The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and dramatically shifted the balance of power in the Mediterranean. This episode investigates how world history might have unfolded if the Byzantines had successfully repelled the Ottoman siege of 1453. Our hosts analyze the specific military technologies and strategies employed in the siege, the political implications of a sustained Byzantine presence as a buffer between East and West, and how an enduring Constantinople might have affected the spread of Renaissance knowledge and Orthodox Christian influence. We explore how this alternate timeline would have impacted Ottoman expansion, European trade routes, and the cultural exchange between Islamic and Christian civilizations.

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