What a horrible sinking feeling for poor Constantine. It did not matter that the Genoese nor the Vatican obliged many troops or ships. Constantinopal was doomed regardless. Mehmet II was one brilliant and very determined military leader who planned every aspect of his siege down to the last man. Soldiers who did not attack were killed on the spot and Mehmet himself killed one of his best admirals after a bad naval defeat. It took several weeks to get the job done, but Mehemt finally breeched the great walls of the city. (This was no small feat. The walls can still be seen today along with the craters Mehmet blasted in it with the largest cannon in human history) Constantine is said to have thrown off his regal insignia when the Turks began pouring into the city and died fighting among his people. The last bastion of the Byzantine empire finally fell after nearly two months in one of the greatest of military sieges.
