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This week in Christian history: Constantinople falls, Sojourner Truth becomes a preacher

By Michael Gryboski, Editor

Constantinople falls to Muslim invaders – May 29, 1453

Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II enters Constantinople in 1453 after conquering the city, as depicted by the painter Fausto Zonaro (1854-1929).
Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II enters Constantinople in 1453 after conquering the city, as depicted by the painter Fausto Zonaro (1854-1929). | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Constantinople, the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire, was taken by the Islamic Ottoman Empire after weeks of siege.

Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottomans conquered the city that was not only the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire, but also a prominent seat of Orthodox Christian authority.

The cathedral of Hagia Sophia, a prominent symbol of the Orthodox Church that stands to the present day, was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman conquerors.

“A devastating blow to Christendom, the loss of Constantinople led Pope Nicholas to call for an immediate crusade to recover the city,” explained the Greek City Times in 2019.

“Despite his pleas, no Western monarch stepped forward to lead the effort. A turning point in Western history, the Fall of Constantinople is seen as the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance.”

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