Post by Michael Magri

The Last Defense of Constantinople What would it mean for Hindus if they lost the sacred Ganges River? Or for Muslims if they lost Mecca and Medina? Or for Catholics if they lost the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica? May 29, 1453, remains one of the saddest dates for Orthodox Christians. On that day, Constantinople fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Several years before fell of the city, the final restoration of the walls of Constantinople was financed by the Serbian Despotate. A marble slab, preserved today in the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul, bears an inscription commemorating the restoration of part of the city walls at the expense of the Serbian Despot Đurađ (Georgije) Branković in 1448. The title of Despot was a Byzantine title equivalent to the title of King in the West. While the Byzantine Empire was suffering from a deep economic crisis, its ally, the Serbian Despotate, despite an extremely difficult geopolitical position, was one of the largest exporters of silver in Europe during the first half of the 15th century. The inscription on the slab, still readable today, states: “+ΑΝΕΚΕΝΙCΘΗΝ ΟΥΤΟC Ο ΠΥΡΓΟC KAI H KOPTINA YΠΟ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ ΔΕCΠΟΤΟΥ CΕΡΒΙΑC+ ΕΝ ΕΤΕΙ ,ςπνς' (6956 from the Creation of the World) AΩΙΖ (?)” The holes once held bronze letters. “ΑΩ ΙΖ” may refer to “ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΩ ΙΖ’” (17 August). Yet even the massive walls could not withstand the power of the new Ottoman heavy artillery, designed by the Hungarian engineer Orban. Constantine XI Palaiologos Dragases (Dragaš), the last Byzantine Emperor, was also tied to Serbia through family lineage. His mother, Helena Dragaš, was the daughter of Konstantin Dragaš Dejanović, ruler of the region of Pirin Macedonia with its center in Velbazhd, one of the principalities that emerged after the collapse of the Serbian Empire in 1371. Helena’s grandfather was Despot Dejan, one of the most distinguished military commanders and noblemen of Emperor Stefan Dušan Nemanjić in the mid-14th century. Photos: Top: the 1448 founder’s inscription slab and the walls of Constantinople Bottom left: “Holy Warriors” fresco, Manasija Monastery, c. 1418 Bottom right: Monument of Emperor Constantine XI