In April of 1453 CE, Constantine XI was the Byzantine emperor. He was in trouble. The Ottoman Turks had a new sultan. Mehmed II was just 21 years old. He planned to attack Constantinople.
He had built a fortress at the opening of the Bosporus Strait. This cut off Constantinople from its allies on the Black Sea. (Allies are like friends: they help each other.) Constantine XI asked western Europe to send help. He even tried sending the sultan gifts. But Mehmed II killed the ambassadors who brought the gifts. The Ottoman Turkish army was much bigger than Constantinople’s. But the emperor hoped his soldiers could hold out until help came from Europe.
