1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West

Now in trade paperback, a gripping exploration of the fall of Constantinople and its connection to the world we live in today

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 signaled a shift in history, and the end of the Byzantium Empire. Roger Crowley's readable and comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, the 57th emperor of Byzantium, illuminates the period in history that was a precursor to the current jihad between the West and the Middle East.

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• City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas
• Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization
• 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Turning Points in Ancient History)
• The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
• The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe
• The Dark Ages 476-918 A.D.
• Conquerors: How Portugal Forged The First Global Empire
• Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
• SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome