In 1204 the soldiers who had set out to retake Jerusalem in the Fourth Crusade changed course—but why? The result would change medieval Europe forever.

In the history of its numerous attempts (there were more than ten of them) to capture the ancient capital of Byzantium, there were several times that Russia was just a step away from realizing its ...

In 565 AD, Constantinople stood at the peak of its power. With nearly half a million inhabitants, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was the largest and most magnificent city of its age. Entering ...

On 6 April 1453, the Siege of Constantinople began under the command of Mehmed II, an Ottoman sultan who was just 21 years old but determined to see through his father’s dream of capturing the ...

Through Google Earth’s lens, we retrace the dramatic Fall of Constantinople in 1453. In just one minute, we chart the city’s imposing walls, the Ottoman siege led by Mehmed II, and the moment the ...