Title: Why was the capture of Constantinople in 1453 significant for both the Ottoman Turks and Europeans? - eNotes.com
Headings: Why was the capture of Constantinople in 1453 significant for both the Ottoman Turks and Europeans?
History
Why was the capture of Constantinople in 1453 significant for both the Ottoman Turks and Europeans?
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Constantinople was founded by Constantine to serve as a new imperial capital for the Roman Empire, and it would remain one of the great cities in Europe across the Middle Ages, long after the Western Half of the Roman Empire fell. Constantinople was the center of the Byzantine Empire, and even as the empire itself disintegrated, the city of Constantinople continued to endure until the Ottoman conquest of 1453. This was one of the defining moments of Early Modern History. Constantinople was converted into a new Ottoman capital, Istanbul. The final conquest of the Byzantine Empire did much to consolidate the Ottoman Empire, and set the stage for later expansion further into Europe. Throughout the Early Modern Era, the Ottomans would represent a critical force in European politics. With the loss of Constantinople, Christendom lost one of its critical pillars (especially within the Eastern Orthodox tradition).