What do you think?
Rate this book
1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople
A detailed account of the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, a watershed year that closed the book, once and for all, on the Roman Empire and confirmed for Europeans their worst fears about an expanding Ottoman Empire.
Anthony Kaldellis offers a new narrative of the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, a watershed year that closed the book, once and for all, on the Roman Empire and confirmed for Europeans their worst fears about an expanding Ottoman Empire.
By the fifteenth century, Constantinople had seen better days, but it was still a vibrant center of learning, worship, commerce, and information. 1453 sketches the tense but exciting shared world of Italians, Turks, and Romans that was thrown into crisis by Mehmed II's decision to conquer the city. Kaldellis showcases a detailed reconstruction following events on a day-by-day basis, pulling from gripping eye-witness testimonies in Latin, Italian, Greek, Russian, and Turkish. He weighs the strategies of both the attackers and defenders, and proves that, contrary to the fatalism that marks almost all narratives written with hindsight, in reality the defense was hardly a lost cause. The defenders knew exactly what they were doing. They were willing to risk their lives, but it was not their intention to become martyrs. Instead, it was the sultan who was scrambling to neutralize a seemingly impregnable defense. That he did so was a testament to his ingenuity and tenacity.
The final chapters of 1453 trace the fate of the vanquished and their captivity. It also weighs the impact of the city's fall on the conquerors, the conquered, and on world history. 1453 was not merely a symbol for the passing of the Middle Ages and the onset of early modernity: it changed the very nature of the Ottoman empire and redirected the transmission of cultural legacies, especially those of Greek classical scholarship. The fall of Constantinople is therefore a nexus of converging pathways between east and west, medieval and modern, ends and beginnings.
Anthony Kaldellis offers a new narrative of the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, a watershed year that closed the book, once and for all, on the Roman Empire and confirmed for Europeans their worst fears about an expanding Ottoman Empire.
By the fifteenth century, Constantinople had seen better days, but it was still a vibrant center of learning, worship, commerce, and information. 1453 sketches the tense but exciting shared world of Italians, Turks, and Romans that was thrown into crisis by Mehmed II's decision to conquer the city. Kaldellis showcases a detailed reconstruction following events on a day-by-day basis, pulling from gripping eye-witness testimonies in Latin, Italian, Greek, Russian, and Turkish. He weighs the strategies of both the attackers and defenders, and proves that, contrary to the fatalism that marks almost all narratives written with hindsight, in reality the defense was hardly a lost cause. The defenders knew exactly what they were doing. They were willing to risk their lives, but it was not their intention to become martyrs. Instead, it was the sultan who was scrambling to neutralize a seemingly impregnable defense. That he did so was a testament to his ingenuity and tenacity.
The final chapters of 1453 trace the fate of the vanquished and their captivity. It also weighs the impact of the city's fall on the conquerors, the conquered, and on world history. 1453 was not merely a symbol for the passing of the Middle Ages and the onset of early modernity: it changed the very nature of the Ottoman empire and redirected the transmission of cultural legacies, especially those of Greek classical scholarship. The fall of Constantinople is therefore a nexus of converging pathways between east and west, medieval and modern, ends and beginnings.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2026
About the author
Anthony Kaldellis
35 books177 followersPh.D. University of Michigan, Department of History (2001)
Anthony Kaldellis’ research explores the history, culture, and literature of the east Roman empire from antiquity to the fifteenth century. An earlier phase of it focused on the reception of ancient Hellenic culture, for example on how authors conceived their projects in relation to classical models (Procopius of Caesarea, 2004), as well as the history of identities (Hellenism in Byzantium, 2007), monuments (The Christian Parthenon, 2009), and genres (Ethnography after Antiquity, 2013). A second phase brought to light the enduring Roman matrices of Byzantine life and thought, focusing on its political sphere (The Byzantine Republic, 2015) and ethnic identities (Romanland: Ethnicity and Empire in Byzantium, 2019). He has translated into English the works of many medieval Greek writers, such as Prokopios, Genesios, Psellos, Attaleiates, and Laonikos Chalkokondyles. His own monographs have been translated into other modern languages, including Turkish, French, Romanian, Russian, and Greek. In 2019, he created the first academic podcast for his field, Byzantium & Friends. He has just published a new, comprehensive history of Byzantium, The New Roman Empire (2023), which embeds social, economic, religious, and demographic developments within a lively narrative framework.
Anthony Kaldellis’ research explores the history, culture, and literature of the east Roman empire from antiquity to the fifteenth century. An earlier phase of it focused on the reception of ancient Hellenic culture, for example on how authors conceived their projects in relation to classical models (Procopius of Caesarea, 2004), as well as the history of identities (Hellenism in Byzantium, 2007), monuments (The Christian Parthenon, 2009), and genres (Ethnography after Antiquity, 2013). A second phase brought to light the enduring Roman matrices of Byzantine life and thought, focusing on its political sphere (The Byzantine Republic, 2015) and ethnic identities (Romanland: Ethnicity and Empire in Byzantium, 2019). He has translated into English the works of many medieval Greek writers, such as Prokopios, Genesios, Psellos, Attaleiates, and Laonikos Chalkokondyles. His own monographs have been translated into other modern languages, including Turkish, French, Romanian, Russian, and Greek. In 2019, he created the first academic podcast for his field, Byzantium & Friends. He has just published a new, comprehensive history of Byzantium, The New Roman Empire (2023), which embeds social, economic, religious, and demographic developments within a lively narrative framework.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 4, 2026
Thanks to Edelweiss for the eARC - while somewhat slow paced and dense, this was clearly a well researched and analyzed examination of the conquest of Constantinople, and I appreciate the author's dedication to critically examining the sources available and comparing/contrasting to find the most likely series of events and outcomes based on the writings, letters, and reports left by the dead and passed across the European and Ottoman world by the survivors. I'll definitely have to look at Kaldellis's previous work on Byzantium to gain a larger perspective on the empire prior to its fall.
May 6, 2026
Fascinating and thought-provoking study! Though dense and well-researched, I still found it accessible and engrossing.
Kaldellis corrects many misconceptions about the conquest of Constantinople. I, for instance, was like many people under the impression that the fall of the city was unavoidable. Things were, in fact, much more complex, which only highlights the defender's bravery.
It also sheds a new light on points that are often simplified such as Giustiniani's "desertion"and Loukas Notaras's role (sadly he's often cast as a traitor in modern productions). Another good point was that it didn't give a hagiographic view of Constantine XI and presented him as a flawed human being.
The chapters about the aftermath were much necessary. Especially since Turkey still takes pride in this horror and tries to rewrite history by releasing many tv shows about Mehmed II (there's nothing to be proud of, but propaganda is propaganda I guess).
A minor nitpick. Kaldellis claims that "there are no prominent individual women to showcase". On the surface, it seems true. But I disagree.
-Anna Notaras only gets two brief mentions regarding her family. And there's nothing about her role in preserving Greek culture abroad! Kaldellis dedicates long paragraphs to the legacy of Constantinople and scholars abroad, but nothing about Anna?
-How about Helena Dragas who secured the crown for her son Constantine XI and advised him during his early reign? She was politically influential and took position on the matter of the Union.
-How about Mehmed's II adoptive mother, Mara Brankovic, who had much influence on him and had been approached as a potential bride for Constantine XI?
-How about Sofia Palaiologina who went to marry in Russia? Especially since once again, Russia is mentioned in the last section.
These women weren't anecdotal. To me, there were plenty of occasions of mentioning their contributions, at least briefly.
Kaldellis corrects many misconceptions about the conquest of Constantinople. I, for instance, was like many people under the impression that the fall of the city was unavoidable. Things were, in fact, much more complex, which only highlights the defender's bravery.
It also sheds a new light on points that are often simplified such as Giustiniani's "desertion"and Loukas Notaras's role (sadly he's often cast as a traitor in modern productions). Another good point was that it didn't give a hagiographic view of Constantine XI and presented him as a flawed human being.
The chapters about the aftermath were much necessary. Especially since Turkey still takes pride in this horror and tries to rewrite history by releasing many tv shows about Mehmed II (there's nothing to be proud of, but propaganda is propaganda I guess).
A minor nitpick. Kaldellis claims that "there are no prominent individual women to showcase". On the surface, it seems true. But I disagree.
-Anna Notaras only gets two brief mentions regarding her family. And there's nothing about her role in preserving Greek culture abroad! Kaldellis dedicates long paragraphs to the legacy of Constantinople and scholars abroad, but nothing about Anna?
-How about Helena Dragas who secured the crown for her son Constantine XI and advised him during his early reign? She was politically influential and took position on the matter of the Union.
-How about Mehmed's II adoptive mother, Mara Brankovic, who had much influence on him and had been approached as a potential bride for Constantine XI?
-How about Sofia Palaiologina who went to marry in Russia? Especially since once again, Russia is mentioned in the last section.
These women weren't anecdotal. To me, there were plenty of occasions of mentioning their contributions, at least briefly.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews