April 6–11, 1453 · Theodosian Land Walls, Constantinople Theater
April 6–11, 1453
Mehmed's great bombards — including the massive 'Urban Gun' capable of firing 600-pound stone cannonballs — opened fire on the Theodosian Walls that had protected Constantinople for a thousand years. The walls, built in the 5th century and never successfully stormed, were designed for the pre-gunpowder era. The bombards fired seven to fourteen rounds per day; each shot took hours to cool, reload, and aim. The walls cracked and crumbled under the impact — but Byzantine defenders worked through each night to fill the breaches with earth, timber, and rubble, restoring an improvised defense by dawn. The initial bombardment did not breach the walls permanently, but it began an irreversible structural degradation.
Commanders