Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-23
STORMING CONSTANTINOPLE.


For 425 years Constantinople has re-
manned undisturbed in the possession of
the Turks. On May %, 1453-the city
was then the capital of the Byzantine
Empire-it was stormed by the Turks,
the first Byzantine Emperor, Constan-
stantine I'LL, losing his life in the de-
Tense. The taking of the city is thus
powerfully described by Richard Knowles
in his history of the Turks, published in
1903, and second edition in 1910.
A little before day the Turks APP
preached the walls and began the assault,
where shot and stones were delivered up
on them from the walls, as thick as hail,
whereof little fell in vain, by reason of
the multitude of the Turks, who, press
ing fast into the walls, could not see in
the dark how to defend themselves, but
were, without number, wounded or slain !;
but these were of the common or worse
soldiers, of whom the Turkish King
made no more reckoning than to abate
the first force of the defendants Upon
the appearance of the day Mohammed
gaveathe sign appointed for the general
assault, whereupon the city was in mo-
ment and one instant, on every side,
most furiously assaulted by the Turks,
some delivering their arrows and shot up
on the defendants SO thick that the light
of day was Herewith darkened; others,
in the meantime, cOurageOusly mounting
the scaling-ladders and coming even to
hand-strokes with the defendants upon
the wall. On the other side, the Chris
tians, with no less courage, withstoOd
the Turkish fury, beating them down
with great stones and weighty pieces OF
timber, and so overwhelmed them with
shot, darts and arrows and other hurtful
devices from above, that the Turks, dis
mayed with the terror thereof, were
ready to retire.
Mohammed, seeing the great slaughter
and discomforture of his men, sent in
fresh supplies of his janissaries and best
men Of war, whom he had for that pur-
pose reserved as his last hope and refuge;
by whose coming on his fainting soldiers
were again encouraged, and the terrible
assault began afresh. The assault became
most dreadful, death there raging in the
midst of many thousands
In this so terrible conflict it CHANGED
Justinianus, the General, to be wounded
in the arm, who cowardly withdrew him.
self from the place of his charge, not
leaving any to supply his room. The
soldiers there present, Idismayed with the
departure of their general, and sore
charged by janissaries, forsook their sta
tions and In haste fed to the same gate
whereby Justinianus was entered; with
the sight whereof the other soldiers, dis
mayed, ran thither by heaps also. But
whilst they violently stroEe to get in at
once, they SO wedged one another in the
entrance of the gate that few of SO great
a multitude got in; in which SO great a
press and confusion Of minds 500 persons
were there by them that followed trodden
under foot or thrust to death. The En-
peror himself, for safeguard of his life,
flying with the rest in that press, as a
man not regarded, miserably ended his
days, together with the Greek Empire.
His dead body was shortly after found
by the Turks among the slain, and known
by his rich apparel, whose head being cut
off, was forthwith presented to the Turk
ish tyrant.
In this fury of the barbarians persisted
many thousand of men, women and
children, without respect OF age, sex or
condition. Many, for safeguard OF their
lives, fed into the Temple Of Sophia,
where they were all, without pity, slain,
except some few reserved by the barbar-
Gus victors for purposes more grievous
than death itself. The rich and beauti-
full ornaments and jewels Of that most
sumptuous and magnificent church the
stately building of Justinianus, the EN-
peror-were, in the turning OF hand,
plucked down and carried away by the
Turks; and the church itself, built for
God to be honoroed in, for the present
converted into stable for their horses,
or a place for the execution OF their
abominable and unspeakable filthiness.