By May 23, any hope of the Greeks holding on had all but been extinguished. The book describes the occasion as follows: “Constantine for the last time went to the great church, and there, before all the bishops, asked the pardon of all whom he had wronged. We turn to pages 148-49 for the account of the last Roman Emperor’s final visit to the Hagia Sophia. Mijatovic placed Constantine XI’s actions in the context of his station: “As a Christian emperor, and as a Christian soldier, he was solemnly, and in the sight of his people, preparing to appear before his God.”. The borders would continuously expand and contract according to the pressure of its teeming enemies, however, and by 1453, the Byzantine Empire was little more than just the city state of Constantinople. This book produces a more balanced portrait of an intriguing individual: the last emperor of Constantinople. Renamed by historians as the Byzantine Empire, it would survive for a thousand years longer than its Western counterpart. Please feel free to use... Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned the hallowed Hagia Sophia cathedral back into a mosque, An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative, Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam), The Quarantine Sessions: Covering The Beatles. No, I will stay and die here with you!”. Shall I be the one to flee from it? And so, reign in happiness till the Righteous and Supreme Judge shall call us both before the seat of His judgment.”. This, we are told, elicited tears from both the Emperor and his council. In this post, in light of recent events, I will look at a couple of accounts of the final night of prayers in the Christian Hagia Sophia, telling the story of Emperor Constantine XI’s visit. The pre-Christian Romans fretted over their final words and revered honorable deaths. Unlike the valiant last stand by Constantine XI in Constantinople which marked the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the Roman Empire in the West did not fall after a notable battle. The city, however, was surrounded b… We feature creative writing content and musings from our editors and writers. After addressing his Court for a final time, Constantine made his last inspection of the walls of Constantinople. Rather than give an order to the men who remained with him, Constantine offered a choice: “Whoever wishes to escape, let him save himself if he can; and whoever is ready to face death, let him follow me!”. Indeed, it is perhaps ironic that one of the greatest empires in history surrendered rather meekly without much of a struggle. “[Constantine] listened to the monotonous beating of the drums, and to the wild tumult that prevailed in the Turkish camp. That there is a thread linking Augustus, who became master of the Roman world after prevailing in his civil war against Marc Antony in the latter half of the first century BC, to Constantine XI, the final Greek and Christian ruler of Constantinople, is remarkable in and of itself. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. First, Hutton made reference to the significance of this final night of prayers at the Hagia Sophia beyond it being Constantine’s final visit:  “For the last time the Holy Sacrifice was offered in S. Sophia…”  Then, in a line that was the focus of my earlier article on Constantine, Hutton made reference to Constantine XI’s place in the lineage of Roman Emperors, as tenuous as the links to Caesar Augustus may have been by 1453:  “[T]hen the last of the Cæsars and his nobles went forth to die.”. Directed by Faruk Aksoy. When the siege of Constantinople began on April 6, 1453, the Emperor and his 7,000 soldiers were vastly outnumbered – nearly ten-to-one by one account. Like he had weeks before, he again asserted his resolve to defend Constantinople to the end: “My friends, if it is God’s will that our city shall fall, can we escape His wrath? For the last time the Holy Sacrifice was offered in S. Sophia, and then the last of the Cæsars and his nobles went forth to die.”, Although the account is fleshed out in more detail in our next selection, there are two striking notes from Hutton’s telling of the Emperor’s last visit to the cathedral. Mijatovic then offered a detailed account of Constantine XI’s prayers: “Constantine prayed with great fervour. Wikipedia has slightly different translation of the final passage of Constantine’s response: “As to surrendering the city to you, it is not for me to decide or for anyone else of its citizens, for all of us have reached the mutual decision to die of our own free will, without any regard for our lives.”. As the sun set on the Roman Empire for what would be its final night, anxious citizens of the city gathered in the magnificent cathedral, the Hagia Sophia, for what would be its final night to date as a functioning Christian church. “I should praise God if thou wouldst live in peace with us, as thy forefathers did; they treated my predecessors with filial respect, and this city with the greatest consideration. You will find many articles about society and culture, music, arts and literature, history, and current affairs. A census made in the first half of 15th century revealed that the city officially only had 4,973 Greek professional soldiers as defenders, accompanied by around 200 foreign residents. It was upon the ringing of the church bells that “[t]he Emperor proceeded to St. Sophia.”  According to this account, “[t]he church was crowded.”  Mijatovic left the source material for a moment to speculate about what the Emperor was thinking as he walked into the Hagia Sophia for what would prove to be the final time:  “It would have been only natural for him to think that it was, perhaps, the last time he would stand beneath that magnificent cupola, under which so many orthodox Emperors had worshipped in good and evil days.”. This content may not be used or published elsewhere without the express permission of the owner(s). Nevertheless I release thee from all thy oaths and treaties to me, I close the gates of my city, I will defend my people to the last drop of my blood. Please feel free to use... Constantine and the Last Vespers at Hagia Sophia, Constantine, The Last Emperor of the Greeks, [A]nd then the last of the Caesars and his nobles went forth to die, An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative, Persona 4 Golden Digital Artbook Review (Steam), The Quarantine Sessions: Covering The Beatles. (Sultan Mehmed II subsequently had his head cut off, peeled off the skin, and stuffed it … Similarly to the Greeks, who made the final Byzantine Emperor a symbol of national resilience during their ultimately successful push for independence in the early nineteenth century, I find the story of Constantine XI’s last stand quite moving. Many reckon the end of the medieval world by the fall of this last vestige of the Roman Empire. Copyright © 2021 The New Leaf Journal All Rights Reserved. If it be His will that the city should become thine, where is he who can oppose His will? Benjamin Harrison’s Memorable July 4, 1888, Irene Triplett, last Civil War Pensioner, Dies. On May 28, 1453, Greco-Christian Constantinople, the last bastion of the once vast Byzantine and Roman Empires, faced the prospect of the imminent fall of the city to the Ottoman Empire. As we know, the Christian emperor would, within the day, cast aside his regalia and make his final stand as a Christian soldier, falling with his men. Enter your email address to sign up for The Newsletter Leaf Journal. Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos is not only remembered for being the last Byzantine Emperor who put up a brave last stand against the Ottomans, but also for his last speech to his officers and allies before the Fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453 by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. Articles about the life and times of the last Roman/Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI. Launched on April 27, 2020, The New Leaf Journal is a growing online magazine. I have also provided links to the books and pages that I am using as references, so you will be able to follow along. 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