[Junior]

One of Islam's greatest victories occured 550 years ago today when the last vestiges of the Roman Empire which had kept the Moslem hordes at bay for centuries was finally overrun.

[Joe 6-pack]

Is that about the same time Istanbul fell into Turkish hands?

[afuturegovernor]

The Byzantine Empire had been weaken by Islamic armies on the East and Catholic Christian armies on the West for several centuries. Its too bad the city had to fall to the Turks.

[LiteKeeper]

History SPOTREP

[epluribus_2]

sounded a lot like Helms Deep in The Two Towers.

[Semper Paratus]

The Greeks are still pretty hot over this.

[Theophilus]

Hospodi Pomilui - Lord Have Mercy!

[Polybius]

Bronze Follis of Constantine I (307 A.D. - 337 A.D.) celebrating the founding of Constantinopolis.

[Gunrunner2]

The Janissaries were a force made up of captured Christian children, raised to become Muslim and despise their own people. Seems Muslim's can't even grow their own successful warriors.

[Revolting cat!]

Go ahead, celebrate the 500th anniversary of that, I'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of this:

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)

"Istanbul" 1953

Words by Jimmy Kennedy
Music by Nat Simon

[Sparta]

Byzantine Empire ping

If you want on or off the Western Civilization Military History ping list, let me know.

[PJ-Comix]

Mehmed renamed the city Istanbul.

I thought that happened around 1920 under Attaturk.

[PJ-Comix]

Interesting that the Muslims took Constantinople at around the same time they were getting thrown out of Spain.

[Junior]

Here is a more detailed account of the fall of the city. It puts the actual time of the fall at after midnight on the 29th.

http://www.unf.edu/classes/byzantium/cached/fallofconstantinople.html

[gcruse]

The Christians were still allowed to practice their religion,
 but had to dress in distinguishing attire and could not bare arms.

And that is why, to this day, only atheists wear short sleeves.
This was written by a University???

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[InvisibleChurch]

...and Timbuktu

[F-117A]

Bump!

[RightWhale]

the last vestiges of the Roman Empire which had kept the Moslem hordes at bay for centuries was finally overrun.

Having been softened up by the Crusaders a couple centuries earlier. Rome got their way, and still do.