May 29, 1453 · Theodosian Walls, Gate of St. Romanos, Constantinople Theater
May 29, 1453
Mehmed ordered the final assault for the predawn hours of May 29. He sent wave after wave — first the Bashi-bazouks (irregular light troops, used to exhaust the defenders), then the Anatolian regulars, finally the Janissaries, his elite household troops, who had been kept fresh throughout. During the Janissary assault, Giovanni Giustiniani was struck by a crossbow bolt or gunshot and was carried wounded from the walls — his departure, visible to the defenders, triggered panic. A small unguarded gate — the Kerkoporta — was found open and Ottoman troops flooded in. Constantine XI, seeing the walls breached and his commander gone, reportedly tore off his imperial insignia, drew his sword, and charged into the mass of Ottoman soldiers. He was never seen alive again. By mid-morning, the city had fallen.
Commanders