The Morean (Peloponnesian) fortress of Mystras, where Constantine's brothers Thomas and Demetrius ruled, constantly in conflict with each other and knowing that Mehmed would eventually invade them as well, held out until 1460. Long before the fall of Constantinople, Demetrius had fought for the throne with Thomas, Constantine, and their other brothers John and Theodore. Thomas escaped to Rome when the Ottomans invaded Morea while Demetrius expected to rule a puppet state, but instead was imprisoned and remained there for the rest of his life. In Rome, Thomas and his family received some monetary support from the Pope and other Western rulers as Byzantine emperor in exile, until 1503. In 1461, the independent Byzantine state in Trebizon fell to Mehmed.

Constantine had died without producing an heir, and had Constantinople not fallen he likely would have been succeeded by the sons of his deceased elder brother, who were taken into the palace service of Mehmed after the fall of Constantinople. The oldest boy, renamed Murad, became a personal favourite of Mehmed and served as Beylerbey (Governor-General) of Rumeli (the Balkans). The younger son, renamed Mesih Pasha, became Admiral of the Ottoman fleet and Sancak Beg (Governor) of the province of Gallipoli. He eventually served twice as Grand Vizier under Mehmed's son, Bayezid II.

The news spread rapidly across the Islamic world. In Egypt "good tidings were proclaimed, and Cairo decorated" to celebrate "this greatest of conquests." The Sharif of Mecca wrote to Mehmed, calling the Sultan "the one who has aided Islam and the Muslims, the Sultan of all kings and sultans". The fact that Constantinople, which was long "known for being indomitable in the eyes of all," as the Sharif of Mecca said, had fallen and that Muhammad's prophecy came true shocked the Islamic world and filled it with a great jubilation and rapture.

Third Rome

thumb|Mehmed II by [[Gentile Bellini]]

Byzantium is a term used by modern historians to refer to the later Roman Empire. In its own time, the Empire ruled from Constantinople (or "New Rome) and was simply considered as "the Roman Empire." The fall of Constantinople led competing factions to lay claim to being the inheritors of the Imperial mantle. Russian claims to Byzantine heritage clashed with those of the Ottoman Empire's own claim. In Mehmed's view, he was the successor to the Roman Emperor, declaring himself Kayser-i Rum, literally "Caesar of the Romans", that is, of the Roman Empire, though he was remembered as "the Conqueror".

Stefan Dušan, Tsar of Serbia, and Ivan Alexander, Tsar of Bulgaria, both made similar claims, regarding themselves as legitimate heirs to the Roman Empire . Other potential claimants, such as the Republic of Venice and the Holy Roman Empire, have disintegrated into history.

Legacy

thumb|Siege of Constantinople on a mural at the [[Moldovița Monastery in Romania, painted in 1537]]

Legends

There are many legends in Greece surrounding the Fall of Constantinople. It was said that the partial lunar eclipse that occurred on 22 May 1453 represented a fulfilment of a prophecy of the city's demise.

</references>

Books

<!-- A -->

<!-- B -->

<!-- C -->

<!-- D -->

<!-- E -->

<!-- F -->

<!-- G -->

<!-- H -->

<!-- I -->

<!-- J -->

<!-- K -->

<!-- L -->

<!-- M -->

<!-- N -->

<!-- O -->

<!-- P -->

<!-- Q -->

<!-- R -->

<!-- S -->

<!-- T -->

<!-- U -->

<!-- V -->

<!-- W -->

<!-- X -->

<!-- Y -->

<!-- Z -->

Journal articles

Websites

Further reading

  • Babinger, Franz (1992): Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time. Princeton University Press. .
  • Fletcher, Richard A.: The Cross and the Crescent (2005) Penguin Group .
  • Harris, Jonathan (2007): Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium. Hambledon/Continuum. .
  • Harris, Jonathan (2010): The End of Byzantium. Yale University Press. .
  • Novo, Andrew, Queen of Cities, Seattle, Coffeetown Press, 2010.
  • Philippides, Marios and Walter K. Hanak, The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, Ashgate, Farnham and Burlington 2011.
  • Smith, Michael Llewellyn, "The Fall of Constantinople", in History Makers magazine No. 5 (London, Marshall Cavendish, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1969) p.&nbsp;192.
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew (2003): The Infidels: The Conflict Between Christendom and Islam, 638–2002. Viking Publishing .
  • Wintle, Justin (2003): The Rough Guide History of Islam. Rough Guides. .
  • [Siege_of_Constantinople_(1453) The Siege of Constantinople As The Islamic World Sees it]
  • World History Encyclopedia – 1453: The Fall of Constantinople
  • Constantinople Siege & Fall, BBC Radio 4 discussion with Roger Crowley, Judith Herrin & Colin Imber (In Our Time, 28 December 2006).