May 7, 1453 · Multiple Wall Sectors, Constantinople Theater
May 7, 1453
The second major assault targeted multiple wall sections simultaneously, forcing the defenders to split their already-thin resources. Zaganos Pasha's troops attacked from within the Golden Horn. The Anatolian corps struck the land walls near the Blachernae sector. Mehmed's elite Janissaries attacked the primary breach in the Lycus Valley. For three hours the defenders held, repulsing assault after assault in brutal close-quarters combat. Constantine XI himself fought at the breach with his household guard. By dawn, the second assault had failed — but the defenders had suffered casualties they could not replace.
Commanders