Justin Marozzi: Seizure of Constantinople (1453)

08/04/20 • 47 min

In this swashbuckling episode of Travels Through Time we head back to the year 1453. We watch on as the brilliant, ruthless young sultan, Mehmet II, makes use of terrifying modern weaponry as he seeks to capture the prize of his heart’s desire: the ancient city of Constantinople.

Our guest this week is the award-winning and bestselling writer Justin Marozzi. Marozzi has lived for much of his professional life in the Middle East and North Africa and is known for books like The Man Who Invented History: Travels with Herodotus (2008) and Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood.

The events described and the characters involved in this episode are taken from Marozzi’s latest book, Islamic Empires Fifteen Cities that Define a Civilization. That book is published in paperback on 6 August by Penguin Press.

For much, much more about this episode, including battle plans and portraits of Mehmed and Constantine, head to our website: tttpodcast.com

Show notes

Scene One: January 1453. A Hungarian siege engineer called Orban offers the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the most powerful new weapon in the world.

Scene Two: 22 April 1453, Mehmet displays an astonishing example of his military genius to seize control of the Golden Horn, Constantinople

Scene Three: 1:30am on 29th May, the battle for Constantinople reaches its dramatic climax

Memento: The magnificent cannon cast for the seige in 1453 by the Hungarian engineer Orban

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Interview: Violet Moller

Guest: Justin Marozzi

Production: Maria Nolan

Podcast partner: Colorgraph

For much, much more about this episode, including battle plans and portraits of Mehmed and Constantine, head to our website: tttpodcast.com

Show notes

Scene One: January 1453. A Hungarian siege engineer called Orban offers the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the most powerful new weapon in the world.

Scene Two: 22 April 1453, Mehmet displays an astonishing example of his military genius to seize control of the Golden Horn, Constantinople

Scene Three: 1:30am on 29th May, the battle for Constantinople reaches its dramatic climax

Memento: The magnificent cannon cast for the seige in 1453 by the Hungarian engineer Orban

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Interview: Violet Moller

Guest: Justin Marozzi

Production: Maria Nolan

Podcast partner: Colorgraph

Previous Episode

Prof. Greg Woolf: Rise of the Romans (146 BCE)

In this episode Professor Greg Woolf takes us to 146 BCE – the point at which Roman domination of the Mediterranean became inevitable.

In the West, the Romans destroyed the city of Carthage, ending the decades of military struggle known as the Punic Wars and finally defeating the Phoenicians.

In the East, Roman forces seized control of the important city of Corinth on mainland Greece, giving them a strategic foothold that they would go on to use in building their empire.

At the same time, the glittering intellectual capital of the ancient world, Alexandria, was beset by internal power struggles and so began the period of decline that would eventually lead to it, too, being absorbed into the Roman Empire.

For much, much more about this episode, head to tttpodcast.com

Show notes

Scene One: The demolition of Carthage in Spring of 146

Scene Two: At the sack of the ancient city of Corinth in Greece in 146

Scene Three: The decline of Alexandria and the death of Ptolemy VI in 145

Memento: A painting from the Ancient world

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Interview: Violet Moller

Guest: Professor Greg Woolf

Production: Maria Nolan

Partner: Colorgraph

The conversation in this episode of Travels Through Time revolves around Woolf’s most recent book, The Life and Death of Ancient Cities.

Next Episode

Prof. David Abulafia: Wolfson Prize Special (1415)

In this episode of Travels Through Time we are taken on an invigorating tour of the ports, coasts and oceans of the world with Professor David Abulafia, winner of the prestigious 2020 Wolfson Prize for History for his book, The Boundless Sea.

For much more information about this episode, including images of the people and places involved, head to our website, tttpodcast.com

The scenes discussed in this episode come from The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans (Allen Lane).

Show notes:

Scene One: 21 August 1415, The Portuguese attack on Ceuta, North Africa

Scene Two: 1415, The Eastern Settlement Greenland

Scene Three: 1415 Nanjing, east coast of central China

Memento: A piece of Chinese porcelain from Nanjing

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Guest: Professor David Abulafia

Editorial: Artemis Irvine

Producers: Maria Nolan