Alas for me; I did not know what times Providence had in store for me! I can't ascertain whether his account is accurate or not, but there is good reason to doubt it. The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453: Historiography, Topography, and Military Studies, you don’t have a heart if you didn’t cry at this moment. I still can’t figure out which book in my library I sourced it from, but I have a copy of Sphrantzes book in PDF. For material on Constantine in the Peloponnesus see William Miller, The Latins in the Levant: A History of Frankish Greece, 1204-1566 (1908). The Marble King ~ GRV Music [Prelude to Calamity] Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Paleologos. Constantine Palaologus XI speaks before his officers and allies before the final push of the siege of Constantinople by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed Bey. Constantius ruled the West while Galerius was Augustus in the East. Im at the mercy of the translations I used. Constantine XI's last moments in life, as he stood before the walls of Constantinople in 1453, have bestowed a heroic status on him. For some time, however, there had been signs that [the Venetians] had been preparing to escape, because they were loading their goods and their possessions on board [their ships]. I own Norwich’s Byzantium vol 3 and this speech is not in it. Margaret Carroll. The original historical source though is: George Sphrantzes – The Fall of the Byzantine Empire. Some have faith in armament, others in cavalry, might and numbers but we believe in the name of our Lord, our God and Savior, and second, in our arms and strength granted to us by divine power. I think i pulled this for Volume 3 of John Julius Norwich’s Byzantium. The Portal for Public History For this reason I am imploring you to fight like men with brave souls, as you have done from the beginning up to this day, against the enemy of our faith. I would be happy to add the missing passage of you send it to me along with its correct location. I hand over to you my glorious, famous, respected, noble city, the shining Queen of cities, our homeland. and joined his men in the desperate fight. If any speeches were made, they would have been very short and hastily improvised at the critical sector. On him fell the burden of leading the last defence of the city. Present your shield, swords, arrows, and spears to them, imagining that you are a hunting party after wild boars, so that the impious may learn that they are dealing not with dumb animals but with their lords and masters, the descendants of the Greeks and the Romans. Leonard of Chios does indeed have a habit of embellishment and likening elements of the siege with stories from the past. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskHistorians community. So where did the speech come from? There are two texts attributed to Sphrantzes, but the longer one with the speech is considered to be based on another source and not actually by Sphrantzes. I will add it in. And there is every reason to conclude that Leonardo has provided his own free embellishment of the facts. Introduction: Constantine XI – The Final Roman Emperor. “You are well aware that this irreligious Sultan, the enemy of our holy faith, violated for no good reason the peace treaty we had with him and disregarded his numerous oaths without a second thought. Press J to jump to the feed. You know well that the hour has come: the enemy of our faith wishes to oppress us even more closely by sea and land with all his engines and skill to attack us with the entire strength of this siege force, as a snake about to spew its venom; he is in a hurry to devour us, like a savage lion. Constantius I (Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius; 31 March c. 250 – 25 July 306) was a Roman emperor.He ruled as Caesar from 293 to 305 and as Augustus from 305 to 306. For a long time they will continue so and will also release over us countless rocks, all sorts of arrows and missiles, like the sand of the sea. I dont speak or read greek. Where did you get this from? He is not only remembered for being the last Byzantine Emperor who put up a brave last stand against the Ottomans, but also for his last speech to his officers and allies before the Fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453 by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. Your email address will not be published. But the Ottoman Empire had just started. Constantine XI Palaeologus, Palaeologus also spelled Palaiologos, (born February 9, 1404, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire [now Istanbul, Turkey]—died May 29, 1453, Constantinople), the last Byzantine emperor (1449–53), killed in the final defense of Constantinople against the Ottoman Turks. Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos was the last emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, today more commonly known as the Byzantine Empire. He was extremely fond of his mother and added her surname (Dragases) next to his own dynastic one when he ascended the imperial throne. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. Our enemies have no and use no such weapons. John Julius Norwich’s three volume history is my favorite and not a single page of it was boring. Constantine became the Despotes of the Morea (the medieval name for the Peloponnesus) in October 1443, ruling from the fortress and palace in Mistra. “I can tell you that this city mastered the entire universe; She placed beneath her feet Pontus, Armenia, Paphlagonia, The Amazonian lands, Cappadocia, Galatia, Media, Georgian Colchis, Bosphoros, Albania, Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Palestine, Arabia, Judea, Bactria, Scythia, Macedonia, Thessaly, Hellas, Boeotia, Locris, Aetolia, Arcarnania, Achaea, the Peloponnese, Epirus, Illyria, Lykhnites, the Adriatic, Italy, Tuscany, the Celts, and Galatian Celts, Spain up to Cadiz, Libya, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Beledes, Scude, Numidia, Africa and Egypt. The 700 Club The Fall of Constantinople By Gordon Robertson The 700 Club May 31, 2011. “Shoot, you devil! All Free. He died fighting in the streets of Constantinople. Constantine XI Palaeologos was the last Emperor. Once again, it is time to demonstrate your love in Christ, your bravery, and your excellence in her cause.”, Then he spoke to the combined assembly: “There is no time for longer speeches. The version I have has a lot more after the word camel…about an entire page worth. Shoot, in the devil’s name! You know well, my brothers, that we have four obligations in common, which force us to prefer death over survival: first our faith and piety; second our homeland; third, the emperor anointed by the Lord and fourth; our relatives and friends. That was the finale of the Fall of Constantinople. Last speech of Constantine XI right before the Fall of Constantinople From what I have gathered, the speech was written down in the Chronicles of his close confidant, the logothete Georgios Sphrantzes, but Sphrantzes' text doesn't seem to be uploaded somewhere. By the time Constantine received the purple … The plain fact is that Constantine had abandoned his imperial quarters at the palace of Blakhernai, which had been turned over to the Venetian bailo and his troops during the siege. Aside from Leonardo, who has a flair for the emotional, other eyewitnesses fail to mention such moving scenes. From 1453, one of the titles used by the Ottoman Sultans was "Caesar of Rome" (Turkish: Kayser-i Rum ) [6] , … The emperor and his commanders, who had been continually repairing the collapsed defenses with their troops and workers, would have had no opportunity to assemble for last-minute processions, speeches, and farewell scenes, however moving and dignified they might be. For all we can know, in the din, dust and fury of his battle Custer may have thought he was winning until the moment he was killed. To quote Marios Philippides, who wrote the most recent scholarly book on this topic, The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 (2011): : Was there in fact a last celebration attended by the emperor in Hagia Sophia? You are aware and know that this City was not only mine but yours too for many reasons. Constantine was born in Constantinople as the eighth of ten children to Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena DragaÅ¡, the daughter of the Serbian magnate Constantine DragaÅ¡. Keep your right hand, armed with the sword, extended in front of you at all times. Although I agree with much of what Philippides has to say, I don't think that Constantine's speech to the gathered men was entirely concocted. In it of all Hellens ” the city is fallen and I need say no more about it speeches. Galerius was Augustus in the world for you. ” the quote from XI! [ Prelude to Calamity ] Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Paleologos cities, our homeland habit of embellishment and elements... 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