General assault: commenced by Bashi-Bazouks; they are defeated; Anatolians attack--are also driven back; attacks in other places fail; Janissaries attack; Kerkoporta incident; Justiniani wounded and retires; emperor’s alarm; stockade captured; death of Constantine: his character; capture of Constantinople 334 CHAPTER XVII Attacks in other parts of the city: by Zagan and Caraja; by fleet; the brothers Bocchiardi hold their own; panic when entry of Turks became known; incident of Saint Theodosia’s church; massacre and subsequent pillage; crowd in Saint Sophia captured; horrors of sack; numbers killed or captured; endeavours to escape from city; panic in Galata; Mahomet’s entry; Saint Sophia becomes a mosque; fate of leading prisoners: attempts to repeople capital 358 CHAPTER XVIII Capture of Constantinople a surprise to Europe; conquest of Trebizond; summary of its history. Character and conduct of Mahomet: as conqueror; he increases Turkish fleet; as administrator; as legislator; his recklessness of human life; as student; was he a religious fanatic? summary 386 CHAPTER XIX Dispersion of Greek scholars, and their influence upon revival of learning; Greek a bond of union among peoples of empire; disappearance of books after Latin conquest; departure of scholars to Italy begins after 1204; their presence stimulates revival of learning; enthusiasm aroused in Italy for study of Greek; students from Constantinople everywhere welcomed; increased numbers leave after Moslem conquest; Renaissance largely aided by Greek studies; movement passes into Northern Europe; MSS. taken from Constantinople 399 CHAPTER XX Conclusion; the capture epoch-marking; alarm in Europe; disastrous results; upon Christian subjects and on Eastern Churches; demoralisation of both; poverty the principal result; degradation of Churches: two great services rendered by the Churches; results on Turks: powerless to assimilate conquered peoples or their civilisation 414 APPENDICES I. Note on Romanus Gate and chief place of final assault 429 II. Where did the sea-fight of April 20, 1453, take place? 436 III. Note on transport of Mahomet’s ships. What was the route adopted? 443 IV. The influence of religion on Greeks and Moslems respectively 447 INDEX 459 ILLUSTRATIONS APPROXIMATE RESTORATION OF THE LAND WALLS OF } THEODOSIUS THE SECOND BETWEEN THE GOLDEN AND } SECOND MILITARY GATES } _Between } pages_ 240–1 PRESENT CONDITION OF A PORTION OF THE LANDWARD } WALLS } _from photograph by M. Irenian of Constantinople_. }