottoman army 250 yards from the protective wall of the city... ...a trench was dug by Turkish engineers. It was equal to the length of the entire protective wall ie four miles long. Behind a small wall, pits were dug and cannons were fitted in them. The supergun was placed in front of the Sultan's tent to easily hit

the weakest wall. Against it Constantine spread almost 9000 soldiers on the 4-mile-long western wall. Constantine had only 15 cannons compared to the Sultan's 69 or 70. Moreover, the walls were weakened. If the cannons were placed on them, the walls could be broken by the shocks. So cannons were installed on the wall in the way of an exhibition. There was little risk of attack from the 5-mile-long wall of the Sea of ​​Marmara. Here some soldiers and cannons were installed for surveillance. What remains now is the side wall with the Golden Horn on the third side of

the city. This part was already secured by a chain. Hence, no troops were deployed there. It was the ground forces' position on both sides. Let's have a look at maritime. 180 or 140 Sultan's ships were patrolling from ​​Marmara to the Bosphorus Strait. We have shown that Ottoman ships could not enter the Golden Horn due to chain. While the entire fleet of Constantinople consisted of 20 to 30 ships... ...and stood safe in the harbour of the Golden Horn. But now it and all others had a testing time. Because on April 7, the well-equipped Ottoman army, surrounded

them. A few small skirmishes had also taken place. But it was only net practice. On the night of April 12, Sultan Mehmed came to the supergun. Minutes later, the impact of the first shell shook the walls of Constantinople. Along with the cannons, the catapults also hurled stones across the wall into the city. Many stones also fell on the Royal Palace. 120 shells were fired at Constantinople daily. Weighing from 100 and 600 kgs they would shake ground for miles in the city. In response, the defenders of the wall also decided to fire their cannons. But what

happened was that their biggest cannon exploded as soon as it was fired. Because there were no good experts and proper ammunition to fire the cannons. However, the Romans had to protect. They strengthened the walls by pouring a paste of chalk and brick powder on them. The townspeople emptied quilts and mats and tied them to long wooden sheets... ...and hung them before the walls to absorb the pressure of the shells. But in front of modern and heavy shells, no such trick was working. After a week a large part of the outer wall fell but the Ottomans

had a problem. The supergun would cool down rapidly after fire which caused its barrel to break. Hot oil had to be poured over it to prevent it from cooling too quickly. Due to this problem, the supergun could only fire seven times a day. Other cannons had similar problems. Due to which firing had to be stopped repeatedly. But this interval was a great blessing for the people of Constantinople. During this time, thousands of Romans used to repair the walls together. They repaired wall near St. Romanos Gate fencing it with stones, bricks and bushes. In some other

weak places the walls were also repaired with mud and sand. On April 18, the Ottomans tried to enter the city through a similar weak point. But due to the rain, the mud wall was very slippery here. Due to which the Ottoman army could not climb up. Anyway, the Roman army was raining arrows, stones and bullets from the height. So the Ottomans had to retreat. 200 Ottoman soldiers lost their lives in this attack. The attempt to enter the city and open the gate failed. Another tragedy happened with the Ottoman army. In the early days of the

war, the supergun, Sultan's main hope, exploded while firing. The cannon exploded, and the gunners and soldiers around were also killed. Orban was one of those killed. Engineer Orban. It was a great loss, an irreparable loss. But here was no time to build a new supergun anyway. So a native solution was found to restore the barrel by putting iron rings around it. This hit-and-miss worked temporarily and the cannon fired but broke again. The Sultan was very angry but it was no remedy to restore the barrel so of no avail. Sultan and his teammates used minds and

kept the supergun able to fire for a while. But wait, there was one more super blow. You know the Sultan had peace with European countries, Hungary, Venice, etc. The Sultan unconcerned with these powers was besieging Constantinople. So suddenly a European empire, Hungary, broke the peace treaty with the Ottomans. It was no longer neutral but could come to Constantinople's aid with an army. And remember that Hungary was a powerful empire. On the other hand, Geneva also ordered its citizens to help Constantinople. They pressed the Ottomans to the earliest conquer of the city or go back. But

surprisingly, the Ottomans got a huge help from an enemy at the same time. The Hungarian messenger unknowingly told the Turks an important matter. When he saw the Turks firing cannons, he laughed at their inexperience. He told the Turks the mistake of repeatedly targeting one spot of the wall. The correct formula for breaking a wall is to aim at three marks in a triangle. The formula easily came to the hands of the Turks. They did so and the destruction of the wall accelerated. But on the other hand, help also came from the seas for Constantinople. Along

with the land front, the naval front had also heated up. On April 18, the Turkish fleet, under Admiral Suleiman Baltoglu,... ...made the first attack on the Golden Horn. The Ottomans shelled enemy ships guarding the chain and tried to hold them. But Constantinople's ships were much larger unaffected by small bullets. Their defenders repelled the Ottomans showering arrows from their tall ships. 2 days later, on April 20, the Ottoman fleet faced three Genevan ships in​ Marmara. These ships were sent by Pope Nicholas V. They were loaded with soldiers, weapons and food for Constantinople. They were accompanied by

a merchant ship from Constantinople. The Sultan was then sitting in his tent two miles from the coast. When he heard about the arrival of these ships, he rushed to the shore. He sent a stern message to his fleet commander, “You capture these ships... and bring them to me or do not return alive." The sultan anxious that he repeatedly drove his horse into the water. He was encouraging his soldiers by shouting loudly. But enemy ships much larger in size than the Ottomans' again become a problem. Shelling and arrows were not affecting them at all. After fighting

for 3 hours and heavy casualties, the Ottoman fleet retreated. The Constantinos removing the chain brought the four relief ships... ...into the Golden Horn and levelled the chain again. You know that the greatest weapon that Constantine had was time. So with the arrival of this help, they had more wealth of time. They were able to withstand the siege longer. Now the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II was justified in getting angry. He arrived at the headquarters of his fleet with 10,000 soldiers. He gave Admiral Suleiman Baltoglu 100lashes, confiscated his property and... dismissed him and made Hamza Bey the

new admiral. To win the war the Ottoman army was to reach the ships to the Golden Horn. Sultan Mehmed had read naval history very closely. He knew many times in history ships had to be towed over land routes. However, just 250 years ago, Sultan Saladin Ayubi had done the same. He had pulled the boats out of the Nile and dragged them on land into the Red Sea. While the Europeans and the Viking Kings had also done this in history. So the Sultan also decided to land his ships by land at the Golden Horn. He built

a road of wooden planks about 1.5 long from Galata to the Golden Horn. There was also a hill, 200 feet high, in the way of this road. On this road, wooden wheels were placed and greased with animal fat. Then, with pullies, small ships were lifted from the sea and placed on these wheels. Hundreds of men and oxen pulled the ships and skipped chain into Golden Horn. The ships landed at the Golden Horn, breaking a stronghold of Constantinople. As the Ottoman fleet reached the Golden Horn, Constantinople was in chaos. Hundreds sent soldiers and archers from western

walls were sent to Golden Horn. This transition further weakened the defences of the Western Wall. Defenders wanted to remove the Ottoman fleet from Golden Horn to save the city. So on April 28, 5 Constantinople ships and small boats attacked the Ottoman fleet. They also tried to burn Ottoman ships with Greek fire. But this attack was not successful. Rather, an attack boat was completely destroyed and the other became useless. One Ottomans' boat was also destroyed but the rest of the fleet was safe. As the naval battle intensified, the war on land also intensified. By May 7,

the Ottomans had launched two more major attacks on the city wall. But it was not possible to climb the wall. The Ottomans also used wooden towers. Through which the soldiers were to be landed on the wall. But this also failed. Because they were burned by the Romans with Greek fire. Defenders also released water in the caves the Ottomans had dug to lay mines. That is, they were also ineffective. The Ottoman army was once again disorganized. Moreover, a ship from Venice was coming towards Constantinople. On May 23, a Venetian ship arrived in Constantinople which changed the

course. This ship was due to tell the townspeople about no European aid to them. Since the Ottomans' treaties with the European countries were broken... ...they thought the army had arrived from Hungary. The Ottoman learned about a crusader army led by a Hungarian general at Thrace. The target of which will now be the Ottoman capital of Ederine. In their opinion, this ship of Venice is actually a part of the same Crusader army. This rumour was a nightmare for the besieged army. The chieftains with the Sultan also lost hope of victory from this rumour. In such a

situation, the Sultan, like a leader, found a way to give hope to his army. He assembled ministers and commanders before a red apple put on a carpet. Then he said, "Which of you can lift it without putting your feet on the carpet?" Everyone remained silent and no one stepped forward. Then the Sultan himself stepped forward and began to roll the carpet. Wrapping the carpet, he came to the apple and picked it up. He rolled out the carpet to indicate conquest of the city was not far off. For this the Sultan and his advisors decided to

launch a final assualt. If the city is conquered in this attack, then the siege will be lifted. On May 26, 1453, before the attack, Sultan Mehmed tried a psychological tactic. He ordered for lighting of two large bonfires in front of each tent at night. Soldiers will play military band till midnight and slogans will be raised. On the first night, the bonfires created a long streak of light. The beating of the bands scared the Crusaders who put Crosses on the chests. This happened continuously for three nights from 26th to 28th May. On the night of May

27, Christians in the Sultan's army warned the townspeople. They threw warning messages into the city tied to arrows. They read, "Be prepared, the Ottomans are about to make a decisive attack." From May 26 to 28, the Ottoman cannons heavily shelled the wall day and night. The Spurgun fired but the other guns did blow off the walls in several places. The Sultan moved in the army announcing reward to brave and punish the timid. Western writers say the sultan had sworn to his chiefs if the city was conquered... ...soldiers will plunder the city for 3 days and

get slaves and maids as per custom. He also told his chiefs that the city has piles of treasure, beautiful women... ...magnificent houses and gardens and all these are for them. Muslim writers do not say that the Sultan gave any such lure to his soldiers. On May 28, the entire Muslim army fasted and spent the whole day in worship. In Constantinople, the priests moved in the city with holy signs and crosses. At the Western Wall, they predicted victory for the defenders and sprinkled holy water. All this was happening when 5000 shells had been fired at the

walls of the city. Now it was the time for attack, and also the worst news of rain for the besiegers. During the night the Sultan ordered all the army and fleet to attack the city at once. But actually, these attacks were just a show to distract the guards. The main attack was to be in the centre of the western wall, near the Romanos Gate... ...where most of the wall had already come down. Only a fence of mud and stones was left here. Sultan Romanos was standing near the gate. At 1:30 of the night, the Sultan

ordered his disorganized army to attack the wall. At the drum beat, thousands of soldiers crossed the trench and broke the fence. The defenders of Constantinople, under Justiniani, put up a vigorous resistance. They rained stones, Greek fire and arrows on the Ottomans and killed thousands. There was a terrible battle for two hours. The Sultan had stationed military police behind this disorganized army. And behind them stood the Janissaries. A soldier who ran away was beaten and pushed back into the battle. The Janissaries standing behind would kill the soldier who broke the police cordon. So these disorganized soldiers

fought till the last minute. Two hours later, at 3:30 in the night, the defenders of the city exhausted. Then the Sultan ordered the fresh right-wing Anatolian infantry to attack. This infantry advanced undercover the shields but faced arrows and stones. Then the defenders of the city threw Greek fire and burned them. The defenders also opened fire with small cannons. All this cost the lives of hundreds of infantry soldiers. Now the Sultan had no choice but to open fire on the defenders with cannons. Shelling of the Sultan's cannons might endanger lives of the Ottoman soldiers. But Sultan

was forced to take this risk. So he ordered his artillery to fire heavily on the fence. The bombardment on the fence began. This strategy was successful. A large shell fell and a part of the fence was blown away. A large gap was created through which 300 infantry soldiers entered the city. But the Roman defenders were also active. They stopped advancement of 300 soldiers and pushed them out of the city. This terrible fight lasted for two hours. But the infantry could not win. At 5:30 in the morning, the Sultan also called back this army. The Sultan's

army was badly tired in the attacks. Now only 12,000 Janissaries and 5,000 other soldiers were in hands. Only 17000 troops were safe and fresh and the rest were tired from the attacks. The Sultan did not want to give the city's defenders a chance to rest. So he ordered this last part of his army to attack instantly. The Sultan knew ordering the fresh army to attack was a huge gamble. His success depended on this last attack, the failure of which was to retreat him. The attack was led by the Janissaries. They attacked vigorously. But the exhausted

defenders of the city resisted the Janissaries. Apparently, there was no hope of victory. At the peak of this historic war, the Ottomans got an unexpected victory. A secret Circus Door was at the bottom of the western wall of the city. This gate was used by the defenders of the city to raid the Ottoman camp. On May 28th night, some Roman guards used this gate but forgot to close it. A Turkish soldier saw this scene. Then 50 Turk soldiers entered the city wall, tore the Crusader flags and hoisted theirs. Meanwhile, commander Justiniani of the defenders on

the other western dressed... ...like hero Achilles, got further wounded during the night's fighting. He was no longer able to fight. Given his bad condition, the Emperor gave him secret gate's key for escape. Hundreds also moved out with Justiniani and left the wall. Departure of Justiniani and his comrades greatly weakened the defence of the wall. Agha Hasan of the Janissaries with 30 others climbed the fence... ...and hoisted the Ottoman flag on the fence. Although Hasan and his 18 companions were killed in the fight. But, the Ottoman flag on the fence was visible to the Roman citizens

inside. At 7am on May 29, the Ottomans after 1000 years, conqured Constantinople. The red apple fell in their lap. The Janissaries had entered the city. Seeing them, tired Ottoman army outside the city had a fresh spirit. They also started entered the city behind the Janissaries. In 10 minutes 30,000 soldiers reached the inner wall of the city opening its gates. The defenders of the city were running around for their lives. 700 years long wait was over. But the problem was to keep the city safe and peaceful. But factually, the conquerors of the city still had to

fight among themselves. What story it was? Why are some Christians still hoping for the victory of Constantinople? Who is alive within the walls of Constantinople? And yes, what happened to the last Roman emperor, Constantine XI? Which treasure was found in the basements of Hagia Sophia? This will be shown in the next and final episode of the Ottoman Empire S1. All the concepts of doomsday are common that it will bring total destruction. After which a new world and era will take place. A similar belief existed among Christians in Anatolia and Europe in the 15th century. That,

the snatching of Constantinople from Christians is the start of doomsday. On May 29, 1453 people of Constantinople thought that Day had come. The city was falling apart and the sultan outside it was waiting for its end so that he... ...could order peace and order to usher in a new era in the city. He was looking beyond this destruction at a time when Constantinople was... ...to become a great city of the world under the name of Istanbul. I, Faisal Warraich in DSJ's Ottoman Empire S1's last episode will show you all this. It was an old tradition

to plunder a conquered by the conquerors for 3 days. After Constantinople was conquered the Sultan was bound to give his soldiers 3 days'... ...of free hand to plunder as per the promise he once made. Therefore, as soon as the city was conquered, looting started. But it is human nature that he does not give up hope even in despair. The people of Constantinople knew their city had been conquered by the Ottomans. But they were still waiting for a miracle. Hundreds of people from the city ran to the Hagia Sophia. The same Hagia Sophia they had boycotted

Easter Sunday few weeks ago. Now thousands of people were running for refuge towards the Hagia Sophia. For hundreds of years, a story was popular that when the enemy would enter... ...the city and reach the Pillar of Constantine... ...half a kilometre away from Hagia Sophia, an angel will appear. He will have a sword in his hand and defenders of the city will take spirit from... ...him and again face the conquerors and drive them to drive them out. According to the story, since the angel had to appear near the Hagia Sophia. So hundreds of priests, men, women

and children gathered in Hagia Sophia... ...and lit candles and prayed for a miracle. The dome of this church had collapsed three times due to earthquakes. Every Roman emperor was crowned in this church. But today, there was not the joy of coronation, but the cry to save the city. But something else happened before the miracle. Not a miracle, but an explosion. Suddenly, the main door reserved for the emperor's entry had a terrible sound. Some Christians may think that angels have come to help. It was not the angel, but the entrance of the Sultan's best force, the

Janissaries. Janissaries smashed open the 4-inch thick door with axes and entered the church. The Janissaries enslaved a priest, a woman, and a child present there. After that, they plundered the church to their satisfaction. Crosses studded with gold, silver and diamonds and the frames of precious... ...pictures installed there were uprooted. All the furniture, the chair for sitting of the emperor and everything was looted. But now the soldiers had another important task to do. It was to unearth the treasure hidden in the basements of Hagia Sophia... ...stories they were told by the Sultan and others, especially during

the siege. And for the desire of which he had fought to the death. The soldiers searched the entire basement but found nothing but a grave. This tomb belonged to a Venetian politician. When it was dug out, the soldiers jumped in surprise. There was no treasure in the tomb, just a collection of a handful of bones. After hard work and sacrifices this structure instead of the treasure,... ...irritated the Janissaries so they took out the structure and threw it on the road. Western historians narrate this story but Muslims mention it nowhere. Dr. Uzair writes the Turks massacred

after victory, but when the people of the city... ...did not resist, they began to collect booty. All Muslim and non-Muslim historians agree the Sultan did not want... ...the destruction of the buildings of the city. The superstitious Greeks also had a story after the attack on Hagia Sophia. The story that when the Janissaries attacked the Hagia Sophia, the priests... ...came to a wall carrying all the crosses and other relics. That wall opened from the middle. A path was created. From where these people went inside. The wall met again. The Greeks believed these priests were still alive

on the other side of this wall. The day a Christian king conquers Constantinople... ...and rebuilds Saint Hagia Sophia as a cathedral... ...the wall will open again and the priests will return to the real world. In Hagia Sophia, things were settled without bloodshed, but in the rest... ...of the city, the situation was not good and bloodletting increased. In some parts, people were fighting the Turkish soldiers with bricks and Greek fire. While in some places, small factions of the Ottoman army were fighting within. These clashes started over the issue of making slaves and concubines. Every soldier desired

healthy and beautiful boys and girls to sell them at a high price. In this attempt, the soldiers quarreled among themselves. The soldiers had drawn their swords on this issue. A new bloodbath took the lives of many Ottomans who fought among themselves. Finally, the commanders intervened and appeased them. After discussion among soldiers and officers, a formula was settled. That is, any soldier who goes to loot a house will plant a flag outside that house. This will be a sign that no one else has the right to rob this house. On the third day, after many supplications,

this bloodshed and looting ended. Most of the men, women and children were tied and taken to Turkish tents. Interestingly, the Muslims were getting booty and slaves under their law. But the Christians in the Ottoman army were also doing the same. They looted and enslaved the citizens. But. Was the city really conquered? Surprisingly the city was not yet completely conquered. In some parts of the city, Christian fighters were determined to fight to the last breath. These people could not win, apparently death sooner or later was their destiny. To end the war, Sultan Mehmed offered them peace

if laid down the arms. They laid down the weapons and the Sultan fulfilled the promise and they... ...were not harmed by the Ottoman army on their way back. These people left the city and boarded Italian ships to Europe. But there were 15 unmanned ships standing in the port of the city. These ships were packed with passengers. The Ottoman army captured all these ships and enslaved the passengers. Enslaving civilians has been controversial in history to date for lack of evidence. A Western historian Stanford Shaw writes a majority population of the city... ...had left the city due

to the fear of the Ottomans. That is, they were not enslaved. The city was conquered, and the resistance was also over, and the city... ...was under the control of the Ottoman Turks. However, Sultan Mehmed was searching for 4 persons as the need of time. They were Roman Emperor Constantine XI, Sultan's uncle Orhan Celebi... ...who was a traitor to the Ottomans. The papal representative Cardinal Isidore who had come with 300 archers... ...and the fourth was Justiniani, the commander of the city defenders. Meanwhile, a severed head was brought to the Sultan, which some confirmed... ..to be that

of Constantine XI, the Emperor of Constantinople. So the head was impaled on a spear and mounted on the pillar of the red apple... ...statue before the Hagia Sophia to tell all the Roman emperor was dead. No one in the West believes Constantine's body was found and was beheaded. Because his grave is one of the known lost ones in history. Whether or not it was Constantine's head, the Sultan was satisfied he was dead. Muslim historians also when the Janissaries entered the city, Constantine... ...threw off his precious robes and died fighting. Second in the Sultan's list after

Constantine was Orhan Celebi. As long as he lived, the threat of a civil war to claim the Ottomons existed. Orhan might have escaped but he was spotted by the Ottomans at ​​Marmara sea. Orhan ran for his life but was surrounded by soldiers. When he saw no escape, he jumped down from the high wall. When the soldiers came near to see him, he was found dead. Soldiers cut his head and it was taken to the Sultan. This enemy was also killed. The third enemy was Cardinal Isidore. Scared of arrest, he put his costly clothes on a

body and wore its bloodstained. And took to the seashore. On the way, the Turk soldiers stopped him but they could not identify him. They were ordered not to let this old man leave so they imagined him commoner... ...who was not even worthy of a slave for not having any market value. They might have killed him for nothing, but Isidore had some money. He gave them the money and the soldiers left him out of pity. Isidore Cardinal managed to reach an Italian ship outside the city and escaped. In this way, this third enemy escaped alive. The

fourth enemy of the Sultan was the warrior chief Justiniani. Justiniani was a big hope for defenders of Constantinople after the Emperor. He fought very bravely which was also acknowledged by the Ottoman army. Justiniani was wounded in the last battle before the Ottomans captured the city. His companions took him to the same ship which had brought him from Geneva. Justiniani lay wounded in the same ship when the Ottoman army entered the city. His comrades had been killed in battle with the Ottomans. But some companions arrived on their ship and steered it away from the harbour. Justiniani

could not be apprehended but succumbed to war wounds soon. And on June 1, 1453, he also died. His companions took his body to Greece and buried him in Chios island. Thus, three of the four most wanted men of the Sultan were killed and one escaped. Apart from these four, one enemy of Sultan Muhammad Fateh was left. He was inside the house and the Sultan wanted to get rid of him. It was Halil Pasha, the Sultan's prime minister, who had dismissed the idea of... ​​ ...conquering Constantinople as the folly of a fanatical youth. Halil Pasha was

beheaded two days after the conquest of Constantinople. Now the city was conquered, the sultan's enemies had been killed or fled. The 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed Fatih was now the master of the most coveted city. The city Muslims waited for 7 centuries had been conquered. The good news of which was given by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH). At daybreak, the Sultan entered the city. He arrived in front of Hagia Sophia, got off his horse, picked up some earth... ...from the ground and put it on his turban. It was an expression of his humility before God. He

entered the building. Azan was called and the church was declared a mosque. Along with the announcement, it was given the new name Aya Sofia. Meanwhile, the Sultan saw a soldier breaking the floor of the building. The Sultan stopped him and the city and its buildings are mine, do not harm them. The Sultan converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, but another... ...important the Church of the Holy Apostles, was not made a mosque. On June 1, the Sultan decreed to restore peace and order in the city and asked... ...those who fled the city to return and

they would be given peace. The Sultan also freed George Scholarius, a revered priest, and appointed him... ...the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians. Now the Orthodox Church had come under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed Fatih. While Galata, a colony of Geneva located next to Constantinople, also surrendered. Hence this whole area was included in the Ottoman Empire. The loss of Constantinople was a big blow to the old beliefs of European Christians. They were not able to digest it. This was unbelievable and unacceptable to them. But now they had no choice but to mourn and this mourning

was held publicly. The Christian spiritual leader twice tried to regain power over Constantinople. Pope Nicholas V declared the Crusades but Europe did not respond positively. The 2nd attempt came from the Pope who invited the Turks to accept Christianity. Obviously, this attempt also failed. Sultan Mehmed declared Constantinople the new capital of the empire. On June 2, Friday prayers were offered at the Aya Sophia, and... ...the Sultan gave the city a new name, Islam Bol. Which meant the city of Islam. But this name did not become popular and an old name continued to be used... ...in Turkish

language. This name was Istanbul. As per historian Philip Mansel, the Greek term for inner city, "eis teen teen polin",... ...was fabricated In Turkey, as ``Istanbul.'' Turks of Anatolia called Constantinople Istanbul even prior to the conquest. Some believe Istanbul is made by corrupting Islam Bol, but it is not correct. The most likely Muslims cannot distort the word Islam which is pronounced... ...the same in the whole Islamic world. Therefore, there is little chance of Islam Bol becoming Istanbul. The victory of Constantinople changed the sovereignty, nature and population of city. Because the Sultan once again wanted to make

it a vibrant world city. On his order, talented people from all over the world especially from... ...nook and corner of the Ottoman Empire were brought and settled in the city. They included people of all religions including Christians. Sultan Mehmed Fatih granted religious freedom to all of them. No one was forcibly converted or prevented from practising his religion. The first season of The Ottoman Empire has been completed. We showed the complete story of an anonymous tribe of Turks, the Ottoman... ...Turks, from a small group to a superpower empire. Season 2 will show you from the fall

of the Ottoman Empire to modern Turkey. Tell us in the comments how did you like this series of Dekho Suno Jano? Click here to see why Socrates drank the cup of poison instead of exile? See here the story of the last moments of Bhutto's last son. Here is the interesting and complete Biography of Muhammad Ali Boxer. Do like and subscribe Dekho Suno Jano.