Atlas of Battles

siege, landmark, medieval

Fall of Constantinople

Fall of Constantinople was a siege conducted on 6 April 1453 at Constantinople, in what is now Turkey; it lasted 53 days. It was part of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars, which ran from 1265 to 1479. The recorded result: Ottoman victory.

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Le siège de Constantinople (1453) by Jean Le Tavernier after 1455
Le siège de Constantinople (1453) by Jean Le Tavernier after 1455. Illustration by fr (Jean Le Tavernier) accompanying a translation by Jean Miélot of Bertrandon de la Broquière's Voyage , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 April 1453lasted 53 days
WhereConstantinople, Turkey41.030N, 28.935E
OutcomeOttoman victory
Part ofByzantine–Ottoman wars1265 to 1479

Where it sits in the Byzantine–Ottoman wars

Siege of Laodicea, 1119Battle of Mount Armenia, 1282Siege of Kulaca Hisar, 1285Battle of Domaniç, 1287Siege of Karacahisar, 1288Siege of İnegöl, 1299Battle of Bapheus, 1302Siege of Bursa, 1317Siege of Mudanya, 1321Siege of Nicaea, 1328Battle of Pelekanon, 1329Siege of Nicomedia, 1333Fall of Gallipoli, 1354Reconquest of Gallipoli, 1366Fall of Philadelphia, 1378Siege of Thessalonica, 1383Fall of Constantinople, 1453Siege of Trebizond in 1461, 146011191460Fall of Constantinople, 1453
18 placed engagements of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 April 1453
to 29 May 1453
PlaceConstantinople, Turkey
41.030N, 28.935E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeConstantinople conquered by the Ottomans; Fall of the Byzantine Empire
Fall of ConstantinopleFall of ConstantinopleSiege of ConstantinopleBattle of ConstantinopleSiege of PeraBattle of ConstantinopleBattle of KatasyrtaiBattle of ConstantinopleBattle of KatasyrtaiBursaAdapazarıLüleburgazKırklareliBilecik100 km41.030N, 28.935E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Fall of Constantinople
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Fall of Constantinople today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-07-22. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 79 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -14 to 155 m, 169 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 80% built-up, 12% tree cover, 6% water.

built-up: 80%tree cover: 12%water: 6%built-up 80%tree cover 12%water 6%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 93 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 113 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 43 times between 510 BC and 1453.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1453

Fall of Constantinople is one of 720 engagements of the 15th century in the atlas and one of 622 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q160077, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Fall of Constantinople, revision 1384652386, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.