Constantinople 1453: The end of Byzantium (Campaign) [Paperback]

David Nicolle (Author), Christa Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Campaign | Publication Date: November 25, 2000

This Osprey title details the epic four-month siege of the city of Constantinople in 1453, last vestige of the once mighty Roman and Byzantine Empires. Mehmet 'The Conqueror' led an army of 80,000 men with a massive siege train against the city. Defending were a mere 10,000 men under the Emperor Constantine XI. The Turkish artillery battered the ancient city walls mercilessly, levelling a large section. A gallant defence held off the massive Turkish assault for several hours. Refusing appeals to flee, Constantine returned to the breaches and fought until overwhelmed and killed. Thus died the last Emperor of the Byzantines, and with him his once glorious empire.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

David Nicolle was born in 1944, the son of the illustrator Pat Nicolle. He worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years, before going 'back to school', gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He has written many books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. David lives and works in Leicestershire, UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841760919
• ISBN-13: 978-1841760919
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Useful but Very Dry Summary of a Dramatic Battle, December 1, 2000

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Constantinople 1453: The end of Byzantium (Campaign) (Paperback)

This is the kind of campaign summary one would expect from a British academic: long on scholarship and short on military insight or emotional drama. To be sure, Nicolle has done a thorough job of researching all the sources on the fall of the Byzantine capital in 1453. The excellent bibliography and the wonderful campaign maps are worth the price of this volume just for themselves.

Although Nicolle does a fine job summarizing the origins of the campaign and the opposing commanders, his section on the opposing armies is not particularly informative. He has spent many long hours gazing at suits of armor, ancient helmets and swords in museums and medieval paintings of these items, and this is what he wishes to convey to the reader. He also barrages the reader with a lot of Ottoman military jargon, but he misses the point when it comes to describing their tactical methods. He discusses a great deal about the Ottoman artillery, but little about the archers and other foot troops who fought the bulk of the battle. A cross section diagram of one part of the wall of Constantinople would have been useful. Also, some discussion of logistic and intelligence aspects of the siege would have been appropriate.

Nicolle's summary of the campaign is succinct and professional but it lacks passion. This was a close, hard fight for all the marbles in the eastern Mediterranean but this account lacks the desperate courage displayed by both sides in other, better written accounts. The Siege of Constantinople is usually engrossing because the idea of an ancient culture fighting for its life against an overwhelming foe is enough in itself to rivet attention, but when the punch and counter-punch of this knock-down drag-out fight is added the battle becomes truly memorable. Unfortunately, Nicolle's account skips along in an almost perfunctory manner and we are left with a description that seems to suggest that, "they came, they saw, they conquered".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Overview, June 23, 2002

By 

Fred M. Blum - See all my reviews

This review is from: Constantinople 1453: The end of Byzantium (Campaign) (Paperback)

Constantinople 1453: The End of Byzantium is a well written, but concise, history of the fall of Constantinople. The book is written in the clasical Ospery tradition and as a result gives the reader all that is necessary to understand the pivatol historical event.

What the book could not do, given the limited space avaliable, is put the the event in context. If the reader is looking for an indepth analysis of why Constantinople fell this is not the book for you. It would be impossible to cover centuries of history in 90 pages. If however, you are looking for the basics of the battle, the players and the whys and wherefores the book is excellent.

I have read extensively on the subjrect and was looking for something to read that concentrated on the fall of Constantinople. I was not disappointed.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No, It's Not a Good Overview, May 4, 2006

By 

P. M Simon "El Simon Asombroso" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Constantinople 1453: The end of Byzantium (Campaign) (Paperback)

Mr. Nicolle's little opus on the fall of Constantinople to the Turks is a concise overview of the end of the last vestige of the Roman Empire. It's a long, sad, and complicated bit of history, well-chronicled and illustrated by eye-witnesses and historians of the period. In fact, you can find most of their accounts for free in the public domain and 'Constantinople 1453' is too concise. It adds little.

Even the mechanics of the Byzantine walls, the cannons, and the siege are more than the length of this book allows. But a true treatment of the story requires an understanding of the relations between the Papacy and Orthodoxy, the rise of the Sultans, and Genoese and Venetian trading states.

I'm sorry, but just the last sad day in May 1453 deserves more space and much more love than the author affords. When Constantine XI Pelalogos gave his last noble speech, the crowds wept. Then, the people of the city went to Liturgy at Hagia Sophia, wept, and hugged and forgave each other. The servants in the Imperial Palace wept among the geraniums, and the Emperor himself went once more into the breach to die with his people. Everyone in the ancient city knew that doom was upon them yet they chose to a man not to flee. Just that alone deserved more loving treatment than this book gave it.

Those really interested in the topic might be better off reading Lord Norwich's superb history of Byzantium.