The Fall of Constantinople in 1453 Ended the European Middle Ages and Sealed the Rise of the Ottomans
History Unplugged Podcast
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The Battle of Constantinople
Mehmet wanted to have two forts on either side of the Bosphorus, so that ships could go back and forth. Each was capable of firing a stone cannonball 600 pounds in weight. Mehmet then ordered Urban to make for him at the foundry at Adirneh another cannon twice as large. This monster weapon measured more than 26 feet in length and 8 inches diameter. The fuse was fired from near the Sultan's new palace while the ball sped 10 miles away. He was determined to finally destroy the walls of Constantinople, which had repelled sieges over a thousand years.
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