Anthony Kaldellis, "1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople" (Oxford UP, 2026)

About this episode

Anthony Kaldellis discusses his book on the siege and fall of Constantinople in 1453, offering a new perspective on the events and strategies involved.

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: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople (Oxford UP, 2026) 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…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Anthony Kaldellis

Topics covered

• siege of Constantinople
• Ottoman Empire
• Roman Empire
• historical narrative
• military strategy
• eyewitness accounts

Keywords

• Constantinople
• 1453
• Kaldellis
• Ottoman conquest
• Roman Empire
• military history
• eyewitness testimonies
• defense strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oxford UP

Places: Constantinople, Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, Italy, Turkey

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