When did the Roman Empire fall? Many people who studied this question in school will name a year in the 5th century, refer to barbarian hordes invading the empire and finish by saying that this was the start of the Dark ages. This is a highly Western-centered view of history which I would like to debunk another time. Today I will look at the moment when the Roman Empire really fell and why this was significant. 

On this day in 1453 Ottoman forces, led by Sultan Mehmed II, conquered Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) which ended the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantie empire was the continuation of the (Eastern) Roman Empire. The people living there called themselves Romans and the name Byzantine was given to the empire later by historians to avoid confusion with their narrative of the Roman empire falling in the 5th century. 

Therefore, the Roman empire empire really fell in 1453, around 1000 years after its Western part. It's often seen as a significant moment in (Western) history for a couple of reasons. 

1) Effect on Renaissance and Scientific Revolution 

The fall of Constantinople paved the way for the Scientific revolution and fuelled the Renaissance as many Byzantine scholars and artisans moved/fled to Italy taking their copies of Ancient scientific texts, knowledge and skills with them. Together with the invention of the printing press, renaissance thought and the reformation this formed the foundation for the 16th century scientific revolution. 

2) Rise of the Ottoman Empire

The conquest of Constantinople marked the rise of the Ottoman Empire as a great power. They would expand further into the Balkans and were eventually stopped at the gates of Vienna in 1683. The Ottoman empire remained an important power in South Eastern Europe and the Middle East until its fall after World War 1. 

3) End of the Middle Ages?

The fall of Constantinople is sometimes seen as the end of the Middle Ages as it signalled the rise of (early) modern states such as the Ottoman empire and also marked the transition to modern warfare as gunpowder played a massive role in the successful siege which only lasted for 2 months.  

Originally posted on Instagram on May 29, 2021