1453: The Catastrophe That Ended Rome

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, historian Anthony Kaldellis of the University of Chicago discusses his new book 1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople.

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Anthony explains:

Why the ‘Byzantines’ were really Romans

The Roman state’s extraordinary longevity

Constantinople’s strategic importance

The rise of the Ottoman state

Ottoman slavery, the devşirme, and the janissaries

Romans, Italians and Turks living side by side

Venice and Genoa’s role in the East

Ottoman cannon and the myth of Orban

Why the siege was not inevitable