1 00:00:11,804 --> 00:00:13,806 [blasts reverberate] 2 00:00:17,060 --> 00:00:19,645 [Murad] The Red Apple is the prized apple, Mehmed. 3 00:00:22,273 --> 00:00:23,441 The sweetest. 4 00:00:24,901 --> 00:00:25,902 The ripest. 5 00:00:27,445 --> 00:00:30,156 It is the beating heart at the center of our universe. 6 00:00:31,074 --> 00:00:32,492 The Promised Land. 7 00:00:34,285 --> 00:00:36,662 He who conquers Constantinople 8 00:00:36,746 --> 00:00:37,997 will have the world. 9 00:00:39,373 --> 00:00:41,250 But look at those walls, son. 10 00:00:42,919 --> 00:00:45,922 They've stopped every army that has tried to take the city. 11 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,342 They stopped me. 12 00:00:51,010 --> 00:00:52,637 Why not just knock down the walls? 13 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,515 There is no weapon strong enough to bring them down. 14 00:00:55,848 --> 00:01:00,144 Some have wondered if Allah himself could do it. 15 00:01:01,979 --> 00:01:02,939 Father... 16 00:01:05,650 --> 00:01:07,652 I will bring down those walls. 17 00:01:10,071 --> 00:01:11,614 And when I am sultan, 18 00:01:12,865 --> 00:01:14,826 I will take Constantinople. 19 00:01:27,505 --> 00:01:29,924 [narrator] Every empire has a beginning 20 00:01:30,007 --> 00:01:34,137 forged of blood, steel, fortune and conquest. 21 00:01:34,220 --> 00:01:38,558 In 1453, Roman Emperor Constantine XI 22 00:01:38,641 --> 00:01:41,185 and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II 23 00:01:41,269 --> 00:01:43,688 wage an epic battle for Constantinople. 24 00:01:44,772 --> 00:01:48,025 Twenty-three armies have tried to take the legendary city. 25 00:01:48,109 --> 00:01:49,735 All have failed. 26 00:01:49,819 --> 00:01:53,281 Out of the carnage, one ruler will emerge victorious 27 00:01:53,364 --> 00:01:57,451 and change the course of history for the next 300 years. 28 00:01:58,119 --> 00:02:02,165 For one empire to rise, another must fall. 29 00:02:14,051 --> 00:02:17,889 I want the cannons firing day and night until the Romans come crawling out, 30 00:02:17,972 --> 00:02:19,140 begging for mercy. 31 00:02:20,558 --> 00:02:22,643 [narrator] April 1453. 32 00:02:22,810 --> 00:02:27,356 Sultan Mehmed II unleashes an artillery attack on Constantinople... 33 00:02:29,442 --> 00:02:32,195 unlike any the world has ever known. 34 00:02:32,278 --> 00:02:33,404 [screaming] 35 00:02:33,487 --> 00:02:36,032 It's the largest concentration of cannons, 36 00:02:36,115 --> 00:02:40,494 about 69 or 70, that the world had seen in one place. 37 00:02:42,163 --> 00:02:45,666 These cannons are not the cannons we know from 18th century, 19th century. 38 00:02:45,750 --> 00:02:47,251 These are huge cannons. 39 00:02:51,631 --> 00:02:52,882 [woman screaming] 40 00:02:58,638 --> 00:02:59,847 Dear God, 41 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,893 the walls won't last until sundown if this continues. 42 00:03:04,894 --> 00:03:06,687 Have faith, Lord Loukas. 43 00:03:07,396 --> 00:03:09,649 So long as the Holy Spirit is with us, 44 00:03:10,608 --> 00:03:11,609 we will be safe. 45 00:03:15,655 --> 00:03:17,156 [narrator] Looking out from the walls, 46 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,786 Emperor Constantine is confronted by Mehmed's 80,000-man army. 47 00:03:21,869 --> 00:03:25,206 The monumental task of keeping the Ottomans out of the city 48 00:03:25,289 --> 00:03:28,459 falls on the shoulders of Genoese soldier of fortune 49 00:03:28,542 --> 00:03:30,127 Giovanni Giustiniani. 50 00:03:32,255 --> 00:03:37,134 Giustiniani and his men must defend 14 miles of city walls. 51 00:03:37,218 --> 00:03:41,347 Emperor Theodosius II built the walls in the 5th century. 52 00:03:41,430 --> 00:03:44,267 They are among the strongest ever constructed. 53 00:03:44,350 --> 00:03:46,686 [Crowley] The walls of Constantinople have been there 54 00:03:46,769 --> 00:03:49,355 for 1100 years in that form. 55 00:03:49,438 --> 00:03:52,566 This is an extraordinary piece of military engineering. 56 00:03:53,317 --> 00:03:55,278 There are five layers to the walls. 57 00:03:55,361 --> 00:03:56,988 There's the outer moat, 58 00:03:57,071 --> 00:04:00,491 then there is an open area that troops had to run across, 59 00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:01,867 a sort of killing field, 60 00:04:01,951 --> 00:04:04,870 then there is an outer wall with towers on it, 61 00:04:04,954 --> 00:04:08,332 then there's another killing field, and then there's an inner wall. 62 00:04:08,416 --> 00:04:12,003 The whole system is about 200 feet deep; 63 00:04:12,086 --> 00:04:14,088 from the bottom of the moat to the top of the walls 64 00:04:14,171 --> 00:04:16,090 it's about 100 feet high. 65 00:04:16,173 --> 00:04:17,675 Nobody had found a way across it. 66 00:04:18,092 --> 00:04:20,344 [Dr. A.M. Celâl Sengör] Mehmed looks at the city, 67 00:04:20,428 --> 00:04:23,306 he says, "All right, it's got these huge walls 68 00:04:23,848 --> 00:04:25,474 nobody penetrated. 69 00:04:26,934 --> 00:04:29,603 Now, how do you tear them down? You need artillery. 70 00:04:30,146 --> 00:04:33,190 I want a cannon that's gonna bring these things down." 71 00:04:33,774 --> 00:04:36,319 And he decided a frontal attack. 72 00:04:38,029 --> 00:04:39,697 He takes it as a challenge. 73 00:04:40,364 --> 00:04:42,116 This was the man. 74 00:04:42,825 --> 00:04:44,535 This was his character. 75 00:04:47,288 --> 00:04:50,666 [narrator] Mehmed's plan is a medieval version of shock and awe. 76 00:04:52,251 --> 00:04:54,128 Taking down the massive walls 77 00:04:54,211 --> 00:04:56,881 with an overwhelming storm of cannon fire. 78 00:04:58,215 --> 00:05:00,760 The centerpiece of Mehmed's artillery attack 79 00:05:00,843 --> 00:05:04,555 is a 27-foot cannon called Basilica. 80 00:05:05,097 --> 00:05:09,018 An immense cannon is built. Huge! 81 00:05:09,685 --> 00:05:13,230 You know, they say that hundreds of oxen pulled it. 82 00:05:13,814 --> 00:05:16,692 It's incredible metallurgical skill to make the thing, 83 00:05:16,776 --> 00:05:19,987 it had walls of bronze, eight inches thick, 84 00:05:20,071 --> 00:05:22,490 cannonballs of half a ton. 85 00:05:23,366 --> 00:05:26,077 A very large number of the bells of Balkan churches 86 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:28,496 were melted down to cast the thing. 87 00:05:29,205 --> 00:05:33,042 [narrator] The Ottomans nickname the mammoth bombard "The Bear" 88 00:05:33,125 --> 00:05:36,379 and the smaller cannons "The Cubs." 89 00:05:38,005 --> 00:05:39,090 [Orban] Easy with that. 90 00:05:39,173 --> 00:05:41,592 [narrator] The man who brings Mehmed's supergun to life 91 00:05:41,675 --> 00:05:45,096 is a master cannon founder from Hungary named Orban. 92 00:05:45,179 --> 00:05:47,515 -[Jacob] Father! -Yes? 93 00:05:47,598 --> 00:05:49,100 The cracks are growing larger. 94 00:05:50,768 --> 00:05:54,730 These cannons have huge firing power, but could only fire every three hours. 95 00:05:56,399 --> 00:05:58,692 More likely than not, they're gonna blow up in your face. 96 00:06:00,069 --> 00:06:02,238 If you fire them too often, for example, 97 00:06:02,321 --> 00:06:04,865 little cracks can develop, and then they blow up. 98 00:06:05,449 --> 00:06:07,868 They're pretty rudimentary things. 99 00:06:09,495 --> 00:06:12,289 We'll give her a break after this one. Okay? 100 00:06:13,165 --> 00:06:13,999 All right. Go. 101 00:06:14,083 --> 00:06:15,418 [soldier] Ready, sir! 102 00:06:16,001 --> 00:06:17,169 Send it! 103 00:06:18,045 --> 00:06:19,797 [soldiers shouting] 104 00:06:24,218 --> 00:06:26,637 [narrator] The cannons fire day and night... 105 00:06:29,807 --> 00:06:32,017 engulfing the city in chaos. 106 00:06:33,269 --> 00:06:35,646 [distant cannon fire] 107 00:06:35,729 --> 00:06:38,566 [Brownworth] Giustiniani was faced with something 108 00:06:38,649 --> 00:06:40,276 he has no experience of, 109 00:06:41,152 --> 00:06:44,071 and that is a cannon that can knock down a wall. 110 00:06:47,324 --> 00:06:50,494 Giustiniani has his soldiers go down 111 00:06:50,578 --> 00:06:52,705 and essentially pile up the rubble, 112 00:06:54,081 --> 00:06:59,044 remake the walls, and that actually works better than the original wall 113 00:06:59,128 --> 00:07:01,255 because the loose bricks 114 00:07:01,338 --> 00:07:03,466 absorb the impact of the cannonballs. 115 00:07:05,676 --> 00:07:09,889 And are much harder to knock down, takes a lot more impact to disperse them. 116 00:07:10,514 --> 00:07:12,308 [explosion echoes] 117 00:07:14,018 --> 00:07:16,437 [narrator] After six days of constant bombardment, 118 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,524 the walls of Constantinople are damaged, but standing. 119 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,068 [cannon fire] 120 00:07:23,152 --> 00:07:24,487 The sultan's cannons 121 00:07:24,570 --> 00:07:27,364 pin the emperor's soldiers down behind the walls. 122 00:07:27,448 --> 00:07:28,741 To survive the onslaught, 123 00:07:28,824 --> 00:07:32,495 they must devise a plan to put the Ottomans on the defensive. 124 00:07:37,374 --> 00:07:40,211 Giustiniani and his Italian mercenaries prepare 125 00:07:40,294 --> 00:07:43,339 to launch a counterattack against Mehmed's troops 126 00:07:43,923 --> 00:07:45,925 outside the walls. 127 00:07:46,842 --> 00:07:50,095 Giustiniani would go out and make small raids. 128 00:07:51,055 --> 00:07:53,098 It was both to catch people off-guard 129 00:07:53,182 --> 00:07:57,686 and just to, kind of, stop the other side relaxing. 130 00:08:01,482 --> 00:08:04,235 -Are you ready, brothers? -[all] Yah! 131 00:08:04,318 --> 00:08:06,153 -For God! -God! 132 00:08:06,237 --> 00:08:08,197 -For the purse! -The purse! 133 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,575 For she who you fight to return to! 134 00:08:11,659 --> 00:08:12,660 [all] Yah! 135 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,122 God! 136 00:08:17,206 --> 00:08:19,375 [all roaring] 137 00:08:19,792 --> 00:08:23,420 [Brownworth] Giustiniani, he's an expert in defensive warfare. 138 00:08:23,504 --> 00:08:25,673 The choice that Giustiniani has to make is, 139 00:08:25,756 --> 00:08:30,261 do I defend the outer walls or do I defend the inner wall? 140 00:08:31,178 --> 00:08:34,098 And he made the decision to defend the outer wall. 141 00:08:35,099 --> 00:08:38,769 Let's show them what a Genoese bastard with a sword can do! 142 00:08:38,852 --> 00:08:41,230 [all roar] 143 00:08:41,689 --> 00:08:44,024 [Brownworth] The outer wall is essentially a suicide mission, 144 00:08:44,525 --> 00:08:47,570 because that's where the cannons are hitting. 145 00:08:49,238 --> 00:08:51,198 [all roar] 146 00:08:51,699 --> 00:08:53,659 [Philippedes] The way the Italians fought, 147 00:08:53,742 --> 00:08:56,829 you're going to get somebody in plate armor 148 00:08:56,912 --> 00:09:00,416 surrounded by people who use crossbows... 149 00:09:00,499 --> 00:09:02,209 -[Giustiniani] Crossbows! -...And he was, 150 00:09:02,293 --> 00:09:04,044 if we can draw a comparison, 151 00:09:04,128 --> 00:09:07,047 like the Second World War, the tank. 152 00:09:07,131 --> 00:09:11,260 And then you have the infantry who is taking shelter behind the tank. 153 00:09:14,388 --> 00:09:16,390 [Giustiniani] Hold! 154 00:09:17,141 --> 00:09:18,475 Hold! 155 00:09:19,727 --> 00:09:21,145 Hold! 156 00:09:21,604 --> 00:09:23,355 -Fire! -[drawing crossbows] 157 00:09:25,107 --> 00:09:27,026 [soldiers groaning] 158 00:09:27,109 --> 00:09:28,110 [Giustiniani] Swords! 159 00:09:31,405 --> 00:09:34,366 [all roaring] 160 00:09:45,711 --> 00:09:50,716 Giustiniani actually brought with himself this large professional army 161 00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:54,178 of 2,000 people, and these guys are professional soldiers. 162 00:09:55,554 --> 00:09:56,889 They have fighting experience. 163 00:10:01,935 --> 00:10:03,646 They belong to the condottieri, 164 00:10:03,729 --> 00:10:05,481 which means "mercenary generals." 165 00:10:17,993 --> 00:10:22,498 [narrator] The ferocity and effectiveness of Giustiniani's attack 166 00:10:23,290 --> 00:10:25,584 catches the Ottomans by surprise. 167 00:10:27,961 --> 00:10:31,590 The battlefield is littered with the dead and dying. 168 00:10:31,924 --> 00:10:34,343 [bird cawing] 169 00:10:57,282 --> 00:10:59,952 [all cheer] 170 00:11:11,755 --> 00:11:14,633 We will make the Genoese pay for their bravery in blood. 171 00:11:17,344 --> 00:11:19,638 [roaring] 172 00:11:28,147 --> 00:11:31,650 What's the delay, Orban Pasha? Why isn't my Bear firing? 173 00:11:31,734 --> 00:11:32,901 J-Just a minute more, Sultan. 174 00:11:32,985 --> 00:11:35,529 I didn't pay you to build me a novelty, Orban. 175 00:11:36,572 --> 00:11:39,241 You promised your cannons would take down those walls. 176 00:11:40,826 --> 00:11:42,202 The barrel is cracking. 177 00:11:42,661 --> 00:11:44,788 The copper isn't holding as I had hoped. 178 00:11:44,872 --> 00:11:46,790 If I could have a few more days-- 179 00:11:46,874 --> 00:11:48,876 I want this cannon firing immediately. 180 00:11:51,462 --> 00:11:53,464 I'm doing everything in my power, Pasha. 181 00:11:54,256 --> 00:11:57,050 If we are lucky, perhaps she can fire in the morning. 182 00:11:57,134 --> 00:11:59,470 Orban, if you are lucky, 183 00:11:59,553 --> 00:12:01,847 you will get this cannon firing now. 184 00:12:01,930 --> 00:12:03,807 -But the cracks-- -Now. 185 00:12:11,565 --> 00:12:13,859 [narrator] The clock is ticking on the siege. 186 00:12:15,110 --> 00:12:17,112 Every day brings with it a new threat 187 00:12:17,196 --> 00:12:22,659 that Mehmed's enemies to the East and West will attack his bogged-down army. 188 00:12:22,743 --> 00:12:27,790 The gravest threat of all is that the pope will send reinforcements from Europe. 189 00:12:28,457 --> 00:12:29,833 [artilleryman] Loaded, sir. 190 00:12:30,334 --> 00:12:32,211 [Orban sighs] 191 00:12:32,294 --> 00:12:35,297 Do not forsake me, you big, magnificent bastard. 192 00:12:39,092 --> 00:12:40,677 [Mehmed] Are you ready, Orban? 193 00:12:42,805 --> 00:12:44,056 Yes, Sultan. 194 00:12:47,267 --> 00:12:49,520 [Orban] Please stand back. For your safety. 195 00:12:49,895 --> 00:12:51,897 Have some faith, Orban. 196 00:12:52,773 --> 00:12:53,649 Fire. 197 00:13:05,702 --> 00:13:07,496 No, no, no, no, no! 198 00:13:08,789 --> 00:13:10,249 [soldiers screaming] 199 00:13:31,395 --> 00:13:33,856 [distorted screams] 200 00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:41,405 [woman, muffled] Mehmed. 201 00:13:50,664 --> 00:13:51,707 [woman] Mehmed. 202 00:14:01,383 --> 00:14:04,136 -[young Mehmed] You can't catch me! -[woman] Mehmed... 203 00:14:05,053 --> 00:14:06,221 come sit with me. 204 00:14:09,182 --> 00:14:10,100 Come. 205 00:14:23,238 --> 00:14:24,656 What's wrong, Mama? 206 00:14:27,075 --> 00:14:29,244 Your father has summoned you to the capital. 207 00:14:29,912 --> 00:14:31,413 Will I be gone long? 208 00:14:34,374 --> 00:14:35,417 Yes. 209 00:14:35,751 --> 00:14:37,252 [bird chirping] 210 00:14:43,091 --> 00:14:44,635 What about my birds? 211 00:14:44,718 --> 00:14:46,553 You will get others in the capital. 212 00:14:46,803 --> 00:14:48,805 But you are coming with me? 213 00:14:52,142 --> 00:14:53,143 [sobs] 214 00:14:54,269 --> 00:14:55,938 We'll see each other soon. 215 00:14:58,857 --> 00:15:00,442 I don't want to go. 216 00:15:03,445 --> 00:15:04,279 [kisses] 217 00:15:14,081 --> 00:15:17,250 From now on, no more crying, Mehmed. 218 00:15:18,961 --> 00:15:20,629 A sultan never cries. 219 00:15:22,172 --> 00:15:24,049 Now... go. [sniffles] 220 00:15:24,132 --> 00:15:25,926 -But Mama-- -I said go! 221 00:16:00,210 --> 00:16:03,213 [Philippedes] His mother was probably a Byzantine. 222 00:16:04,131 --> 00:16:05,382 We don't know what she was. 223 00:16:05,465 --> 00:16:07,801 He kept the secret and took it to his grave. 224 00:16:10,637 --> 00:16:13,974 He always called her "Hatun," "The Lady." 225 00:16:17,769 --> 00:16:20,439 But we don't know who she was. 226 00:16:34,828 --> 00:16:36,705 [narrator] Mehmed arrives in the capital 227 00:16:36,788 --> 00:16:41,168 with no friends or family, other than his father, the sultan. 228 00:16:54,306 --> 00:16:58,435 His stepmother, Mara Brankovic, a Serbian princess, 229 00:16:58,518 --> 00:17:00,729 is Sultan Murad's third wife, 230 00:17:01,271 --> 00:17:03,440 but has no children of her own. 231 00:17:22,375 --> 00:17:26,379 In the lonely young prince, she finds a kindred spirit. 232 00:17:28,090 --> 00:17:30,550 [Philippedes] Mehmed had problems with his father. 233 00:17:32,427 --> 00:17:34,805 Mara may have taken him under her wing. 234 00:17:41,728 --> 00:17:43,480 He always called her "Mother." 235 00:17:51,780 --> 00:17:54,407 [singing Serbian folk song] 236 00:18:01,331 --> 00:18:03,750 [continues singing] 237 00:18:20,433 --> 00:18:23,145 [continues singing] 238 00:18:26,439 --> 00:18:30,318 [singing reverberates] 239 00:18:30,402 --> 00:18:31,528 [Murad] You have grown... 240 00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:34,281 since I last saw you. 241 00:18:42,414 --> 00:18:43,582 Do you remember me? 242 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:50,881 Answer the sultan. 243 00:18:54,843 --> 00:18:57,429 [Murad] Your older brother, Prince Ali... 244 00:18:58,638 --> 00:18:59,806 has died. 245 00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:05,061 Do you understand what that means? 246 00:19:11,735 --> 00:19:12,736 Boy. 247 00:19:13,904 --> 00:19:14,779 Look at me. 248 00:19:19,743 --> 00:19:23,413 Mehmed grew up in a very chilly atmosphere. 249 00:19:25,582 --> 00:19:29,211 Now come... and kiss my hand. 250 00:19:30,545 --> 00:19:33,840 [Crowley] There was no knowing whether you were going to survive. 251 00:19:35,342 --> 00:19:37,719 Ahmed, the oldest, was 12 years older than him. 252 00:19:37,802 --> 00:19:38,803 He died. 253 00:19:38,887 --> 00:19:41,598 And then Ali was mysteriously strangled, 254 00:19:41,681 --> 00:19:45,143 and effectively, Mehmed was all that was left. 255 00:19:47,145 --> 00:19:49,648 You will take his place as governor of Amasya. 256 00:19:50,190 --> 00:19:53,151 There, you will be educated and learn to be a ruler. 257 00:19:53,610 --> 00:19:54,527 A sultan. 258 00:19:54,611 --> 00:19:58,073 There is no longer time for childish pursuits, Prince. 259 00:19:58,531 --> 00:20:01,618 Candarli Pasha will report back to me on your progress. 260 00:20:07,082 --> 00:20:11,127 [narrator] By the age of 12, Mehmed is fluent in five languages, 261 00:20:11,211 --> 00:20:13,838 and models himself after Alexander the Great. 262 00:20:14,464 --> 00:20:18,426 He boasts that one day he will take the city of Constantinople. 263 00:20:18,885 --> 00:20:20,136 From an early age, 264 00:20:20,220 --> 00:20:24,349 the ambitious young crown prince clashes with his father's grand vizier. 265 00:20:24,432 --> 00:20:28,979 He was this rather unruly child who had to be beaten into submission. 266 00:20:29,062 --> 00:20:30,939 -[Candarli] Again... -[Mehmed whimpers] 267 00:20:31,022 --> 00:20:32,274 ...again. Again! 268 00:20:33,483 --> 00:20:35,944 We must teach the prince humility... 269 00:20:36,027 --> 00:20:37,404 [Mehmed gasping] 270 00:20:37,487 --> 00:20:39,114 ...for his own good. 271 00:20:41,908 --> 00:20:43,660 What are you doing, Prince? 272 00:20:45,161 --> 00:20:46,454 Whatever I please. 273 00:20:48,039 --> 00:20:49,332 [Mehmed grunts] 274 00:20:50,375 --> 00:20:51,584 I'm a prince. 275 00:20:53,086 --> 00:20:54,629 [Mehmed crying out] 276 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:58,717 [Mehmed breathing shakily] 277 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:00,427 The wounds will heal. 278 00:21:02,512 --> 00:21:04,389 The lesson will be remembered. 279 00:21:08,435 --> 00:21:09,853 [Mehmed] Yes, Pasha. 280 00:21:10,562 --> 00:21:11,938 It will be remembered. 281 00:21:19,487 --> 00:21:21,072 [Candarli] The lesson will be remembered. 282 00:21:25,493 --> 00:21:27,120 [narrator] Before he is even 13, 283 00:21:27,203 --> 00:21:29,247 his father, Murad II, 284 00:21:29,331 --> 00:21:33,668 decides to retire, leaving Mehmed to take the throne. 285 00:21:37,255 --> 00:21:38,548 The youngest sultan 286 00:21:38,631 --> 00:21:41,176 in the history of the Ottoman Empire. 287 00:21:44,888 --> 00:21:47,223 [Dr. Tom Papademetriou] Mehmed is now the emir, 288 00:21:48,183 --> 00:21:50,101 the sultan of the Ottomans. 289 00:21:52,270 --> 00:21:54,064 And he is... 290 00:21:55,190 --> 00:21:57,650 left with the entire Ottoman force 291 00:21:57,734 --> 00:21:59,319 at his disposal. 292 00:22:02,947 --> 00:22:06,034 And so, it becomes problematic right away, 293 00:22:06,117 --> 00:22:10,038 because the vizier of the time, Candarli Halil Pasha, 294 00:22:10,121 --> 00:22:12,665 is very nervous about this. 295 00:22:13,166 --> 00:22:15,085 Mehmed being such a young boy, 296 00:22:15,752 --> 00:22:17,295 they could lose everything. 297 00:22:17,379 --> 00:22:18,546 [kisses] 298 00:22:33,269 --> 00:22:36,064 Pashas, where have you been? 299 00:22:36,147 --> 00:22:37,524 There is much to be done. 300 00:22:39,776 --> 00:22:41,528 [Candarli] In what regard, Sultan? 301 00:22:42,153 --> 00:22:43,655 [Mehmed] Our council meeting. 302 00:22:46,449 --> 00:22:49,536 My father built the foundation of our empire... 303 00:22:50,370 --> 00:22:53,498 and now... I will take the next step. 304 00:23:06,511 --> 00:23:08,555 I will take Constantinople. 305 00:23:15,311 --> 00:23:16,604 Did you not hear me? 306 00:23:17,647 --> 00:23:20,108 Alexander had his first conquest at 20... 307 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:23,111 and I shall have mine now. 308 00:23:23,570 --> 00:23:26,364 Sultan, the Romans are under control... 309 00:23:27,615 --> 00:23:30,577 but the troubles in the East are very real. 310 00:23:31,077 --> 00:23:33,371 And in the West, Jon Hunyadi and the Hungarians 311 00:23:33,455 --> 00:23:35,999 are amassing their army near our border. 312 00:23:36,749 --> 00:23:39,252 There could be more crusades coming. 313 00:23:39,752 --> 00:23:41,379 They will want to test you. 314 00:23:46,009 --> 00:23:47,802 I will crush all of them. 315 00:23:48,344 --> 00:23:49,637 You need the Janissaries, 316 00:23:49,721 --> 00:23:51,931 and you've not given them a crown gift yet. 317 00:23:52,223 --> 00:23:54,017 They are demanding more pay. 318 00:23:55,226 --> 00:23:57,479 Constantinople has more than enough gold 319 00:23:58,646 --> 00:24:01,149 to silence those greedy thugs. 320 00:24:11,493 --> 00:24:15,580 Perhaps we should consult with your father before making any final decisions. 321 00:24:16,206 --> 00:24:18,124 [Mehmed] Make the preparations... 322 00:24:19,083 --> 00:24:21,377 or I will find viziers that will. 323 00:24:36,726 --> 00:24:39,646 [Candarli] The Hungarians look to be mounting a new crusade 324 00:24:40,563 --> 00:24:42,565 and the Janissaries are angry, Pasha. 325 00:24:44,067 --> 00:24:45,944 What are they angry at now? 326 00:24:48,196 --> 00:24:50,031 [sighs] They don't trust the young sultan. 327 00:24:50,114 --> 00:24:53,409 -[Murad scoffs] -And he is, I confess... 328 00:24:55,161 --> 00:24:56,663 impulsive at times. 329 00:24:57,247 --> 00:24:58,456 Every sultan... 330 00:24:59,207 --> 00:25:00,750 who ever took the throne... 331 00:25:01,334 --> 00:25:02,710 had to grow into it. 332 00:25:04,629 --> 00:25:06,464 Mehmed is young, Halil Pasha. 333 00:25:07,006 --> 00:25:08,049 It will take time. 334 00:25:08,925 --> 00:25:11,553 Indeed. Which is why I wanted to reassure you. 335 00:25:11,970 --> 00:25:14,514 We viziers are working to find a prudent solution. 336 00:25:15,181 --> 00:25:18,184 How can I rest with my son so unpredictable? 337 00:25:19,102 --> 00:25:20,353 He is headstrong. 338 00:25:21,604 --> 00:25:24,065 But, Allah willing, my guidance will bring measure 339 00:25:24,148 --> 00:25:26,651 to his more... reckless plans. 340 00:25:28,111 --> 00:25:29,028 Plans? 341 00:25:32,282 --> 00:25:33,908 For Constantinople. 342 00:25:40,373 --> 00:25:42,458 Have the cooks prepare a feast for me tonight. 343 00:25:42,542 --> 00:25:43,710 [palace servant] Sultan, 344 00:25:45,128 --> 00:25:46,254 you have a visitor. 345 00:26:04,731 --> 00:26:05,815 [Mehmed] Father? 346 00:26:09,193 --> 00:26:10,612 I was not told you were coming. 347 00:26:15,742 --> 00:26:17,410 I have asked too much of you. 348 00:26:19,912 --> 00:26:21,289 I don't understand. 349 00:26:23,583 --> 00:26:24,500 Come. 350 00:26:39,724 --> 00:26:40,808 I'm here... 351 00:26:41,976 --> 00:26:43,269 to take the throne back. 352 00:26:43,353 --> 00:26:44,646 [Murad's words echoing] 353 00:26:46,939 --> 00:26:49,484 -No. Father-- -Until you are older. 354 00:26:49,942 --> 00:26:52,612 I have ruled wisely. Tell him, Pasha! 355 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,075 [Murad] The crusaders are almost at our doorstep, Mehmed. 356 00:26:57,158 --> 00:26:58,785 You haven't yet seen combat. 357 00:26:58,868 --> 00:27:01,329 And I can't leave you to fight Hunyadi and the Hungarians. 358 00:27:01,412 --> 00:27:03,498 [Murad's words echoing] 359 00:27:04,791 --> 00:27:07,168 -How could you do this to me? -The throne will be yours again, 360 00:27:07,251 --> 00:27:08,586 my son, when you are ready. 361 00:27:12,632 --> 00:27:13,841 [Mehmed] Traitorous dog! 362 00:27:13,925 --> 00:27:15,176 This is your doing! 363 00:27:15,259 --> 00:27:16,969 -I will take your head! -Enough! 364 00:27:20,264 --> 00:27:23,142 How dare you speak to my viziers this way? 365 00:27:24,811 --> 00:27:26,187 You will apologize. 366 00:27:36,114 --> 00:27:37,907 Don't test my patience further... 367 00:27:40,118 --> 00:27:41,244 Prince Mehmed. 368 00:27:46,499 --> 00:27:47,625 Pashas... 369 00:27:48,918 --> 00:27:50,962 I apologize for my behavior. 370 00:27:51,045 --> 00:27:52,213 [Murad] Now leave us. 371 00:27:53,047 --> 00:27:55,383 [Talbot] Let's put ourselves in Mehmed's shoes. 372 00:27:55,466 --> 00:27:59,971 He's brought to the throne and told that he is the ruler of the state. 373 00:28:00,054 --> 00:28:03,516 And then to be told, after such a short space of time, 374 00:28:03,599 --> 00:28:05,727 that he's no longer gonna have that power. 375 00:28:07,395 --> 00:28:10,606 And then someone who he associated with his father, 376 00:28:10,690 --> 00:28:13,401 this big figure, Candarli Halil, 377 00:28:13,484 --> 00:28:15,319 taking that power away from him... 378 00:28:16,779 --> 00:28:18,573 must have bred huge resentment. 379 00:28:19,073 --> 00:28:22,702 [distorted overlapping voices] 380 00:28:45,475 --> 00:28:47,101 [Mara] It will be yours again. 381 00:28:49,812 --> 00:28:51,022 They betrayed me. 382 00:28:54,275 --> 00:28:55,359 All of them. 383 00:28:58,029 --> 00:28:59,447 Learn from this. 384 00:29:00,406 --> 00:29:03,785 And I promise you will have the throne back. 385 00:29:05,453 --> 00:29:08,956 [Zaganos, echoing] Sultan! Sultan! 386 00:29:10,583 --> 00:29:11,584 Mehmed! 387 00:29:13,628 --> 00:29:14,670 Wake up! 388 00:29:17,131 --> 00:29:18,299 Wake up! 389 00:29:30,895 --> 00:29:32,814 [muffled yelling, screaming] 390 00:30:02,218 --> 00:30:05,388 [narrator] Mehmed's father's failed siege of Constantinople 391 00:30:05,471 --> 00:30:07,974 dragged on for three long months. 392 00:30:08,683 --> 00:30:09,934 With each passing day, 393 00:30:10,017 --> 00:30:14,772 he now sees his own chances for victory slowly slipping away. 394 00:30:21,904 --> 00:30:23,197 Inside the city, 395 00:30:23,281 --> 00:30:27,034 Giustiniani and his men continue rebuilding the walls 396 00:30:27,118 --> 00:30:29,161 and tending to their wounded. 397 00:30:44,594 --> 00:30:46,470 -[man coughs] -[Therma] Hold this. 398 00:30:46,929 --> 00:30:48,139 Lady Therma? 399 00:30:50,975 --> 00:30:52,351 Lord Giustiniani. 400 00:30:54,353 --> 00:30:57,607 I didn't expect to see a noblewoman in these conditions. 401 00:30:57,690 --> 00:31:00,151 I have as much a duty to my city as anyone. 402 00:31:00,568 --> 00:31:03,487 These men have risked their lives to protect us. 403 00:31:06,282 --> 00:31:09,952 I believe your comfort would ease the worst of agonies. 404 00:31:12,872 --> 00:31:14,290 You should get some rest. 405 00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:16,417 Good night. 406 00:31:19,837 --> 00:31:21,213 [Brownworth] We think about sieges, 407 00:31:21,297 --> 00:31:25,217 you think the conditions are roughest for those being besieged. 408 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:29,013 But there are also pressures on a besieging army. 409 00:31:29,096 --> 00:31:31,140 For Mehmed, he's got additional issues, 410 00:31:31,223 --> 00:31:33,976 because he's new to the throne 411 00:31:34,060 --> 00:31:37,605 and people aren't at all sure what to make of him yet. 412 00:31:37,688 --> 00:31:39,941 So he's gotta make this happen quickly. 413 00:31:40,024 --> 00:31:42,735 You know, he's almost as desperate to get in 414 00:31:42,818 --> 00:31:45,154 as the Byzantines are to keep him out. 415 00:31:48,908 --> 00:31:49,825 [Mehmed] Pashas, 416 00:31:50,326 --> 00:31:52,870 we have been pounding the walls for nearly two weeks. 417 00:31:52,954 --> 00:31:55,665 Our cannons have turned the mighty walls of Constantinople 418 00:31:55,748 --> 00:31:57,041 into piles of rubble. 419 00:31:57,124 --> 00:31:59,794 But that does us no good unless we go through them. 420 00:32:00,127 --> 00:32:01,796 It is time to make our move. 421 00:32:01,879 --> 00:32:03,881 [Candarli] Sultan, it is still to early. 422 00:32:03,965 --> 00:32:07,385 We need to weaken their defenses more before we send in the army. 423 00:32:07,468 --> 00:32:09,762 I advise more patience. 424 00:32:11,722 --> 00:32:14,350 There's no guarantee that the siege is gonna be successful. 425 00:32:14,433 --> 00:32:18,354 The Ottomans don't like long, drawn-out campaigns. 426 00:32:18,437 --> 00:32:20,064 They like quick warfare 427 00:32:20,147 --> 00:32:22,650 where they can come in, smash the enemy, and move on. 428 00:32:24,819 --> 00:32:27,113 -Zaganos Pasha? -The men are ready. 429 00:32:27,780 --> 00:32:29,407 You only need to give the order. 430 00:32:33,828 --> 00:32:35,454 Tell the men to rest tonight. 431 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:37,623 And be ready to fight. 432 00:32:38,290 --> 00:32:40,292 Tomorrow we take the city. 433 00:32:47,758 --> 00:32:50,302 He's going all in with this particular conquest. 434 00:32:57,476 --> 00:33:01,063 [narrator] Day 13 of the siege dawns at the Ottoman camp. 435 00:33:05,735 --> 00:33:08,946 Mehmed and his generals survey the Romans' defenses 436 00:33:09,447 --> 00:33:12,616 and finalize plans for their infantry assault. 437 00:33:13,617 --> 00:33:16,537 The attack will take place under the cover of night. 438 00:33:17,538 --> 00:33:19,415 [Gürkan] Mehmed II always stood firm. 439 00:33:19,498 --> 00:33:22,460 and actually said he would sacrifice his life, 440 00:33:23,085 --> 00:33:25,921 uh... if needed, but he will take that city. 441 00:33:26,005 --> 00:33:28,591 And if we know one thing about Mehmed, 442 00:33:28,674 --> 00:33:31,010 he's obviously a very stubborn man, 443 00:33:31,802 --> 00:33:33,471 an eventful figure, 444 00:33:33,554 --> 00:33:35,389 and a strong-minded, intelligent guy. 445 00:33:35,473 --> 00:33:36,724 [horse nickers] 446 00:33:41,020 --> 00:33:42,188 [horse whinnies] 447 00:33:44,065 --> 00:33:45,191 [Mehmed] Tonight... 448 00:33:46,984 --> 00:33:48,736 we will take the Red Apple. 449 00:33:50,446 --> 00:33:52,031 We are Ghazi, 450 00:33:52,782 --> 00:33:55,493 holy warriors and the heirs of Osman. 451 00:33:56,994 --> 00:34:00,456 Our ancestors fought and died at this wall. 452 00:34:02,041 --> 00:34:05,336 But now, we are united 453 00:34:05,419 --> 00:34:07,463 in avenging their deaths! 454 00:34:08,297 --> 00:34:09,548 [Talbot] By all accounts, 455 00:34:09,632 --> 00:34:11,634 he seems to have been a fantastic orator. 456 00:34:12,218 --> 00:34:13,552 [Sengör] As a commander, 457 00:34:13,636 --> 00:34:16,722 Mehmed, number one, understood his own people. 458 00:34:17,348 --> 00:34:19,600 Number two, understood the enemy. 459 00:34:20,851 --> 00:34:22,812 And behaved accordingly. 460 00:34:23,229 --> 00:34:26,398 If... his soldiers wavered, 461 00:34:27,108 --> 00:34:30,402 he invented ways to encourage them. 462 00:34:32,446 --> 00:34:36,617 The time of the infidels and the Romans has passed! 463 00:34:36,700 --> 00:34:38,244 A new age is coming, 464 00:34:38,661 --> 00:34:40,579 and it begins tonight! 465 00:34:41,205 --> 00:34:42,665 Allahu akbar! 466 00:34:42,748 --> 00:34:44,583 [all] Allahu akbar! 467 00:34:44,667 --> 00:34:47,753 Allahu akbar! 468 00:34:47,837 --> 00:34:51,340 Allahu akbar! 469 00:34:51,423 --> 00:34:53,759 Allahu akbar! 470 00:34:53,843 --> 00:34:57,179 [all cheering, roaring] 471 00:35:07,648 --> 00:35:09,233 [distant roaring] 472 00:35:17,908 --> 00:35:19,535 We can surrender now. 473 00:35:20,327 --> 00:35:21,787 The sultan will show mercy. 474 00:35:22,580 --> 00:35:25,207 Don't ask me to be the last emperor of Constantinople. 475 00:35:25,291 --> 00:35:27,751 [Loukas] A dead emperor will do no good to anyone. 476 00:35:27,835 --> 00:35:31,255 Alive, we can come back and reclaim the city with a real army, 477 00:35:31,338 --> 00:35:33,090 not a band of Italian mercenaries. 478 00:35:34,717 --> 00:35:36,343 The noblemen will be with you. 479 00:35:44,393 --> 00:35:47,396 Let's pray the Virgin Mother is looking over us. 480 00:36:02,745 --> 00:36:05,623 [all roaring] 481 00:36:06,123 --> 00:36:09,210 The Ottomans worked on warfare on many levels, 482 00:36:09,293 --> 00:36:11,712 and certainly on the psychological level. 483 00:36:11,795 --> 00:36:16,675 They brought skills of intimidation to sieges. 484 00:36:16,759 --> 00:36:19,970 [all roaring] 485 00:36:21,388 --> 00:36:23,891 [distant roaring] 486 00:36:26,101 --> 00:36:28,187 [Crowley] They would light fires 487 00:36:28,270 --> 00:36:31,857 along the front line, so you'd be looking at a ring of fire. 488 00:36:32,399 --> 00:36:35,569 They also had military bands... 489 00:36:35,653 --> 00:36:37,488 [band playing, men roaring] 490 00:36:37,571 --> 00:36:39,406 The wall of sound, you know, 491 00:36:39,490 --> 00:36:42,034 the extraordinary wall of sound that they created. 492 00:36:42,117 --> 00:36:43,702 [band playing] 493 00:36:50,209 --> 00:36:51,627 [narrator] Outnumbered ten to one, 494 00:36:51,710 --> 00:36:54,672 the Italian mercenaries must counter the Ottomans' might 495 00:36:54,755 --> 00:36:56,507 with cunning and strategy. 496 00:36:57,174 --> 00:37:00,803 [Crowley] Giustiniani undoubtedly had great skill 497 00:37:00,886 --> 00:37:02,846 in the art of defending cities. 498 00:37:02,930 --> 00:37:04,348 He was an expert. 499 00:37:04,431 --> 00:37:07,893 He was extremely brave, and he was untiring. 500 00:37:07,977 --> 00:37:13,065 And he brought a great deal of confidence to the defense. 501 00:37:14,900 --> 00:37:16,986 [Giustiniani] We will meet them in the moat. 502 00:37:17,278 --> 00:37:18,654 That is our front line. 503 00:37:18,737 --> 00:37:22,408 One of the key issues in, uh, siege warfare 504 00:37:22,491 --> 00:37:25,411 is getting across the ditch, the moat, which is quite deep. 505 00:37:25,828 --> 00:37:27,538 And a great deal of work 506 00:37:27,621 --> 00:37:29,623 will be put in by the attackers to fill up the moat. 507 00:37:30,708 --> 00:37:33,002 We must not let them reach the walls, 508 00:37:33,585 --> 00:37:35,504 or we don't stand a chance. 509 00:37:35,587 --> 00:37:36,839 Tonight... 510 00:37:37,506 --> 00:37:39,341 we live or die in the moat! 511 00:37:40,009 --> 00:37:41,927 [all roaring] 512 00:37:53,022 --> 00:37:56,567 [Crowley] Giustiniani was the iconic figure, undoubtedly, 513 00:37:56,650 --> 00:37:58,610 for the defenders, around whom they rallied. 514 00:37:58,694 --> 00:38:00,029 He was the linchpin. 515 00:38:01,655 --> 00:38:04,199 Constantine gave him control 516 00:38:04,283 --> 00:38:07,995 of the critical zone, the center of the wall, 517 00:38:08,078 --> 00:38:10,122 and, really, organizing the defense. 518 00:38:18,047 --> 00:38:19,131 Fire! 519 00:38:25,095 --> 00:38:26,263 Take cover! 520 00:38:27,181 --> 00:38:29,850 -[arrows striking shields] -[soldiers screaming] 521 00:38:35,189 --> 00:38:38,442 [narrator] The Ottoman assault is led by Mehmed's elite troops, 522 00:38:38,525 --> 00:38:39,902 the Janissaries. 523 00:38:40,319 --> 00:38:43,197 The Janissaries were the most capable force 524 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:44,490 in the Balkans at the time. 525 00:38:45,699 --> 00:38:48,577 They were all well-equipped, well-armored. 526 00:38:48,660 --> 00:38:50,537 Different tactics, though. 527 00:38:51,914 --> 00:38:53,290 Attack! 528 00:38:55,751 --> 00:38:58,796 [narrator] The Janissaries wear lighter chain mail armor 529 00:38:58,879 --> 00:39:01,048 and rely on speed and precision. 530 00:39:02,091 --> 00:39:05,177 The Italians fight in thicker plate armor 531 00:39:05,260 --> 00:39:06,637 and wield broadswords. 532 00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:09,807 [soldiers grunting, crying out] 533 00:39:16,730 --> 00:39:18,399 [soldier screams] 534 00:39:30,077 --> 00:39:32,996 The Janissaries were all about javelins and archery. 535 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:35,624 You can't do that with a siege. You have to take a few hits. 536 00:39:37,209 --> 00:39:40,754 And this doesn't necessarily suit the Ottoman vision of warfare. 537 00:39:44,466 --> 00:39:47,052 [screaming, grunting] 538 00:39:49,012 --> 00:39:52,057 [narrator] In this human wave of death and destruction, 539 00:39:52,141 --> 00:39:54,726 hundreds of Ottoman soldiers are killed. 540 00:39:57,479 --> 00:40:00,899 The Turks come in, and Giustiniani fights them off 541 00:40:02,401 --> 00:40:06,029 and if you believe the Roman sources, they didn't lose a single soldier. 542 00:40:08,449 --> 00:40:09,450 [Giustiniani grunts] 543 00:40:35,058 --> 00:40:37,394 [narrator] Giustiniani and the Roman defenders 544 00:40:37,478 --> 00:40:40,606 have turned back the Ottoman attack yet again. 545 00:40:41,565 --> 00:40:44,318 The defeat is devastating for Mehmed. 546 00:40:45,152 --> 00:40:46,528 With each passing day, 547 00:40:46,612 --> 00:40:50,032 the odds of taking Constantinople grow longer. 548 00:40:50,991 --> 00:40:52,951 [Gürkan] When Mehmed launches his siege, 549 00:40:53,035 --> 00:40:55,662 he has to be quick, for three reasons. 550 00:40:56,038 --> 00:40:59,583 One, he has to be quick in order to finish the city off 551 00:40:59,666 --> 00:41:02,044 without losing tens of thousands of men. 552 00:41:02,544 --> 00:41:05,130 Second is that there was opposition in the military, 553 00:41:05,214 --> 00:41:08,258 led by Candarli Halil Pasha, the grand vizier, 554 00:41:09,009 --> 00:41:11,220 who didn't want the siege to continue. 555 00:41:11,303 --> 00:41:12,554 And the third is, 556 00:41:12,638 --> 00:41:14,306 if the siege took too long, 557 00:41:14,389 --> 00:41:18,477 that there was gonna be reinforcements coming from the West. 558 00:41:27,069 --> 00:41:30,489 [narrator] The walls of the ancient city hold for another day... 559 00:41:31,740 --> 00:41:35,494 and Giovanni Giustiniani Longo proves himself 560 00:41:35,577 --> 00:41:39,790 the one indispensable man in the defense of Constantinople. 561 00:41:39,873 --> 00:41:42,459 -Yah! -[all roar] 562 00:41:42,543 --> 00:41:44,169 Yah! 563 00:41:45,087 --> 00:41:46,421 Yah! 564 00:41:51,510 --> 00:41:55,472 [swords clanking on shields] 565 00:41:58,392 --> 00:42:01,728 Sultan. A message from the Aegean Islands. 566 00:42:03,855 --> 00:42:04,856 Read it. 567 00:42:11,029 --> 00:42:13,824 A Genoese fleet was seen in the Dardanelles 568 00:42:13,907 --> 00:42:17,077 heading north towards Constantinople with soldiers and supplies. 569 00:42:28,463 --> 00:42:29,590 Leave me.