How Ottoman finally DEFEATED the 2 BIGGEST Empires? Ottoman invasion of Hungary and Byzantine

How Ottoman finally DEFEATED the 2 BIGGEST Empires? Ottoman invasion of Hungary and Byzantine
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How Ottoman finally DEFEATED the 2 BIGGEST Empires? Ottoman invasion of Hungary and Byzantine. Mehmed II divided his forces on land into four main groups. He personally led a unit stationed in a strategic spot before the St. Romanus and Charisius gates, where Ottoman artillery could bombard the Theodosian Walls from an elevated position. His right flank extended to the Sea of Marmara, while his left stretched up to the Golden Horn. A trench and an earthen fortification were set up about 250 meters from the city walls. Meanwhile, another group took position north of the Golden Horn, near the Genoese settlement of Galata.

How Ottoman finally DEFEATED the 2 BIGGEST Empires? Ottoman invasion of Hungary and Byzantine. Finally, Mehmed’s fleet of about 110 galleys and other light ships set up a blockade from the sea to cut off Constantinople entirely. As the large Ottoman army settled into their positions, the defenders of Constantinople looked on with dread. They now had the daunting task of defending over 20 kilometers of walls with only around 7,000 to 8,000 men. Emperor Constantine XI stationed roughly 2,000 troops at the center of the walls, at the Mesoteichion. Giovanni Giustiniani, an expert in defending walled cities, was given command over the defense of the northern Charisius Gate by the Emperor.


How Ottoman finally DEFEATED the 2 BIGGEST Empires? Ottoman invasion of Hungary and Byzantine. On the night of April 6, Ottoman artillery began a heavy bombardment of the city walls, and in the following days, Serbian sappers started digging tunnels toward the walls. By April 12, Orban’s massive cannons, including the mighty Basilica, arrived on the battlefield after a difficult march from Edirne. They launched enormous projectiles, weighing between 200 and 1,500 pounds, causing tremors across the Bosphorus region. However, These massive cannons required three hours to reload, and their imprecision, extremely slow rate of fire gave Byzantine engineers precious time to swiftly repair breaches in the fortifications caused by the Ottoman bombardment.
After six days of relentless bombardment, Sultan Mehmed believed that the Mesoteichion section of the wall was damaged enough for a direct assault. On the night of April 18, he ordered his troops to attack a collapsed part of the wall near the St. Romanus Gate, while his navy attempted to break through the defensive chain at the Golden Horn. However, Giustiniani’s Genoese soldiers had fortified this area, creating a strategic barricade that held back the Ottoman forces. After four hours of intense fighting and heavy casualties, Mehmed had no choice but to retreat, leaving the Theodosian Walls standing strong once again.
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