Fall of Constantinople

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/fall-of-constantinople

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the date of conquest?May 29, 1453
2. What is the location of conquest?Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), Turkey
3. What happened to the walls of Constantinople during the 1453 siege?The Ottoman cannons smashed the Theodosian Walls, making big holes that the defenders tried to patch while the fighting went on.
4. Why did Sultan Mehmed II want to capture Constantinople?He believed it was his destiny to take the city and saw it as a way to grow his empire and end a symbol of Christian power.

Byzantine Empire: The Eastern Roman Empire, a successor state to Rome that endured for over a thousand years.
Ottoman Empire: A powerful Turkish empire that rose to prominence after conquering Constantinople, lasting for centuries.
Sultan Mehmed II: The ambitious Ottoman ruler, known as 'the Conqueror,' who achieved the capture of Constantinople.
Theodosian Walls: The formidable triple line of fortifications that protected Constantinople for centuries before its fall.