572 years ago today, on May 29, 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. Known as the Queen of Cities, it had been the heart and cradle of Orthodox Christendom for over a thousand years. The last Roman Emperor was Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos, the son of a Serbian noblewoman named Jelena Dragaš. The city had never truly recovered from the devastation of the Fourth Crusade and had long been a shadow of its former self. But when it became the capital of the mighty Ottoman Empire, new life was breathed into it, and it once again reclaimed its place as the most important city in the Mediterranean. Today, Istanbul stands as one of the most historic and culturally rich cities in the world and a must-visit for anyone with a passion for history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgf9Xiixv-o