1 00:01:08,651 --> 00:01:11,029 Your city is ours! 2 00:01:24,626 --> 00:01:26,711 Constantinople. 3 00:01:28,463 --> 00:01:30,799 Either I conquer you... 4 00:01:31,466 --> 00:01:34,427 or you conquer me. 5 00:01:43,103 --> 00:01:45,772 Come... my son. 6 00:01:47,148 --> 00:01:48,358 Father? 7 00:01:49,234 --> 00:01:50,401 Constantinople. 8 00:01:51,611 --> 00:01:53,196 Why didn't you believe in me? 9 00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:56,157 - They betrayed you. - My son. 10 00:01:56,241 --> 00:01:57,700 ...believe in me? 11 00:01:57,784 --> 00:02:00,286 - This is madness! - No! 12 00:02:00,370 --> 00:02:03,873 - Constantinople... - Mehmed! 13 00:02:03,957 --> 00:02:06,668 Am I to take Constantinople? 14 00:02:10,421 --> 00:02:12,715 No! 15 00:03:01,806 --> 00:03:03,183 Constantinople. 16 00:03:06,269 --> 00:03:08,646 Every empire has a beginning 17 00:03:08,730 --> 00:03:12,859 forged of blood, steel, fortune and conquest. 18 00:03:12,942 --> 00:03:17,280 In 1453, Roman Emperor Constantine XI 19 00:03:17,363 --> 00:03:19,908 and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II 20 00:03:19,991 --> 00:03:22,410 wage an epic battle for Constantinople. 21 00:03:23,494 --> 00:03:26,748 Twenty-three armies have tried to take the legendary city. 22 00:03:26,831 --> 00:03:28,458 All have failed. 23 00:03:28,541 --> 00:03:31,753 Out of the carnage, one ruler will emerge victorious 24 00:03:31,836 --> 00:03:36,174 and change the course of history for the next 300 years. 25 00:03:36,841 --> 00:03:40,887 For one empire to rise, another must fall. 26 00:03:55,652 --> 00:03:57,528 Constantinople is a city... 27 00:03:58,196 --> 00:04:00,156 just destined to be the center of the world. 28 00:04:01,908 --> 00:04:04,744 It's the hinge: Asia, Europe, 29 00:04:04,827 --> 00:04:06,996 Black Sea, the Mediterranean, 30 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,707 the Balkan world, Italian city-states... 31 00:04:10,333 --> 00:04:11,793 It's like there's a butterfly, 32 00:04:11,876 --> 00:04:14,087 and Constantinople is the body of the butterfly. 33 00:04:16,172 --> 00:04:18,967 Constantinople is a concept. 34 00:04:19,050 --> 00:04:21,886 It's more than just a strategic place. 35 00:04:22,637 --> 00:04:26,975 It represents layers of empire, 36 00:04:27,058 --> 00:04:30,270 it represents layers of civilizations 37 00:04:30,353 --> 00:04:32,855 that have been embedded in it. 38 00:04:34,524 --> 00:04:35,775 In the Mediterranean, 39 00:04:35,858 --> 00:04:38,569 the largest city has always been Constantinople. 40 00:04:38,903 --> 00:04:41,489 This was always cited as the Promised Land. 41 00:04:42,115 --> 00:04:45,660 Whoever holds Constantinople, he will be the ruler of the world. 42 00:04:46,786 --> 00:04:48,496 In 1451, 43 00:04:48,579 --> 00:04:53,376 Constantinople's protector and ruler is Emperor Constantine XI. 44 00:04:54,085 --> 00:04:55,962 There were few people more autocratic 45 00:04:56,045 --> 00:04:58,339 and absolutist than Eastern Roman emperors. 46 00:04:58,423 --> 00:05:01,551 They literally stood halfway to heaven, between God and man, 47 00:05:01,634 --> 00:05:03,928 they were God's sword-arm on Earth. 48 00:05:04,554 --> 00:05:07,557 Constantine XI, he's very brave, 49 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,977 and the principle for which he will sacrifice literally everything else 50 00:05:11,060 --> 00:05:13,521 is the preservation of Constantinople. 51 00:05:13,855 --> 00:05:15,648 Twenty-three enemy armies 52 00:05:15,732 --> 00:05:18,693 have tried to take the legendary walled city and failed. 53 00:05:20,028 --> 00:05:23,114 The biggest threat to the Romans' 1100-year reign 54 00:05:23,197 --> 00:05:26,242 are their longtime foes, the Ottomans. 55 00:05:26,326 --> 00:05:29,454 Former Anatolian warlords and nomads 56 00:05:29,537 --> 00:05:31,539 who've built a burgeoning empire 57 00:05:31,622 --> 00:05:34,083 reaching all the way to Eastern Europe... 58 00:05:36,544 --> 00:05:41,007 The death of Ottoman Sultan Murad II in 1451 59 00:05:41,090 --> 00:05:42,884 unleashes a chain of events 60 00:05:42,967 --> 00:05:45,261 that will soon bring the Ottomans and Romans 61 00:05:45,345 --> 00:05:46,929 to the brink of war. 62 00:05:54,604 --> 00:05:58,900 Two hundred miles away, Sultan Murad's son, Mehmed II, 63 00:05:58,983 --> 00:06:01,569 has been serving as governor of Manisa 64 00:06:01,652 --> 00:06:03,279 in the Aegean Province. 65 00:06:05,656 --> 00:06:09,535 The Crown Prince has been living in semi-exile for several years 66 00:06:09,619 --> 00:06:12,372 after a falling out with his father's court. 67 00:06:12,455 --> 00:06:13,498 Prince! 68 00:06:14,123 --> 00:06:16,125 I'm rotting out here in the provinces. 69 00:06:18,336 --> 00:06:19,462 My prince... 70 00:06:19,921 --> 00:06:23,841 By the time Alexander the Great was my age, he'd conquered all of this land. 71 00:06:26,636 --> 00:06:27,637 My prince. 72 00:06:28,179 --> 00:06:30,932 Yes, Zaganos Pasha. What is it? 73 00:06:31,015 --> 00:06:32,016 Your father. 74 00:06:38,856 --> 00:06:40,858 There are some whispers 75 00:06:40,942 --> 00:06:43,528 that the grand vizier and the others in the sultan's court 76 00:06:43,611 --> 00:06:45,947 are discussing plans for a successor. 77 00:06:46,030 --> 00:06:47,240 Of course they are. 78 00:06:48,491 --> 00:06:49,700 Deceitful scum. 79 00:06:50,660 --> 00:06:52,912 They'd want nothing more than for me to disappear. 80 00:06:52,995 --> 00:06:54,163 Ready the horses. 81 00:06:54,914 --> 00:06:56,541 We must leave for the capital. 82 00:07:02,046 --> 00:07:04,048 Mehmed sets out for Adrianople 83 00:07:04,132 --> 00:07:05,675 to claim the throne, 84 00:07:05,758 --> 00:07:09,387 uncertain whether he'll be named Sultan of the Ottoman Empire 85 00:07:09,470 --> 00:07:11,681 or have to take the throne by force. 86 00:07:15,143 --> 00:07:17,437 In the Ottoman throne, any member of the dynasty 87 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,188 has an equal right to the throne. 88 00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:21,315 There is no established line of succession. 89 00:07:22,066 --> 00:07:23,568 They had to fight it out, 90 00:07:23,651 --> 00:07:25,820 or be the one who could establish leadership. 91 00:07:26,904 --> 00:07:28,364 It was survival of the fittest. 92 00:07:38,291 --> 00:07:41,377 Mehmed is met by his father's grand vizier, 93 00:07:41,461 --> 00:07:43,546 Candarli Halil Pasha, 94 00:07:43,629 --> 00:07:45,339 the sultan's right hand. 95 00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:50,720 The grand vizier is the prime minister of the empire. 96 00:07:50,803 --> 00:07:53,890 When there is a new sultan inheriting his father's grand vizier, 97 00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:55,349 there's always a clash, 98 00:07:55,433 --> 00:07:57,310 and that grand vizier has to be controlled. 99 00:07:57,393 --> 00:07:59,770 If you lose that game, you become a puppet sultan. 100 00:08:28,090 --> 00:08:29,258 Halil Pasha... 101 00:08:30,801 --> 00:08:34,138 it's been a couple years since I last saw you. 102 00:08:34,222 --> 00:08:35,473 I wish... 103 00:08:36,015 --> 00:08:38,100 it was under better circumstances. 104 00:08:48,528 --> 00:08:49,695 Grand Vizier. 105 00:09:17,473 --> 00:09:18,849 My sultan. 106 00:09:36,158 --> 00:09:39,328 After living in his father's shadow for years, 107 00:09:39,954 --> 00:09:44,000 expectations for the 19-year-old ruler are crushing. 108 00:09:46,794 --> 00:09:49,839 You have grown since I last saw you. 109 00:09:53,050 --> 00:09:54,302 Father? 110 00:09:56,304 --> 00:09:58,055 I've asked too much of you. 111 00:09:58,806 --> 00:10:01,642 The throne will be yours, my son, when you are ready. 112 00:10:01,726 --> 00:10:02,935 Don't test me, boy! 113 00:10:05,104 --> 00:10:06,564 He's a very young guy. 114 00:10:06,647 --> 00:10:09,317 People didn't know was he up to the job? 115 00:10:10,234 --> 00:10:12,653 Maybe he wasn't gonna be able to follow his father, 116 00:10:12,737 --> 00:10:13,946 who was a good warrior. 117 00:10:17,199 --> 00:10:19,577 I promised you your time would come. 118 00:10:20,578 --> 00:10:21,871 Mother Mara. 119 00:10:22,580 --> 00:10:25,041 Mehmed's stepmother, Mara Brankovic, 120 00:10:25,124 --> 00:10:27,168 is among his closest allies 121 00:10:27,251 --> 00:10:31,172 in a capital anxious to see how the young sultan will rule. 122 00:10:33,132 --> 00:10:37,011 Do you know what Alexander the Great said when he took the throne? 123 00:10:39,138 --> 00:10:41,390 "In the end, when it's over... 124 00:10:42,391 --> 00:10:44,644 all that matters is what you have done." 125 00:10:49,148 --> 00:10:50,232 It's yours. 126 00:10:51,442 --> 00:10:53,527 When he does come to the throne, 127 00:10:53,611 --> 00:10:55,237 he realizes that he's got a signal 128 00:10:55,321 --> 00:10:58,324 that he's everything that his father wished him to be. 129 00:11:00,284 --> 00:11:02,078 So, what would this kid do? 130 00:11:02,703 --> 00:11:07,249 He says, "I need a crowning achievement..." 131 00:11:11,796 --> 00:11:13,339 ...and what will that be? 132 00:11:18,010 --> 00:11:19,553 Take Constantinople. 133 00:11:20,221 --> 00:11:21,806 The dream of everybody! 134 00:11:37,655 --> 00:11:41,784 They will try and shame you as the boy they remembered, Sultan. 135 00:11:41,867 --> 00:11:43,994 Yes, they will try. 136 00:11:47,164 --> 00:11:49,208 Mehmed's court is divided 137 00:11:49,291 --> 00:11:51,752 between the young advisors he brings from Manisa, 138 00:11:51,836 --> 00:11:54,296 led by Zaganos Pasha, 139 00:11:54,380 --> 00:11:58,592 and his father's older viziers who harbor doubts about his leadership. 140 00:11:58,676 --> 00:12:03,681 Those doubts extend beyond the capital to the Ottoman's many enemies. 141 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,354 A rival Turkish warlord tests the 19-year-old sultan, 142 00:12:10,438 --> 00:12:12,982 raiding Ottoman lands in Anatolia. 143 00:12:16,026 --> 00:12:18,654 Mehmed and his army crush the rebellion. 144 00:12:22,324 --> 00:12:26,245 The gravest threat to Mehmed's rule comes in late 1451 145 00:12:26,328 --> 00:12:29,540 from the Ottoman's old enemy, the Romans. 146 00:12:32,501 --> 00:12:33,586 Hasan Pasha, 147 00:12:33,669 --> 00:12:35,212 what news from Constantinople? 148 00:12:35,296 --> 00:12:37,173 What do our spies say? 149 00:12:39,425 --> 00:12:41,844 The Romans have... 150 00:12:42,928 --> 00:12:44,472 sent a request. 151 00:12:44,555 --> 00:12:46,432 What sort of request? 152 00:12:47,266 --> 00:12:49,477 They've threatened to release your Uncle Orhan 153 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:52,354 if we don't triple our payments 154 00:12:52,438 --> 00:12:54,648 for his continued safety and upkeep. 155 00:12:55,649 --> 00:13:00,654 Prince Orhan represents this long Byzantine tradition of diplomacy. 156 00:13:01,655 --> 00:13:04,742 Prince Orhan has a claim to Mehmed's throne, 157 00:13:04,825 --> 00:13:09,205 but the Romans keep him safely tucked away inside Constantinople 158 00:13:09,288 --> 00:13:12,500 in exchange for a yearly payment from the Ottomans. 159 00:13:13,209 --> 00:13:16,170 Prince Orhan is an interesting case. 160 00:13:16,253 --> 00:13:17,838 He was kept a prisoner. 161 00:13:17,922 --> 00:13:22,009 The Romans wanted to use him against the Ottomans. 162 00:13:22,092 --> 00:13:24,094 When Mehmed comes to the throne, 163 00:13:24,178 --> 00:13:25,471 he's only 19 years old, 164 00:13:25,554 --> 00:13:28,808 no one really knows, uh... what kind of a ruler he would be, 165 00:13:28,891 --> 00:13:31,393 so Constantine tries to... 166 00:13:31,477 --> 00:13:33,187 uh, tries to threaten him. 167 00:13:33,270 --> 00:13:35,856 It was always a threat that 168 00:13:35,940 --> 00:13:38,859 "If you do something aggressive, we can send Orhan back 169 00:13:38,943 --> 00:13:41,153 with a little money, a little support, 170 00:13:41,237 --> 00:13:43,322 and maybe overthrow your throne." 171 00:13:44,532 --> 00:13:46,742 The Romans offset 172 00:13:46,826 --> 00:13:49,453 their weakness in terms of military strength, 173 00:13:49,537 --> 00:13:50,788 land, and power, 174 00:13:50,871 --> 00:13:54,375 in their ability to stir up civil war 175 00:13:54,458 --> 00:13:56,085 within the Ottoman Empire. 176 00:13:56,168 --> 00:13:57,837 The question becomes: 177 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,339 "What do you do in a situation like this?" 178 00:14:00,965 --> 00:14:02,842 This is one of the rare moments 179 00:14:02,925 --> 00:14:06,053 where Constantine badly miscalculates. 180 00:14:06,136 --> 00:14:08,472 This turns out to be a pretty bad mistake. 181 00:14:09,390 --> 00:14:11,350 I will build my fort right here. 182 00:14:13,978 --> 00:14:16,063 Sultan, this is not diplomacy. 183 00:14:16,146 --> 00:14:17,690 It's an act of war. 184 00:14:18,274 --> 00:14:21,068 We will control the Bosphorus and every ship that travels through it. 185 00:14:21,986 --> 00:14:23,863 In response to the Roman threat, 186 00:14:23,946 --> 00:14:26,699 Mehmed reveals his plan for Rumeli Hisari, 187 00:14:26,782 --> 00:14:28,284 literally translated: 188 00:14:28,367 --> 00:14:30,744 "Fortress in the land of the Romans." 189 00:14:30,828 --> 00:14:34,623 Strategically located on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait, 190 00:14:34,707 --> 00:14:37,918 the fort cuts off all supplies and military aid 191 00:14:38,002 --> 00:14:40,337 from Roman allies in the Black Sea. 192 00:14:40,421 --> 00:14:44,216 The fortress is ominously nicknamed "The Throat Cutter." 193 00:14:44,967 --> 00:14:46,802 Sultan, I urge you to reconsider. 194 00:14:47,595 --> 00:14:50,014 Building a fort on the Roman side will provoke them... 195 00:14:50,097 --> 00:14:52,308 Anything inside the walls of Constantinople 196 00:14:52,391 --> 00:14:53,517 belongs to the Romans. 197 00:14:54,018 --> 00:14:55,769 Anything outside those walls 198 00:14:55,853 --> 00:14:56,979 belongs to me. 199 00:15:02,484 --> 00:15:04,403 Candarli didn't like the idea 200 00:15:04,486 --> 00:15:06,155 because he said, "Look, Your Majesty," 201 00:15:06,238 --> 00:15:09,575 he said, "Europeans could unite against us. 202 00:15:09,658 --> 00:15:12,077 The pope could send an army against us. 203 00:15:12,828 --> 00:15:16,790 And while trying to get Constantinople, we might lose everything." 204 00:15:18,125 --> 00:15:20,711 And Mehmed said, "Piss off." 205 00:15:20,794 --> 00:15:22,504 Yeah... 206 00:15:23,088 --> 00:15:27,468 The Throat Cutter is completed in an astonishing four-and-a-half months, 207 00:15:27,551 --> 00:15:31,722 bringing the Ottomans and Romans a step closer to war. 208 00:15:32,473 --> 00:15:35,601 Emperor Constantine sends emissaries to Mehmed's court 209 00:15:35,684 --> 00:15:37,770 to protest construction of the fort. 210 00:15:37,853 --> 00:15:40,648 Some emissary would say, "This is Roman land. 211 00:15:40,731 --> 00:15:43,317 Your father at least had the grace to ask permission 212 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,194 before he did something like this." 213 00:15:45,277 --> 00:15:47,154 He sends them away, he won't even hear them. 214 00:15:47,237 --> 00:15:49,990 So Constantine sends back more messengers, 215 00:15:50,074 --> 00:15:51,992 this time loaded down with gifts, and say, 216 00:15:52,076 --> 00:15:53,744 "Can we at least be assured 217 00:15:53,827 --> 00:15:56,288 that this does not herald an attack on Constantinople?" 218 00:16:23,607 --> 00:16:25,943 Mehmed decapitates the advisors 219 00:16:26,026 --> 00:16:28,946 and let's Constantine draw his own conclusion. 220 00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:36,912 This cannot go unanswered! 221 00:16:38,831 --> 00:16:41,542 We must teach the child a lesson! 222 00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:43,836 Then he will taste the Roman slap. 223 00:16:45,004 --> 00:16:46,755 And who will deliver that slap, pray tell? 224 00:16:48,298 --> 00:16:49,299 You? 225 00:16:50,884 --> 00:16:53,721 Mehmed is a menace, but force is not the answer. 226 00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:58,183 We must avoid confrontation until Catholic help arrives from Europe. 227 00:16:58,726 --> 00:17:01,520 If the Catholics are our only hope, 228 00:17:02,187 --> 00:17:03,397 we are doomed. 229 00:17:05,774 --> 00:17:07,985 The right-hand man of Constantine 230 00:17:08,068 --> 00:17:10,237 was Loukas Notaras. 231 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:12,906 He held the position of grand duke, 232 00:17:12,990 --> 00:17:15,951 which was the equivalent of the Ottoman vizier 233 00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:17,786 or a prime minister. 234 00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:19,913 I'd rather see a sultan's turban 235 00:17:19,997 --> 00:17:22,207 than a cardinal's cap inside these walls. 236 00:17:23,834 --> 00:17:25,794 Constantinople is the center 237 00:17:25,878 --> 00:17:27,880 of Orthodox Christianity. 238 00:17:27,963 --> 00:17:30,424 Like most of the city and the emperor's court, 239 00:17:30,507 --> 00:17:33,010 Notaras is Greek and Orthodox Christian, 240 00:17:33,093 --> 00:17:36,013 and distrusts the European Catholic Church, 241 00:17:36,096 --> 00:17:39,266 a schism dating back four centuries. 242 00:17:39,349 --> 00:17:41,060 Faced with the Ottoman threat, 243 00:17:41,143 --> 00:17:45,022 the city desperately needs soldiers and ships from the pope. 244 00:17:52,821 --> 00:17:54,740 We are all brothers in the eyes of God. 245 00:17:56,450 --> 00:17:59,912 At this moment, we have emissaries sent to the Vatican 246 00:17:59,995 --> 00:18:03,499 and all the courts of Europe securing aid for our defense. 247 00:18:04,208 --> 00:18:07,461 Already, there are generous troops bound for the city... 248 00:18:08,128 --> 00:18:09,254 the first of many. 249 00:18:10,339 --> 00:18:11,840 With God's Grace, 250 00:18:11,924 --> 00:18:14,510 the pope will be sending troops in the coming weeks. 251 00:18:14,593 --> 00:18:17,346 - Long live the emperor. - Long live the emperor! 252 00:18:17,638 --> 00:18:20,974 Notaras is the wealthiest man in Constantinople, 253 00:18:21,058 --> 00:18:24,478 with business interests ranging from Anatolia to Italy. 254 00:18:24,561 --> 00:18:27,815 No one has more to lose in a war with the Ottomans. 255 00:18:27,898 --> 00:18:30,109 Send this to our Turkish friend. 256 00:19:09,022 --> 00:19:11,441 You slippery Greek goat fucker. 257 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:17,531 Halil Pasha. 258 00:19:28,125 --> 00:19:30,460 Candarli Halil was the grand vizier 259 00:19:30,544 --> 00:19:32,713 and an experienced older statesman. 260 00:19:32,796 --> 00:19:35,132 Also known as Halil the Greek... 261 00:19:35,215 --> 00:19:39,303 because he didn't really want Mehmed to conquer Constantinople, 262 00:19:39,386 --> 00:19:41,138 he didn't think it was a useful thing to do. 263 00:19:41,221 --> 00:19:44,725 Or maybe he'd been bribed by the Greeks to kind of divert Mehmed. 264 00:19:45,684 --> 00:19:47,853 I'm glad you could make it, Pasha. 265 00:19:52,191 --> 00:19:53,859 Though by the look on your face, 266 00:19:53,942 --> 00:19:56,361 it's not with good tidings. 267 00:19:58,739 --> 00:20:00,365 The sultan won't be swayed. 268 00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:07,497 A war is bad for all of us. 269 00:20:08,665 --> 00:20:10,876 And your interests in the city. 270 00:20:12,669 --> 00:20:14,588 Peace is much more profitable. 271 00:20:17,799 --> 00:20:19,968 He is arrogant, young, 272 00:20:20,052 --> 00:20:22,179 convinced he'll conquer the West, 273 00:20:22,763 --> 00:20:24,848 just as Alexander conquered the East. 274 00:20:29,311 --> 00:20:31,521 Loukas was probably 275 00:20:31,605 --> 00:20:34,942 the richest man in all of the Balkans. 276 00:20:35,025 --> 00:20:37,402 He tried to play every side. 277 00:20:39,947 --> 00:20:43,242 There's more talk of the emperor releasing Prince Orhan. 278 00:20:46,828 --> 00:20:50,082 - The emperor is willing to arm him. - With a wine flask? 279 00:20:56,964 --> 00:21:00,676 Tell your sultan the emperor prefers peace with the Ottomans. 280 00:21:00,759 --> 00:21:02,219 I'll make sure of this. 281 00:21:02,886 --> 00:21:05,889 And we can come to terms to avoid a war. 282 00:21:10,978 --> 00:21:11,978 But... 283 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:14,898 if the sultan is... 284 00:21:15,732 --> 00:21:18,068 hell-bent on taking the city... 285 00:21:19,653 --> 00:21:22,447 I hate to think of you dying by his side 286 00:21:22,531 --> 00:21:25,158 in a war that could have easily been avoided. 287 00:21:30,163 --> 00:21:32,332 And if it goes the other way, 288 00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:36,586 I'll have a front row seat for your beheading... 289 00:21:37,629 --> 00:21:39,214 my old friend. 290 00:22:01,528 --> 00:22:03,613 I should have his head for this. 291 00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:05,907 Deceitful dog! 292 00:22:06,366 --> 00:22:08,201 Mehmed, patience. 293 00:22:08,285 --> 00:22:11,538 A commodity of which I have precious little at the moment. 294 00:22:20,464 --> 00:22:22,966 It's wiser to keep him close for now. 295 00:22:23,342 --> 00:22:27,846 Think about the importance of continuity for a new sultan 296 00:22:27,929 --> 00:22:29,431 who's relatively untested. 297 00:22:29,514 --> 00:22:33,060 To come in and start firing people and executing them as soon as you get in, 298 00:22:33,143 --> 00:22:34,853 that's not gonna make you many friends. 299 00:22:34,936 --> 00:22:37,314 So in some ways it's a tactical decision. 300 00:22:37,397 --> 00:22:40,817 You use him for as long as he's useful, and if he proves useful, great. 301 00:22:40,901 --> 00:22:42,903 If he doesn't, get rid of him eventually. 302 00:22:43,737 --> 00:22:46,198 Perhaps you can use his carelessness... 303 00:22:47,282 --> 00:22:48,825 to your advantage. 304 00:23:14,851 --> 00:23:16,436 Where is your master? 305 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:17,979 Halil Pasha! 306 00:23:21,316 --> 00:23:22,651 Zaganos Pasha... 307 00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:25,779 what is the meaning of this? 308 00:23:25,862 --> 00:23:29,157 The sultan requests your presence at the palace. 309 00:23:30,992 --> 00:23:33,745 - Now? - At once, Halil Pasha. 310 00:23:42,045 --> 00:23:44,131 Give me a moment to dress. 311 00:23:44,214 --> 00:23:45,424 Sure. 312 00:24:09,531 --> 00:24:10,740 Sultan. 313 00:24:10,824 --> 00:24:12,325 We brought Halil Pasha. 314 00:24:14,911 --> 00:24:16,079 My sultan. 315 00:24:20,375 --> 00:24:22,085 May I please speak? 316 00:24:39,311 --> 00:24:40,562 What is this? 317 00:24:42,522 --> 00:24:43,648 It's... 318 00:24:49,154 --> 00:24:50,947 It's customary to bring gifts 319 00:24:51,031 --> 00:24:53,575 when summoned by the sultan in the middle of the night. 320 00:24:55,785 --> 00:24:57,746 I don't need your gold, Pasha. 321 00:24:58,205 --> 00:25:00,207 I need your ear. Get up. 322 00:25:02,584 --> 00:25:03,584 Get up. 323 00:25:09,341 --> 00:25:12,302 I just woke from a dream. 324 00:25:15,931 --> 00:25:17,599 I saw my father, 325 00:25:18,934 --> 00:25:20,268 my ancestors, 326 00:25:20,977 --> 00:25:22,187 Osman. 327 00:25:24,189 --> 00:25:25,857 They showed me the road ahead. 328 00:25:30,445 --> 00:25:32,739 It led me to Constantinople. 329 00:25:34,407 --> 00:25:37,327 The gates of the city flew open. 330 00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:40,747 I walked straight to Hagia Sophia... 331 00:25:42,707 --> 00:25:46,836 and there I saw the Red Apple itself. 332 00:25:48,672 --> 00:25:50,131 It was given to me. 333 00:25:52,717 --> 00:25:54,553 You understand, Pasha... 334 00:25:56,304 --> 00:26:00,016 Allah has sent me a vision. 335 00:26:01,101 --> 00:26:04,980 He has commanded me to take Constantinople. 336 00:26:06,481 --> 00:26:09,693 I have no choice but to obey his wish. 337 00:26:12,654 --> 00:26:16,533 There's a prophecy that Constantinople's the Red Apple, and a warrior will come, 338 00:26:16,616 --> 00:26:19,828 he will take this center of Christian orthodoxy 339 00:26:19,911 --> 00:26:22,914 and wrest it from the Christians 340 00:26:22,998 --> 00:26:25,333 and bring it home to the Islamic world. 341 00:26:26,084 --> 00:26:29,004 In my vision, you, too, were by my side, Pasha. 342 00:26:29,713 --> 00:26:32,924 Devoted teacher, my loyal servant, 343 00:26:33,008 --> 00:26:35,260 commander of my fearsome army, 344 00:26:35,343 --> 00:26:37,846 and utterly committed to our destiny. 345 00:26:40,890 --> 00:26:42,642 I am all those things. 346 00:26:43,268 --> 00:26:45,812 Then I have your support in this endeavor? 347 00:26:50,692 --> 00:26:55,155 Mehmed played it very, very wisely. 348 00:26:55,238 --> 00:26:57,741 He was able to put him at ease, 349 00:26:58,533 --> 00:26:59,951 so he was able to use him. 350 00:27:00,035 --> 00:27:03,622 As grand vizier, Candarli Halil Pasha 351 00:27:03,705 --> 00:27:07,042 is the second most powerful man in the Ottoman Empire. 352 00:27:07,125 --> 00:27:09,836 The young sultan must have his full support 353 00:27:09,919 --> 00:27:12,255 for an attack on Constantinople. 354 00:27:14,174 --> 00:27:16,301 I knew I could rely upon you, Pasha. 355 00:27:18,595 --> 00:27:19,763 Sleep well. 356 00:27:38,365 --> 00:27:40,158 The Ottoman war machine 357 00:27:40,241 --> 00:27:42,077 shifts into high gear. 358 00:27:43,370 --> 00:27:47,624 Within six months, Mehmed assembles an army of 80,000 359 00:27:47,707 --> 00:27:49,834 ready to march on Constantinople. 360 00:27:53,338 --> 00:27:55,590 Mehmed's troops quickly capture and destroy 361 00:27:55,674 --> 00:27:59,678 the few remaining Roman outposts outside of Constantinople, 362 00:27:59,761 --> 00:28:02,305 further isolating the emperor. 363 00:28:03,098 --> 00:28:05,975 The biggest addition to the Ottoman war machine 364 00:28:06,559 --> 00:28:08,186 is yet to come. 365 00:28:19,739 --> 00:28:22,409 Your reputation precedes you, Orban. 366 00:28:22,492 --> 00:28:24,452 I've heard much about your big guns. 367 00:28:24,536 --> 00:28:27,497 Yes, Sultan. And "guns..." 368 00:28:27,580 --> 00:28:29,791 ...doesn't do my latest offerings justice. 369 00:28:35,422 --> 00:28:37,507 You see, you need huge balls 370 00:28:37,590 --> 00:28:40,218 to take down the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. 371 00:28:41,219 --> 00:28:44,139 I know them and I know their weak spots. 372 00:28:45,265 --> 00:28:47,308 Father, it's in here. 373 00:28:50,061 --> 00:28:51,061 Father. 374 00:28:52,897 --> 00:28:55,358 Forgive me, my lord. May I? 375 00:29:10,957 --> 00:29:11,958 This... 376 00:29:12,834 --> 00:29:14,294 this is my new cannon. 377 00:29:14,919 --> 00:29:16,296 It's eight meters long. 378 00:29:16,921 --> 00:29:18,423 The largest ever designed. 379 00:29:19,090 --> 00:29:20,592 And I call it Basilica. 380 00:29:21,926 --> 00:29:24,012 - You can build this? - Yes. 381 00:29:24,763 --> 00:29:26,014 Yes, Sultan. 382 00:29:26,473 --> 00:29:30,018 She fires a cannon ball two-and-a-half meters in diameter. 383 00:29:30,101 --> 00:29:33,438 This gun would blast through the walls of Babylon. 384 00:29:34,439 --> 00:29:37,692 Although I know you have no quarrels with the Babylonians. 385 00:29:38,902 --> 00:29:40,612 - You're a Hungarian? - Yes. 386 00:29:40,695 --> 00:29:42,238 - And a Christian? - Yes. 387 00:29:42,322 --> 00:29:44,908 Why aren't you offering these inventions to Constantine? 388 00:29:47,494 --> 00:29:49,829 There is a price for my knowledge. 389 00:29:50,330 --> 00:29:52,332 The emperor was unable to pay. 390 00:29:52,957 --> 00:29:54,334 And, of course, 391 00:29:54,417 --> 00:29:56,461 you are the true ruler of these lands. 392 00:29:58,296 --> 00:29:59,589 Who is this young man? 393 00:29:59,672 --> 00:30:02,801 Uh, Jacob. My son and my apprentice. 394 00:30:03,343 --> 00:30:06,221 The only one who knows these guns as well as me. 395 00:30:06,846 --> 00:30:10,183 One day he will make a cannon even bigger than Basilica. 396 00:30:13,061 --> 00:30:15,063 So then, what's your asking price? 397 00:30:15,146 --> 00:30:17,565 Uh, 10,000 ducats. 398 00:30:19,651 --> 00:30:21,945 You got pretty big balls yourself, my friend. 399 00:30:22,862 --> 00:30:24,280 Firearms on the battlefield 400 00:30:24,364 --> 00:30:26,908 have been around for a few decades by this point. 401 00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:29,619 But cannons of this size were something 402 00:30:29,702 --> 00:30:32,497 that was completely out of most people's imagination. 403 00:30:33,373 --> 00:30:36,543 And so Orban goes to a number of people around the world 404 00:30:36,626 --> 00:30:39,003 offering his services as a cannon maker. 405 00:30:42,590 --> 00:30:46,052 If this gun can bring down the walls of Constantinople, 406 00:30:46,135 --> 00:30:49,097 as you claim, I'll pay you four times that. 407 00:30:50,431 --> 00:30:53,726 My only condition is they must be ready and on the battlefield in three months. 408 00:31:11,578 --> 00:31:15,748 The vision of building a weapon like that is remarkable, 409 00:31:15,832 --> 00:31:20,044 not least because early firearms were prone to explode. 410 00:31:20,128 --> 00:31:21,921 So if you think about what it is, 411 00:31:22,005 --> 00:31:25,091 it's a big metal tube that you shove a load of gunpowder into, 412 00:31:25,174 --> 00:31:27,510 and then light on fire to put a projectile out. 413 00:31:27,594 --> 00:31:32,098 That's as likely to blow up in your face as it is to blow up the enemy. 414 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:37,770 This huge, huge thing, 415 00:31:37,854 --> 00:31:40,773 the biggest cannon that's ever been made up to that point, 416 00:31:40,857 --> 00:31:42,942 and when they fire it, you know, 417 00:31:43,026 --> 00:31:45,361 animals collapse in the fields and, you know, 418 00:31:45,445 --> 00:31:47,906 women give birth suddenly, and it's just kind of like 419 00:31:47,989 --> 00:31:49,699 no one's heard anything like this before, 420 00:31:49,782 --> 00:31:51,492 and the ball flies for a mile, 421 00:31:51,576 --> 00:31:53,703 and, you know, it is an astonishing thing. 422 00:31:53,786 --> 00:31:56,456 Mehmed's super-gun is revolutionary. 423 00:32:01,628 --> 00:32:04,964 But Constantine has a secret weapon of his own... 424 00:32:06,049 --> 00:32:10,929 Genoese soldier of fortune, Giovanni Giustiniani Longo. 425 00:32:25,234 --> 00:32:28,321 He's a gallant, kind of a swashbuckling figure, 426 00:32:28,404 --> 00:32:30,657 and he's well known as 427 00:32:30,740 --> 00:32:32,742 an expert in defending walled cities. 428 00:32:34,994 --> 00:32:36,621 He was a pirate... 429 00:32:36,704 --> 00:32:41,042 ...and he was particularly attacking ships from Egypt, 430 00:32:41,125 --> 00:32:43,670 up to the point that the Genoese government 431 00:32:43,753 --> 00:32:45,880 had brought charges against him. 432 00:32:45,964 --> 00:32:49,050 And he ran away so he wouldn't be tried. 433 00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:55,098 He offered his services to the emperor. 434 00:32:56,891 --> 00:33:00,937 The chronicles say that the emperor promised him the island of Lemnos. 435 00:33:13,199 --> 00:33:17,203 Lord Giustiniani, you and your men are a welcome sight. 436 00:33:25,753 --> 00:33:26,921 So... 437 00:33:30,091 --> 00:33:33,761 you have studied our, uh, situation. 438 00:33:34,887 --> 00:33:36,931 Yes. I have. 439 00:33:38,474 --> 00:33:39,642 What do you think? 440 00:33:41,310 --> 00:33:43,271 By my calculations, 441 00:33:43,354 --> 00:33:46,107 you have just under 7,000 soldiers. 442 00:33:46,190 --> 00:33:47,775 It is certainly not ideal, 443 00:33:48,151 --> 00:33:49,878 but I have faith that with your allegiance... 444 00:33:49,902 --> 00:33:50,987 Allegiance? 445 00:33:51,070 --> 00:33:52,071 Your... 446 00:33:53,906 --> 00:33:56,367 with your faithful support, we, uh, 447 00:33:56,451 --> 00:33:57,869 will defeat the Ottomans. 448 00:34:02,957 --> 00:34:04,917 I would decree you head of the land forces. 449 00:34:06,419 --> 00:34:09,881 There are 14 miles of walls to defend, Emperor. 450 00:34:11,132 --> 00:34:12,216 Yes. 451 00:34:12,592 --> 00:34:16,304 But, uh, I've sent envoys to every ally in Europe. 452 00:34:17,013 --> 00:34:18,848 Reinforcements from the pope 453 00:34:18,931 --> 00:34:21,184 hopefully should be arriving any day now. 454 00:34:21,601 --> 00:34:23,227 We will be in better shape then. 455 00:34:27,482 --> 00:34:28,482 Forgive me... 456 00:34:30,526 --> 00:34:32,403 but in my line of work, 457 00:34:33,112 --> 00:34:34,989 hope will get you killed. 458 00:34:38,493 --> 00:34:40,328 If you are to have my trust, 459 00:34:41,079 --> 00:34:44,665 paid or otherwise, then I must have yours... 460 00:34:47,502 --> 00:34:48,920 Emperor. 461 00:34:50,838 --> 00:34:52,215 Lord Giustiniani... 462 00:34:58,721 --> 00:35:00,973 the fate of the city is in your hands. 463 00:35:06,854 --> 00:35:08,397 Take heart, my lord. 464 00:35:09,398 --> 00:35:11,609 The Ottomans don't like long sieges. 465 00:35:12,110 --> 00:35:15,029 And we have those big, beautiful walls. 466 00:35:32,755 --> 00:35:35,508 My lord, it's as you suspected. 467 00:35:35,591 --> 00:35:38,386 The emperor put the Genoan in charge of the defenses. 468 00:35:52,108 --> 00:35:54,694 In March of 1453, 469 00:35:54,777 --> 00:35:58,739 the Ottomans set out on the 148-mile march 470 00:35:58,823 --> 00:36:00,491 to Constantinople. 471 00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:07,206 The Ottoman army was a dynamic, 472 00:36:07,290 --> 00:36:08,457 growing entity. 473 00:36:09,500 --> 00:36:11,752 They had a unity of command 474 00:36:11,836 --> 00:36:14,505 which the Europeans didn't have. 475 00:36:14,589 --> 00:36:18,259 When these crusader armies attacked the Ottomans, 476 00:36:18,342 --> 00:36:21,220 they hardly ever listened to their supreme commander. 477 00:36:21,304 --> 00:36:24,432 You know, every unit did whatever they wanted to do. 478 00:36:24,515 --> 00:36:26,225 They were running after the most glory. 479 00:36:26,309 --> 00:36:28,936 But the Ottoman army had a central command. 480 00:36:29,020 --> 00:36:32,398 Really, there was nobody in the Balkans who could stop them. 481 00:36:33,941 --> 00:36:36,903 The most feared warriors in Mehmed's army 482 00:36:36,986 --> 00:36:38,529 are the Janissaries. 483 00:36:39,488 --> 00:36:41,908 Former Christian slaves taken as children, 484 00:36:41,991 --> 00:36:43,576 converted to Islam, 485 00:36:43,659 --> 00:36:47,079 and trained to be the sultan's elite special forces. 486 00:36:47,163 --> 00:36:48,456 In the 1300s, 487 00:36:48,539 --> 00:36:50,917 these captives become this standing army 488 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,628 that never disbands, they're always there, 489 00:36:53,711 --> 00:36:55,338 they're always ready to fight. 490 00:36:55,421 --> 00:36:59,467 That's the first standing army in Europe. This has never happened before. 491 00:36:59,550 --> 00:37:02,595 They become the backbone of this empire. 492 00:37:05,014 --> 00:37:06,682 The Ottoman army arrives 493 00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:09,602 on the outskirts of Constantinople at Easter, 494 00:37:09,685 --> 00:37:12,188 the holiest day in the Christian world. 495 00:37:47,306 --> 00:37:49,684 And then you look out across these walls 496 00:37:49,767 --> 00:37:52,937 and you see what must have been an incredible sight. 497 00:37:59,652 --> 00:38:02,530 There hadn't really been a professional army wandering around 498 00:38:02,613 --> 00:38:03,773 since the time of the Romans, 499 00:38:03,823 --> 00:38:07,535 so these guys must have been particularly terrifying to look at. 500 00:38:08,077 --> 00:38:11,831 I can't even imagine what Constantine must have felt. 501 00:38:13,416 --> 00:38:15,376 I was hoping this day would never come. 502 00:38:19,338 --> 00:38:21,966 This day was always going to come, Emperor. 503 00:38:23,634 --> 00:38:25,428 It's what we do tomorrow 504 00:38:26,512 --> 00:38:27,888 that will be important. 505 00:38:34,562 --> 00:38:36,814 Mehmed walks the battlefield 506 00:38:36,897 --> 00:38:39,859 where 23 armies, including his father's, 507 00:38:39,942 --> 00:38:43,029 have tried to take the city and failed. 508 00:38:44,071 --> 00:38:46,824 His own destiny remains unknown. 509 00:38:47,950 --> 00:38:51,078 There's a particular hadith that becomes popular. 510 00:38:51,162 --> 00:38:54,040 A hadith is a saying of the Prophet Muhammad, 511 00:38:54,123 --> 00:38:57,752 and it says... 512 00:38:57,835 --> 00:39:00,087 "Surely you, the Islamic nation, 513 00:39:00,171 --> 00:39:02,381 will conquer Constantinople." 514 00:39:05,051 --> 00:39:07,762 "And how wonderful will its commander be, 515 00:39:07,845 --> 00:39:09,930 the commander of that nation." 516 00:39:13,017 --> 00:39:15,603 "And how amazing, how wonderful will the army be, 517 00:39:15,686 --> 00:39:16,854 the army of that nation." 518 00:39:16,937 --> 00:39:19,023 This particular setting, 519 00:39:19,106 --> 00:39:21,067 that there will one day be a great commander 520 00:39:21,150 --> 00:39:22,860 who will conquer Constantinople, 521 00:39:22,943 --> 00:39:25,738 starts to become important for Mehmed. 522 00:39:32,036 --> 00:39:34,163 ...the Father, the Son, and the Holy... 523 00:39:37,666 --> 00:39:40,503 We are going to need more than that, Father. 524 00:39:50,346 --> 00:39:51,346 Lady? 525 00:39:55,893 --> 00:39:58,729 You are George Sphrantzes' daughter. 526 00:39:59,271 --> 00:40:01,023 My name is Therma, sir... 527 00:40:01,649 --> 00:40:03,150 should you wish to use it. 528 00:40:07,696 --> 00:40:10,783 I have never seen so many people in one place. 529 00:40:12,493 --> 00:40:15,788 The sultan appears determined to make a fight of it. 530 00:40:16,914 --> 00:40:19,667 But they must get through these walls first. 531 00:40:22,169 --> 00:40:23,879 A lot of people will die. 532 00:40:24,422 --> 00:40:26,382 I have no intention of dying. 533 00:40:34,890 --> 00:40:38,477 On April 6th, Mehmed sends a final offer of truce 534 00:40:38,561 --> 00:40:40,438 to Emperor Constantine. 535 00:40:40,521 --> 00:40:44,150 So, the siege is governed by different cultural norms, 536 00:40:44,233 --> 00:40:47,027 and some of those cultural norms are specific to Islam. 537 00:40:47,111 --> 00:40:50,197 There's several rules of war set down in the Quran, 538 00:40:50,281 --> 00:40:54,034 um... that dictate the way that we should treat such people. 539 00:40:54,118 --> 00:40:57,037 So we give them the opportunity to change their minds, 540 00:40:57,121 --> 00:40:59,915 that we give them the opportunity to negotiate a new treaty, 541 00:40:59,999 --> 00:41:02,376 we give them the chance to extricate themselves 542 00:41:02,460 --> 00:41:04,879 from the potential bloodletting ahead. 543 00:41:05,463 --> 00:41:08,632 "Our lord, the merciful Sultan Mehmed, 544 00:41:08,716 --> 00:41:11,552 will spare the citizens of the city, 545 00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:14,305 harming neither their families 546 00:41:15,014 --> 00:41:17,308 nor their belongings, 547 00:41:18,184 --> 00:41:21,353 if you voluntarily surrender. 548 00:41:22,188 --> 00:41:24,231 The people of Constantinople 549 00:41:25,274 --> 00:41:27,359 may keep their possessions; 550 00:41:27,443 --> 00:41:28,777 there will be no looting. 551 00:41:29,862 --> 00:41:30,905 In return, 552 00:41:30,988 --> 00:41:34,200 you will open the gates of the city 553 00:41:34,783 --> 00:41:37,745 and kiss the hands of our sultan." 554 00:41:39,371 --> 00:41:43,417 "Sultan Mehmed will the one ruler of the Romans." 555 00:41:53,552 --> 00:41:57,681 We'll soon find out if the emperor loves his city enough to die for it. 556 00:42:00,267 --> 00:42:02,520 They rejected the offer, Sultan. 557 00:42:05,523 --> 00:42:07,983 Prepare the cannons. 558 00:42:15,491 --> 00:42:17,451 Get ready, boys! 559 00:42:42,434 --> 00:42:45,729 - Prepare the cannons! - Prepare the cannons! 560 00:42:48,357 --> 00:42:50,192 Ready! 561 00:42:56,282 --> 00:42:57,408 Fire!