PASTEXPERIENCE HISTORY

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1453

A change of rulers in 1453

The fall of Constantinople began its transformation into an Ottoman imperial capital.

Constantinople, now Istanbul

Conquering the Byzantine capital

Conquest in 1453 did not provide empty ground for a capital. Ottoman rule had to reorganize a living Byzantine city with established religion and politics. Winning the city differed from governing it afterward.

Residents of the capital established in 330 understood themselves as Romans despite the modern label Byzantine. Greek language and Christianity coexisted with that inheritance.

[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Work required by a new court

Begun in 1459, Topkapı was both royal residence and a center for records, orders and production. Officials, artisans and suppliers connected court work. Suleiman I, known as the Lawgiver, used it in the sixteenth century. Territorial warfare operated alongside everyday government organized from the capital.

[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Inheriting and changing a city

Military and administrative reforms and territorial losses marked the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the republic of 1923 changed state institutions. The same city’s continuing use does not make centuries of court rule and later government one unchanged system.

[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Before and after

  1. 330

    Constantinople became an imperial center.

  2. 1453

    Conquest by Mehmed II.

  3. 1459

    Construction of Topkapı began.

  4. Sixteenth century

    Ottoman court arts and architecture developed.

  5. 1923

    The Republic of Türkiye was established.

Key terms

Eastern Roman Empire
The Roman imperial tradition centered on Constantinople.
Court
The ruler’s circle of governance, ritual and production.
Conquest
Taking a city or region under military control.

What supports the account?

Eastern Romans understood themselves within Roman history. The later label Byzantine should not be confused with their own state identity.

The conquest of 1453, the new capital, court culture and crafts. Eastern Roman history, Roman identity and the capital’s fall in 1453.

Limits of the evidence

Later labels differ from contemporary self-identification.

[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Court demand gathered craftsmen and materials. Architecture, ceramics and metalwork reveal activity continuing after conquest.

The conquest of 1453, the new capital, court culture and crafts. Eastern Roman history, Roman identity and the capital’s fall in 1453.

Limits of the evidence

Court art does not reveal every inhabitant’s life.

[1] The Metropolitan Museum of Art[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Check your understanding

Choose an answer to reveal the explanation. Return to the article and sources when you are unsure.

1. Why was court and urban development needed after victory in 1453?

Sources

  1. The Ottoman EmpireThe Metropolitan Museum of Art

    The conquest of 1453, the new capital, court culture and crafts.

  2. Byzantium (ca. 330–1453)The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Eastern Roman history, Roman identity and the capital’s fall in 1453.

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