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[narrator] Hours before Mehmed
launches his final assault,
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00:00:21,021 --> 00:00:23,815
an ominous sight shakes both sides.
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00:00:34,617 --> 00:00:36,369
[Notaras] Why has God forsaken us?
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Is our fate to be thrown
to the Ottoman dogs?
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The city is not yet lost, Lord.
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Yes, the Venetian fleet is on its way.
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Unless they arrive tomorrow,
they do us no good.
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[narrator] Rumors of a 40-ship fleet's
imminent arrival have swirled for weeks,
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but it's exact whereabouts
remain unknown.
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I think everyone involved
was hoping against hope.
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I think you just naturally want the hope
that, uh, deliverance will come.
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The West can't forget about us.
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They know that Venice has voted
to send help in the form of their navy,
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as well as soldiers.
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And so the relief fleet is on their way.
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Every day, they get up there
and they look for it,
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day after day, after day
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and it doesn't come and it doesn't come.
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We can hold off the Turks, Emperor,
I swear to you.
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Lord Giustiniani?
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The walls will hold, Lord.
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The Turks have suffered heavy losses
every time they've attacked.
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It's not me who needs to be convinced,
dear Giustiniani.
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My faith is inseparable from this city.
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[Loukas] It may not have to be, Emperor.
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I have some good friends in Galata.
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They offered me to get us...
you and your court out of the city.
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Leave the city? Now?
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There's no shame in it.
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You will abandon the fight?
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There's no honor in suicide.
The Turks will have our heads.
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I will have yours now, coward!
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[Sphrantzes] Hey,.
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Lord Loukas, you would leave your emperor
and countrymen at such a moment as this?
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I'm, of course, only concerned
for the emperor's safety.
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If this has to be the end
of the Roman Empire,
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I will die defending it.
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Anyone who loves me and their empire,
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take up your swords
and join me in this battle!
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[cheering]
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Then let us write our own history
in these fateful hours!
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[cheering]
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[narrator] Every empire has a beginning.
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Forged of blood, steel,
fortune and conquest.
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In 1453, Roman Emperor Constantine XI
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and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II,
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wage an epic battle for Constantinople.
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Twenty-three armies have tried
to take the legendary city,
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all have failed.
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Out of the carnage,
one ruler will emerge victorious
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and change the course of history
for the next 300 years.
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For one empire to rise...
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another must fall.
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[Giustiniani] The Turks will concentrate
their attacks on the land walls.
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The gate of St. Romanus
will be their primary target.
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It's nearly demolished by their cannons
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and they have been stacking their units
directly across from it.
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We must defend with all we have, there.
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Lord Giustiniani,
you will have whatever we can get.
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We will need all men of fighting age.
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We can leave the old and the clergy
to defend the seaside walls.
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Lord Loukas,
knowing the Turks will come here,
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I will immediately need your cannons
moved to the gate of St. Romanus.
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That's out of the question.
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I need them to defend the walls
along the Golden Horn.
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You've seen their ships waiting to attack.
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They will not come from the Horn.
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It's too great a risk.
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They will storm this gate.
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I need all of our cannons to stop them.
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Lord Giustiniani,
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I'm sure you will find a way
to defeat them without my cannons.
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You are the military genius,
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aren't you?
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It's not a request.
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[scoffs] I don't take orders
from the Catholic pirates.
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[Loukas] Ah!
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Ah!
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I have killed hundreds in this siege.
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00:04:49,580 --> 00:04:53,876
-One more won't make a difference to me.
-Enough!
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00:04:54,919 --> 00:04:57,380
There is no time
for this petty bickering.
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[cannon fire in distance]
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00:05:00,925 --> 00:05:04,929
You will get your cannons,
Lord Giustiniani, but end this now.
84
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We will settle this
after the Turks are gone.
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[Lars Brownworth] Humans have
this endless capacity to bicker.
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Even when extinction is threatening.
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Constantine has to kind of
console Giustiniani and Notaras
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and kind of wake them up to, you know,
we have a bigger problem here.
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My lord, Captain Tommaso
has returned with urgent news.
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Send him in.
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[narrator]
Three and a half weeks earlier,
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Constantine had ordered lookouts
to find the Venetian fleet.
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Their imminent arrival
could save the city.
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00:05:42,592 --> 00:05:44,844
We ran the blockade, my lord.
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00:05:45,762 --> 00:05:48,097
We scanned the seas from dusk till dawn,
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but saw no ships.
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[narrator] The grim news means
the Venetian fleet's arrival
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00:06:00,485 --> 00:06:02,278
is at least a week away.
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The Romans are on their own.
100
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Thank you, Captain.
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[John Goodwin]
Constantine couldn't surrender.
102
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He couldn't give up
because he bore on his shoulders
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more than his own personal dignity
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and his hopes, uh, for himself
and for his family.
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He was the embodiment
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of something that had been set in train
a thousand years before
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with the foundation of that city
by his namesake, Constantine the Great...
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who had founded that city
and called it after himself.
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And from the 15th century,
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that had been one, almost continuous story
of imperial rule and Christianity.
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And that was too much
for one man to lay aside.
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[Brownworth] Constantine, he says,
"These are my people
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and it's worth dying...
I'm not gonna leave them to die alone,
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I'm gonna... I'm gonna lead them
and die with them."
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[cheering]
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[Roger Crowley] The day comes,
29th of May, before dawn.
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[cheering continues]
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Mehmed realized
that it was now or never.
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[cheering]
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00:08:25,922 --> 00:08:27,340
[all chanting]
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[narrator] Mehmed orders his cannons
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to intensify their barrage
on the weakened walls.
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[screaming]
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There is a Genoese ship
readying to depart from the Golden Horn.
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00:09:02,583 --> 00:09:04,961
Take who you can, go to Chios.
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No. No, I won't leave you!
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00:09:06,754 --> 00:09:08,839
If you care for me, you will.
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00:09:09,382 --> 00:09:11,717
It will give me strength
to know you are safe.
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00:09:14,011 --> 00:09:17,473
Promise me... promise me
you'll join me in Chios.
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Now go.
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[cannon fire]
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I think we're due a pay rise, lads.
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[laughs]
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Let's send the bastards to hell.
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[soldiers] To hell!
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00:10:05,605 --> 00:10:06,939
To hell!
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00:10:07,023 --> 00:10:08,316
To hell!
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00:10:12,737 --> 00:10:14,989
[narrator] Giustiniani
and his remaining men
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00:10:15,072 --> 00:10:18,242
take up a position
between the inner and outer walls
140
00:10:18,326 --> 00:10:19,952
at the St. Romanus gate,
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00:10:20,494 --> 00:10:23,831
putting them in what will soon become
a killing field.
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For the Genoese mercenaries
and their leader,
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there are two ways out:
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00:10:29,337 --> 00:10:31,339
victory or death.
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00:10:37,595 --> 00:10:43,559
Twenty-three armies have tried
to take this city and failed.
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00:10:47,897 --> 00:10:51,317
My own father faltered at these walls,
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00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,654
as did many of your fathers
who fought alongside him.
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Tonight, we will avenge them.
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00:11:01,535 --> 00:11:02,912
Allah has willed it.
150
00:11:04,872 --> 00:11:10,086
The Prophet said,
"You shall conquer Constantinople.
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00:11:10,586 --> 00:11:12,963
What a wonderful leader
will her leader be.
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00:11:14,090 --> 00:11:16,509
And what a wonderful army
will that army be."
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00:11:17,802 --> 00:11:20,012
Let us now fulfill our destiny.
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00:11:20,096 --> 00:11:22,348
[cheering]
155
00:11:31,732 --> 00:11:35,653
Then, we will use our hands and minds
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00:11:35,736 --> 00:11:38,030
to forge a new age from the ashes.
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The Red Apple
will be given to the fateful.
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Allahu Akbar!
159
00:11:43,494 --> 00:11:45,079
Allahu Akbar!
160
00:11:45,162 --> 00:11:46,455
Allahu Akbar!
161
00:11:46,997 --> 00:11:48,416
Allahu Akbar!
162
00:11:48,499 --> 00:11:49,959
Allahu Akbar!
163
00:11:50,042 --> 00:11:51,210
Allahu Akbar!
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00:11:51,627 --> 00:11:54,922
[Dr. Talbot] Mehmed, he really knows
what to do and when to do it.
165
00:11:55,005 --> 00:11:57,133
So, you'll conquer
and you'll get these riches.
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00:11:57,216 --> 00:12:00,636
But also appealing to the religious side
of these soldiers too.
167
00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,013
God is with us
and he'll help us to conquer.
168
00:12:03,097 --> 00:12:06,267
But also making himself into a standard.
169
00:12:06,684 --> 00:12:08,811
I'm with you, therefore we'll conquer.
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00:12:08,894 --> 00:12:11,105
[cheering]
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00:12:16,986 --> 00:12:19,530
[narrator]
Inside the walls of Constantinople,
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00:12:20,239 --> 00:12:22,074
the emperor readies his men.
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00:12:22,950 --> 00:12:25,786
The battle will decide
the fate of the city.
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Men!
175
00:12:30,624 --> 00:12:32,877
You know what awaits you
outside those walls.
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00:12:35,921 --> 00:12:37,047
Be not afraid.
177
00:12:38,966 --> 00:12:42,303
We are privileged to defend this city
178
00:12:42,386 --> 00:12:45,222
that Constantine the Great
built from dust.
179
00:12:46,599 --> 00:12:50,227
We are the protectors
that have kept the scourge of Islam
180
00:12:50,311 --> 00:12:52,813
from Europe for a thousand years.
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If the great empire of Rome...
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must end tonight,
183
00:13:00,738 --> 00:13:02,114
let it not go easily.
184
00:13:03,449 --> 00:13:09,955
Sharpen your swords and steel your souls,
for we fight as brothers, as Romans!
185
00:13:10,039 --> 00:13:11,999
[cheering]
186
00:13:16,754 --> 00:13:17,880
Augustus,
187
00:13:18,547 --> 00:13:19,673
Justinian,
188
00:13:20,132 --> 00:13:21,383
Constantine...
189
00:13:22,259 --> 00:13:24,053
they will be watching!
190
00:13:24,136 --> 00:13:25,763
[cheering]
191
00:13:35,439 --> 00:13:39,485
There's this wonderful speech that
Constantine gives right before the battle
192
00:13:39,568 --> 00:13:41,946
where he's addressing
both the Italians and the Byzantines
193
00:13:42,029 --> 00:13:44,365
and he reminds the Byzantines
in particular,
194
00:13:44,448 --> 00:13:45,950
of who their ancestors were:
195
00:13:46,033 --> 00:13:47,785
the great heroes of the Roman past.
196
00:13:47,868 --> 00:13:51,539
And he gives this stirring reminder:
be worthy of your ancestors.
197
00:13:52,498 --> 00:13:54,500
And I think it's this moment where he...
198
00:13:54,583 --> 00:13:57,461
he was up to the task
when it finally came to it,
199
00:13:57,545 --> 00:14:00,422
he was willing to die
for a cause that he believed in.
200
00:14:00,506 --> 00:14:02,174
[cheering]
201
00:14:08,347 --> 00:14:10,933
[Ottoman band playing]
202
00:14:19,900 --> 00:14:21,902
[cheering]
203
00:14:39,461 --> 00:14:40,754
Sound the alarm bells.
204
00:14:41,338 --> 00:14:43,799
[bells tolling]
205
00:14:59,523 --> 00:15:00,941
Send the Bashi-Bazouks.
206
00:15:01,525 --> 00:15:02,943
Send the Bashi-Bazouks.
207
00:15:03,986 --> 00:15:05,905
[shouting] Full forward!
208
00:15:06,530 --> 00:15:07,740
Attack!
209
00:15:09,533 --> 00:15:13,120
[narrator] Bashi-Bazouk
literally means "crazy heads."
210
00:15:14,747 --> 00:15:19,877
The fierce, but unpredictable volunteers
are Mehmed's first wave of attackers.
211
00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:21,462
[shouting]
212
00:15:27,092 --> 00:15:29,720
[Crowley] Before dawn,
they attack in waves
213
00:15:29,803 --> 00:15:32,473
and he sends his most
disposable troops in first.
214
00:15:33,182 --> 00:15:34,850
And these are the cannon fodder.
215
00:15:41,690 --> 00:15:43,192
Get ready, boys.
216
00:15:43,275 --> 00:15:44,276
Draw!
217
00:15:45,152 --> 00:15:46,445
Aim!
218
00:15:47,196 --> 00:15:48,155
Release!
219
00:15:53,118 --> 00:15:54,078
Release!
220
00:15:57,706 --> 00:15:58,832
Release!
221
00:16:07,174 --> 00:16:08,759
[shouting]
222
00:16:23,065 --> 00:16:25,776
[Dr. Philippedes]
You had the first wave of the expendables
223
00:16:25,859 --> 00:16:28,112
and that lasted
a couple of hours, actually.
224
00:16:28,654 --> 00:16:30,739
The defenders were tired after that,
225
00:16:31,365 --> 00:16:35,035
while the Ottomans were getting ready
for the second wave of the attack.
226
00:16:41,375 --> 00:16:42,376
Ahh!
227
00:16:49,383 --> 00:16:50,634
Send the Regulars.
228
00:16:55,514 --> 00:16:57,599
[narrator]
The disciplined Ottoman Regulars
229
00:16:58,100 --> 00:17:00,728
are a far cry from the Bashi-Bazouks.
230
00:17:01,103 --> 00:17:04,106
They're the most feared army
in the Balkans.
231
00:17:05,941 --> 00:17:08,527
The use of mercenaries
or foreign experts
232
00:17:08,610 --> 00:17:10,779
is something that's often forgotten
in the siege
233
00:17:10,863 --> 00:17:14,533
when it's seen as simply a clash
between Christian and Muslim.
234
00:17:14,616 --> 00:17:18,120
There were guys from both faiths
and from all over the world
235
00:17:18,454 --> 00:17:20,789
helping each other out
for the highest price.
236
00:17:22,416 --> 00:17:23,250
Aim!
237
00:17:28,547 --> 00:17:29,381
Release!
238
00:17:36,597 --> 00:17:37,973
Aim!
239
00:17:41,643 --> 00:17:42,978
Forward charge!
240
00:17:44,813 --> 00:17:45,647
Release!
241
00:17:54,239 --> 00:17:55,240
[shouting]
242
00:17:57,534 --> 00:17:58,994
Fire the bombards.
243
00:18:06,168 --> 00:18:08,670
[narrator] Giustiniani converts
the small cannons
244
00:18:08,754 --> 00:18:10,297
into makeshift shotguns.
245
00:18:17,638 --> 00:18:21,642
The Ottomans take heavy casualties,
but press the attack.
246
00:18:27,773 --> 00:18:29,733
Giustiniani and his men
247
00:18:29,817 --> 00:18:33,904
rush outside the ramparts
of the outer walls and into the moat.
248
00:18:41,286 --> 00:18:43,372
[men grunting]
249
00:18:57,344 --> 00:18:58,554
[distant screaming]
250
00:19:02,224 --> 00:19:04,143
[men grunting]
251
00:19:07,354 --> 00:19:08,605
[groaning]
252
00:19:09,982 --> 00:19:12,359
The Turks are no match
for Giustiniani, my lord.
253
00:19:13,694 --> 00:19:14,778
There is still hope.
254
00:19:15,195 --> 00:19:16,905
Ahh!
255
00:19:21,451 --> 00:19:22,661
Ahh!
256
00:19:24,872 --> 00:19:26,707
Ahh!
257
00:19:29,793 --> 00:19:32,212
[grunting]
258
00:19:32,963 --> 00:19:35,382
[narrator] Mehmed sends
wave after wave of troops,
259
00:19:35,465 --> 00:19:37,801
but after four hours of fighting,
260
00:19:37,885 --> 00:19:40,762
the battle shifts in the defenders favor
261
00:19:40,846 --> 00:19:43,932
and the Ottomans are unable
to breach the walls.
262
00:19:44,558 --> 00:19:46,393
Sultan, we must retreat and regroup.
263
00:19:46,894 --> 00:19:47,853
Nonsense.
264
00:19:48,353 --> 00:19:50,772
-You can see, we are losing the battle.
-We attack again.
265
00:19:50,856 --> 00:19:52,107
We only have the Janissaries.
266
00:19:52,191 --> 00:19:53,400
Then send them!
267
00:19:53,483 --> 00:19:55,360
If they fail, we won't have an army!
268
00:19:55,444 --> 00:19:57,905
-If they fail.
-Sultan, I urge you to reconsider.
269
00:19:57,988 --> 00:19:59,323
I will take this city!
270
00:19:59,406 --> 00:20:00,908
This is madness!
271
00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:04,703
Out of my way, old man.
272
00:20:10,751 --> 00:20:13,003
[narrator] The first two waves
of Mehmed's attack
273
00:20:13,086 --> 00:20:15,422
failed to break the city's defenses.
274
00:20:16,089 --> 00:20:21,178
The legendary Janissaries are his last
and only hope for taking Constantinople.
275
00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:24,973
Mighty Janissaries!
276
00:20:26,350 --> 00:20:30,062
You have fearlessly protected the empire
for a hundred years,
277
00:20:30,646 --> 00:20:33,857
standing between your sultan
and chaos.
278
00:20:35,484 --> 00:20:39,947
Now, I order you to go forth
and create chaos.
279
00:20:40,030 --> 00:20:41,573
[cheering]
280
00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:47,829
Let us take the Apple!
281
00:20:47,913 --> 00:20:49,373
[cheering]
282
00:20:54,461 --> 00:20:56,880
Attack!
283
00:21:20,779 --> 00:21:21,780
[horse whinnies]
284
00:21:36,670 --> 00:21:37,796
Take the sultan!
285
00:21:42,592 --> 00:21:45,220
[breathing heavily]
286
00:21:53,979 --> 00:21:56,982
[panting]
287
00:22:08,660 --> 00:22:09,870
[gasps]
288
00:22:09,953 --> 00:22:11,747
[grunting]
289
00:22:14,374 --> 00:22:15,417
Sultan!
290
00:22:22,049 --> 00:22:24,634
[grunting]
291
00:22:47,407 --> 00:22:49,117
[men cheering]
292
00:22:50,285 --> 00:22:52,371
[narrator] The momentum shifts once again
293
00:22:52,454 --> 00:22:57,417
as the Janissaries continue their push
towards the St. Romanus gate.
294
00:22:58,043 --> 00:23:01,004
[Brownworth] The Janissaries
were the most feared element
295
00:23:01,088 --> 00:23:02,297
of the Ottoman army.
296
00:23:05,509 --> 00:23:07,052
Giustiniani is with his men
297
00:23:08,762 --> 00:23:11,807
and here come the Janissaries
who are the best trained,
298
00:23:11,890 --> 00:23:15,227
the most disciplined,
who are fanatically loyal.
299
00:23:17,187 --> 00:23:18,313
And they're yelling.
300
00:23:18,397 --> 00:23:20,315
They have these colorful uniforms.
301
00:23:20,399 --> 00:23:21,983
The drums are beating.
302
00:23:22,067 --> 00:23:24,945
It... it must have been
absolutely terrifying.
303
00:23:25,987 --> 00:23:28,448
[narrator] The relentless advance
of the Janissaries
304
00:23:28,532 --> 00:23:32,994
begins to weaken the desperate defense
put up by Giustiniani and his men.
305
00:23:33,578 --> 00:23:34,704
[Giustiniani] Retreat!
306
00:23:35,288 --> 00:23:36,540
Retreat!
307
00:23:37,332 --> 00:23:39,876
[narrator] Forcing him to order
a tactical retreat
308
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:41,711
into the safety of the walls.
309
00:23:43,338 --> 00:23:44,673
[Therma] Go! Go on!
310
00:23:44,756 --> 00:23:47,008
-Come on! Go!
-[screaming]
311
00:23:47,092 --> 00:23:50,053
[narrator] Inside the city,
panic engulfs its citizens
312
00:23:50,137 --> 00:23:53,014
as the Janissaries close in
on the St. Romanus gate.
313
00:24:12,701 --> 00:24:14,744
Retreat! Retreat!
314
00:24:17,664 --> 00:24:20,750
-Get them in here and close gate. Now!
-Yes, sir!
315
00:24:21,376 --> 00:24:23,920
Retreat! Retreat!
316
00:24:30,260 --> 00:24:31,678
Go, go, go!
317
00:24:39,478 --> 00:24:42,063
They are coming! Close that gate!
318
00:24:42,147 --> 00:24:45,150
-Close that gate!
-[soldier] We still have men out there!
319
00:24:45,233 --> 00:24:46,485
Close it!
320
00:24:46,568 --> 00:24:48,528
[intense shouting]
321
00:24:49,488 --> 00:24:51,990
The gate is open! Come on, men!
322
00:25:01,208 --> 00:25:02,876
[grunting]
323
00:25:03,752 --> 00:25:05,754
Close that gate now!
324
00:25:23,021 --> 00:25:24,272
[gasps]
325
00:25:29,486 --> 00:25:30,654
[groans]
326
00:25:38,370 --> 00:25:39,579
[groans]
327
00:25:47,712 --> 00:25:48,922
[gasps]
328
00:25:51,424 --> 00:25:52,342
[grunts]
329
00:25:54,678 --> 00:25:56,012
[groans]
330
00:26:08,275 --> 00:26:10,318
[groaning]
331
00:26:22,205 --> 00:26:23,582
[panting]
332
00:26:28,545 --> 00:26:31,548
[breathing heavily]
333
00:26:40,140 --> 00:26:42,934
We have to get him to the surgeon
or he won't make it!
334
00:26:46,271 --> 00:26:47,355
[groans]
335
00:26:51,860 --> 00:26:53,570
Crossbow fire!
336
00:27:01,786 --> 00:27:03,830
Let's go men, let's go!
337
00:27:04,331 --> 00:27:05,832
Clear the path.
338
00:27:09,210 --> 00:27:12,297
-[Constantine] Where are you taking him?
-He's hurt. He needs to see the surgeon.
339
00:27:12,380 --> 00:27:14,883
He can't leave!
These men will abandon the fight!
340
00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:16,384
I am sorry.
341
00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:18,470
You can't go, Giustiniani.
342
00:27:19,721 --> 00:27:20,930
The city will fall.
343
00:27:25,477 --> 00:27:27,145
It's no good, Emperor.
344
00:27:28,813 --> 00:27:30,106
Save yourself.
345
00:27:50,168 --> 00:27:52,253
[Gürkan]
Giovanni Giustiniani fought very well.
346
00:27:52,337 --> 00:27:55,590
He fought valiantly until when he didn't.
347
00:27:55,674 --> 00:27:59,177
Uh, the last day of the siege he was...
I have to do justice to him.
348
00:27:59,260 --> 00:28:01,471
He fought very bravely,
but then he ran away
349
00:28:01,554 --> 00:28:04,182
because he was already shot
and he realized everything was gone.
350
00:28:05,934 --> 00:28:07,977
The city was doomed,
everyone knew it.
351
00:28:08,061 --> 00:28:11,106
There are all sorts of accounts
as to how this happened, what happened.
352
00:28:11,189 --> 00:28:16,945
Giustiniani, maybe he's just run out of,
uh, of energy.
353
00:28:17,028 --> 00:28:20,448
His morale is shot
and this is the moment really,
354
00:28:20,532 --> 00:28:23,159
when they see Giustiniani leaving,
355
00:28:23,243 --> 00:28:26,871
uh, the whole, uh, morale
of the defenders collapses.
356
00:28:26,955 --> 00:28:29,249
-[grunts]
-[men shouting]
357
00:28:33,211 --> 00:28:34,671
[grunting]
358
00:28:40,468 --> 00:28:42,011
[Baltaoglu] We got them!
359
00:28:42,679 --> 00:28:44,556
Push forward!
360
00:29:00,196 --> 00:29:03,742
[Genoese soldier] Retreat!
The commander has left the battle!
361
00:29:03,825 --> 00:29:05,201
Retreat! Retreat!
362
00:29:05,618 --> 00:29:08,621
[narrator] After two months of pounding
by Mehmed's cannons,
363
00:29:08,705 --> 00:29:11,374
much of the outer wall
has been reduced to rubble.
364
00:29:11,916 --> 00:29:13,710
The defenders are overwhelmed
365
00:29:13,793 --> 00:29:17,672
as thousands of Ottoman soldiers pour in
through the breaches.
366
00:29:25,722 --> 00:29:26,723
Dear God.
367
00:29:32,896 --> 00:29:35,982
Our beloved city is lost.
368
00:29:39,068 --> 00:29:42,030
Now make haste, go to the Marmara walls
while there's time.
369
00:29:42,113 --> 00:29:43,114
No, Majesty.
370
00:29:43,198 --> 00:29:45,575
There's a ship waiting for us
in the harbor.
371
00:29:45,658 --> 00:29:47,702
We can still escape if we leave now.
372
00:29:48,995 --> 00:29:50,538
I am going to God, my friend.
373
00:29:52,624 --> 00:29:53,750
It is my duty.
374
00:29:56,544 --> 00:29:57,545
Save yourself.
375
00:29:59,047 --> 00:30:01,674
-You think I would leave your side?
-I'm ordering you to leave!
376
00:30:04,719 --> 00:30:10,892
Tell the world how valiantly
we Romans fought here tonight.
377
00:30:13,895 --> 00:30:15,021
[in Latin] Morior invictus.
378
00:30:20,568 --> 00:30:21,611
Morior invictus.
379
00:30:23,780 --> 00:30:26,950
[Brownworth] This is one of those moments,
which I think is very revealing.
380
00:30:27,033 --> 00:30:30,537
Sphrantzes says to the emperor,
"You should flee."
381
00:30:30,620 --> 00:30:33,665
He says, "We have ships,
we've proven we can run the blockade,"
382
00:30:33,748 --> 00:30:36,292
and Constantine probably could have,
383
00:30:36,584 --> 00:30:41,005
but he turns Sphrantzes down
and he says, "No, these are my people.
384
00:30:41,089 --> 00:30:42,882
I'm not gonna leave them to die alone.
385
00:30:42,966 --> 00:30:44,759
I'm gonna lead them and die with them."
386
00:30:44,843 --> 00:30:47,345
Which, you know, is a pretty...
pretty remarkable decision.
387
00:31:11,369 --> 00:31:13,913
[Brownworth]
The emperor sees the Turks streaming in.
388
00:31:13,997 --> 00:31:16,040
He knew he was going to die.
389
00:31:16,124 --> 00:31:18,960
He faced odds
that none of us will ever face
390
00:31:19,043 --> 00:31:23,506
and instead,
he said to his enemies, "No!"
391
00:31:31,389 --> 00:31:32,765
And the answer he gives
392
00:31:32,849 --> 00:31:37,270
is an answer the Spartans gave
at the Pass of Thermopylae with Leonidas.
393
00:31:37,353 --> 00:31:40,773
"I would rather die on my feet
than live on my knees."
394
00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:45,153
And he plunges
into where the battle is thickest...
395
00:31:47,864 --> 00:31:48,948
and is never seen again.
396
00:32:06,215 --> 00:32:07,634
[man] Hurry up!
397
00:32:18,144 --> 00:32:19,771
[Giustiniani groaning]
398
00:32:29,113 --> 00:32:32,742
If Giustiniani had somehow
magically disappeared from the scene
399
00:32:32,825 --> 00:32:34,452
the night before the last battle,
400
00:32:34,535 --> 00:32:37,705
he would absolutely be remembered
as a real hero.
401
00:32:37,789 --> 00:32:38,831
[groans]
402
00:32:39,123 --> 00:32:41,376
[Genoese soldier]
The city belongs to the Turks.
403
00:32:43,586 --> 00:32:46,381
If you leave now,
you can get through the blockade.
404
00:32:52,387 --> 00:32:55,098
-Come on. Come on.
-[sobbing]
405
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:03,481
Let's go.
406
00:33:07,568 --> 00:33:13,491
Unfortunately, after displaying
such incredible fortitude and bravery,
407
00:33:13,574 --> 00:33:14,742
he flees.
408
00:33:14,826 --> 00:33:16,536
[Genoese soldier] Raise the sails!
409
00:33:16,869 --> 00:33:18,454
And then eventually dies.
410
00:33:18,538 --> 00:33:20,540
[Constantinople citizens scream]
411
00:33:30,550 --> 00:33:35,930
[narrator] The feared Venetian fleet
bound for Constantinople never arrives.
412
00:33:36,556 --> 00:33:40,143
The Venetians waited and waited...
[chuckles] and waited.
413
00:33:40,226 --> 00:33:44,772
They finally put an armada together
to send to Constantinople,
414
00:33:45,481 --> 00:33:47,525
but it sailed too late.
415
00:33:47,608 --> 00:33:52,822
It only reached the Aegean
after the fall of Constantinople.
416
00:33:52,905 --> 00:33:55,783
Crusades were a thing of the past.
417
00:34:13,968 --> 00:34:16,554
[narrator] On May the 29th, 1453,
418
00:34:16,637 --> 00:34:20,600
Sultan Mehmed II
enters Constantinople.
419
00:34:23,644 --> 00:34:28,900
He's 21 years old
and proclaims himself "Kayser i-Rum,"
420
00:34:28,983 --> 00:34:31,611
the new "Caesar of Rome."
421
00:34:34,655 --> 00:34:37,742
But the Ottomans will forever know him
as "Fatih,"
422
00:34:38,367 --> 00:34:39,535
the Conqueror.
423
00:34:51,214 --> 00:34:54,926
He had done something
that many people
424
00:34:55,009 --> 00:35:00,598
for the last... 1700 years tried
and failed.
425
00:35:01,432 --> 00:35:06,395
He put an end to the Roman Empire
and he did it when he was only 21.
426
00:35:25,581 --> 00:35:30,837
[narrator] With Constantine's defeat,
Constantinople becomes Istanbul,
427
00:35:31,796 --> 00:35:34,340
the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
428
00:35:35,007 --> 00:35:38,761
Mehmed takes the city,
goes directly to the Hagia Sophia.
429
00:35:39,595 --> 00:35:42,932
It's the biggest building
in all of Europe.
430
00:36:00,408 --> 00:36:02,451
[birds chirping]
431
00:36:09,542 --> 00:36:13,713
[Papademetriou] He's even described
as walking through the building,
432
00:36:13,796 --> 00:36:18,342
walking on top of the domes
in order to survey the beauty.
433
00:36:20,052 --> 00:36:24,765
And he describes it in these ideas
that now he is in the realm of heaven.
434
00:36:26,058 --> 00:36:30,730
It's not just a symbolic thing,
for him it's a mystical and a...
435
00:36:30,813 --> 00:36:35,443
it's, uh, fulfilling
what was the tradition of the hadith
436
00:36:35,526 --> 00:36:39,906
that the one who takes Constantinople
will be truly blessed.
437
00:37:17,610 --> 00:37:20,238
Sultan, we've found the grand duke.
438
00:37:20,738 --> 00:37:21,781
And the emperor?
439
00:37:21,864 --> 00:37:22,865
Not yet.
440
00:37:46,347 --> 00:37:47,306
[Zaganos] Bring him in.
441
00:37:54,105 --> 00:37:54,981
Enough.
442
00:38:00,361 --> 00:38:01,821
Salutations, Sultan.
443
00:38:03,030 --> 00:38:05,366
I'm Loukas Notaras, the grand duke
444
00:38:05,449 --> 00:38:07,910
and supreme commander
of the military forces.
445
00:38:08,995 --> 00:38:12,832
Your highest majesty,
I am here to offer you my services.
446
00:38:14,792 --> 00:38:17,670
And in honor of your victory,
I have brought a gift.
447
00:38:36,272 --> 00:38:38,399
Why didn't you give these riches
to your emperor
448
00:38:38,482 --> 00:38:39,692
when he so clearly needed it?
449
00:38:39,775 --> 00:38:41,569
-Lord, I--
-What kind of scoundrel are you?
450
00:38:41,652 --> 00:38:44,196
Hoarding your wealth while women
and children starve around you.
451
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:45,656
Sultan, you misunderstand me.
452
00:38:45,740 --> 00:38:48,951
I... misunderstand?
453
00:38:50,286 --> 00:38:52,788
Please, my intentions are honorable.
454
00:38:54,081 --> 00:38:55,791
Ask your vizier, Halil Pasha.
455
00:38:55,875 --> 00:38:56,751
Candarli Halil?
456
00:38:56,834 --> 00:38:59,086
Yes, I worked with him
to bring the siege to a quick end,
457
00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:01,297
in the hopes of avoiding the bloodshed.
458
00:39:01,380 --> 00:39:03,758
If you could call him here,
he would testify so.
459
00:39:07,845 --> 00:39:10,931
Take this half-breed dog away.
He'll look better without his head.
460
00:39:11,015 --> 00:39:12,892
[Loukas] No, please! Sultan!
461
00:39:12,975 --> 00:39:14,685
Please no! No!
462
00:39:15,144 --> 00:39:17,897
No, mercy! Mercy!
463
00:39:46,550 --> 00:39:48,010
Congratulations, Sultan.
464
00:39:49,595 --> 00:39:51,514
You have won a great victory.
465
00:39:52,556 --> 00:39:53,474
Thank you...
466
00:39:54,809 --> 00:39:55,851
my teacher.
467
00:39:58,521 --> 00:40:00,648
What will you do with your new jewel?
468
00:40:02,316 --> 00:40:04,944
I will build the capital
of my empire here.
469
00:40:06,404 --> 00:40:07,613
The new Rome.
470
00:40:08,614 --> 00:40:09,949
It will be splendid.
471
00:40:10,491 --> 00:40:11,409
Yes.
472
00:40:16,789 --> 00:40:20,876
Teacher, when my father came back
473
00:40:21,669 --> 00:40:23,170
and took the throne from me,
474
00:40:25,381 --> 00:40:27,174
do you remember what you said?
475
00:40:29,218 --> 00:40:32,430
You said, "When it's truly your time,
476
00:40:34,265 --> 00:40:36,600
you'll take your rightful place
on the throne
477
00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:42,106
and throw aside
the trappings of the past."
478
00:40:48,737 --> 00:40:50,698
And now you are your own man.
479
00:40:52,074 --> 00:40:53,701
Why didn't you believe in me?
480
00:40:53,784 --> 00:40:55,411
I gave all I could,
481
00:40:56,829 --> 00:40:58,414
so you would succeed.
482
00:41:02,710 --> 00:41:05,004
Now I go into exile, willingly.
483
00:41:05,087 --> 00:41:06,255
Not exile.
484
00:41:08,507 --> 00:41:13,387
Grand Vizier, reunite Candarli Halil
with his dear friend, Loukas Notaras.
485
00:41:15,264 --> 00:41:16,515
Gladly.
486
00:41:18,726 --> 00:41:21,812
Everything I have done, Sultan,
has been done to serve you.
487
00:41:24,356 --> 00:41:28,360
Please remember that
when you grow old, if you grow old.
488
00:41:30,029 --> 00:41:32,156
Thank you for all your lessons, teacher.
489
00:41:33,407 --> 00:41:34,867
They will be remembered.
490
00:41:52,343 --> 00:41:54,887
Everybody calls it
the fall of Constantinople.
491
00:41:54,970 --> 00:41:57,014
It wasn't a fall. Nothing fell.
492
00:41:57,097 --> 00:41:58,766
It was a conquest.
493
00:42:00,559 --> 00:42:02,561
[Gürkan] The conquest of Constantinople
494
00:42:02,645 --> 00:42:07,525
can be regarded as the first major victory
of cannons against cities.
495
00:42:07,608 --> 00:42:10,528
It was one big event
that showed the world
496
00:42:10,611 --> 00:42:12,738
how effective cannons can be
against walls,
497
00:42:12,821 --> 00:42:15,533
so it was the declaration
that the walls are obsolete.
498
00:42:19,245 --> 00:42:21,747
There are a few people
in world history
499
00:42:21,830 --> 00:42:24,833
who get to call themselves
world conquerors.
500
00:42:24,917 --> 00:42:26,585
Mehmed the Conqueror,
501
00:42:27,545 --> 00:42:30,256
in many senses,
changed the nature of world history.
502
00:42:31,340 --> 00:42:36,053
This great empire that will go on
to dominate a third of Europe,
503
00:42:36,595 --> 00:42:40,140
most of North Africa,
the whole of the Middle East,
504
00:42:40,224 --> 00:42:42,017
going towards the Persian Gulf
505
00:42:42,101 --> 00:42:44,645
and even at certain points
towards South-East Asia.
506
00:42:47,314 --> 00:42:53,112
It's the time when this state turns around
from being just one random principality
507
00:42:53,195 --> 00:42:55,447
on the borders
between Christendom and Islam,
508
00:42:55,531 --> 00:42:59,618
to being the dominant force
in world politics for 300 years.
509
00:43:00,327 --> 00:43:03,080
[Mara] My son, the Red Apple is yours.
510
00:43:04,540 --> 00:43:06,709
It is the prize of your new empire.
511
00:43:14,008 --> 00:43:15,092
And so...
512
00:43:16,802 --> 00:43:17,928
we begin.
513
00:43:23,142 --> 00:43:25,060
[dramatic music plays]