Siege of Constantinople

Significance

The siege of Constantinople during the Ottoman Interregnum placed the Byzantine capital under pressure from Musa Çelebi, one of the Ottoman princes contending for supremacy in the civil war that followed the Battle of Ankara. Constantinople's position at the junction of Europe and Asia, controlling passage between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, gave it strategic importance that made it a significant objective for any power seeking dominance over the region. Manuel II Palaiologos commanded the city's defense during the siege. The city's position on the Silk Road meant that control of it carried economic as well as military weight for rival claimants to Ottoman authority during the Interregnum period.

Commanders (2)