may 29, 1453 - Fall of Constantinople

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The fall of Constantinople was a 53-day-long siege in which the Ottoman forces under Sultan Mehmed II attempted to take the city from the Byzantine defenders, led by Emperor Constantine XI, and the Genoan mercenaries, commanded by Giovanni Giustiniani.

After finally breaking through the city's defenses, the Ottoman army pillaged the great city and committed widespread atrocities throughout the former capital of Byzantium.

This event historically marks the end of the Byzantine Empire, which lasted for over a millenium, as well as the end of the medieval period.

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