Lecture: "The Fall of Constantinople. Mehmed the Second"

When Mehmet II, who was only 21 years old, captured Constantinople, he proclaimed himself «Kaiser-i-Rim,» meaning ruler of Rome. He wanted to resemble Alexander the Great. His father, Murad II, as early as 1422 tried to take the city by siege. Apparently, the passion for conquering Constantinople was inherited by Mehmet II—surpassing even his philosophical interests. The fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453 became a major historical event. It ended an important frontier between East and West, Europe and Asia, and civilizations as a whole. Byzantine civilization, the successor of Ancient Rome, lost its last stronghold.