1453 Capture of Constantinople by the Turks
565 years ago, on May 29, 1453, the Turkish army under the command of Sultan Mehmed II stormed Constantinople. The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, died in battle. Before his death, he said: "The city has fallen, but I am still alive." Of the 7,000 defenders of Constantinople, only 500 were captured. Most died, and several hundred Genoese, Venetians and Cretans were evacuated from Constantinople on their ships.