BYZANTIUM CHRONICLES: Fall Of Constantinople
MEHMED II Mehmed III was born on the 30th of march, 1432 in the capital city of the Ottoman empire. His father was Sultan Murad II (1404-1451). His father abdicated the throne to him between July 1444 and August 1444 when he was just 12 years old. The people and leaders of Constantinople celebrated his ascension to the throne, they believed a 19 year old Sultan will lead the Ottomans astray. OTTOMAN PREPARATIONS By early 1452, Mehmed II started the construction of a second fortress ( Rumeli Hisari) on the European side of the Bosporus. This fortress stood directly across the strait from the fortress built by his grandfather Bayezid I (Anadolu Hisari). This pair of fortresses ensured complete Ottoman control of the sea traffic at the Bosporus. In October, Mehmed II ordered Turakhan Beg, a top military commander, to station a large garrison in the Peloponnese to block Thomas and Demetrois, who were relatives of Constantine XI from sending him aid during the siege. He also ordered m...