The Fall of Constantinople

The city of Constantinople was long regarded as one of the most important cities in the medieval world, and although it and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire had been in a long period of decline, the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Muslims was a key point in history. Always fascinated with the Mediterranean world, Roger Crowley’s frequent travels served to make him even more enthusiastic about the cultures around that area. The city of Istanbul especially enthralled the avid historian, and Crowley’s journeys inspired him to write about one of the most significant events in the history of this magnificent city, the Muslim takeover in 1453. The Cambridge University graduate tackles the story of the fall of Constantinople in his appropriately titled book 1453. He uses a vivid, interesting writing style and has received positive reviews from many sources. Noel Malcolm of the Sunday Telegraph calls Crowley’s work “A powerful telling of an extraordinary story, presented with clarity and a confidence that most academic historians would envy.” Another reviewer, Michael Standaert of the Los Angeles Times says that: “Crowley’s fascinating account of the years leading up to and the final sacking of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire reads more like lively fiction than dry recounting of historical events.”1 1453 was almost unanimously well received by reviewers, and for good reason.

Crowley says the reason he wrote his book was based on his fascination with the city of Constantinople, and as he was living in modern day Istanbul he says that he saw “two abiding images from Turkish history pinned to teashop walls. In pride of place Kemal Attaturk – the man who broke the Ottoman Istanbul, its sultans, fezzes and harems ...

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...n insightful glimpse into the individuals and people groups at play during this momentous event in history. I also appreciated the glimpse into the conflicting cultures and religions that 1453 gave, and the tactical insights it gave into the warfare of the time. Overall, 1453 is an engaging, informative read that gives the reader a better understanding of the fall of Constantinople and truly is narrative history at its most entertaining.

Works Cited

"Constantinople/1453." Roger Crowley. http://www.rogercrowley.co.uk/const_why.htm (accessed April 29, 2014).

Crowley, Roger. "Roger Crowley - Narrative history at its most enthralling." Roger Crowley - Narrative history at its most enthralling. http://www.rogercrowley.co.uk (accessed April 28, 2014).

Crowley, Roger. 1453: the holy war for Constantinople and the clash of Islam and the West. New York: Hyperion, 2005.