Wind flows through, smoke follows. The white horse paves the way into the city, following the stallion is an army of red and green flags, marching with valour into the end of a dynasty. Helmets, flags, swords, shields. Bodies are strewn across the horizon, but all that is quickly forgotten. The Sultan enters the walled city, blazed in a mix of glory and death, the red apple is finally his.
The spider weaves the curtains in the palace of the Caesars;
the owl calls the watches in the towers of Afrasiab
Qayser-i Rûm. The Caesar of the Romans. The roof of the world. The enlightened. The magnificent.
Crowds of people watch him ride towards their prized possession, the heartbeat of the city, the revered church.
Wails arise from the crowd, they do not know what the Sultan will do, they have been told that the Mohammedans are
vicious, cruel, followers of a false prophet. Through the wave of terrified, anxious commoners one can hear a faint cheering. There are amongst those who welcome the Qayser with open arms.
He is grieved by the state of the city, its grandeur reduced to ruins, the paved streets at the centre of the world now fallen into disarray, its former glory all but lost. The millennium of the empire has ended. As the horse rides through the streets the destitute and hopeless surround him, trying to touch the hem of his robes.
As the Sultan turns to face the majesty of the Church he is aware of the eyes following him. Viziers, soldiers, janissaries, peasant-folk all wait for what is to happen next. Slowly galloping, the magnificent one approaches the gates of the Church. He has dreamed about it, the visions from God have prepared him for this moment. Without entering, the Sultan knows what awaits him. The guards bow, the crowd murmurs, and just like that, the world has changed forever. As the 19 year old enters, the chains of his conscience are lifted. The great burden, the struggle that he so well carried has come to an end. The Red Apple is his.
The throne feels rather uncomfortable, the plush velvet and gold having long been sold to fight the resistance. Mehmet calls for his pashas, they will be needed for what is to come. With all present in the hall, Mehmet finally speaks, he announces that the days of Constantinople are over, they stand now on the capital of the empire, Istanbul. They are to rule the world for the next hundreds of years, their descendants will remember what they have accomplished, who they were. They bow. The Sultan turns to the viziers, dismissing them.
Hope is all but lost they say. No, he speaks, there is no room for hope, it is simply a must. Whether it be the basilica, the janissaries or himself, the walls must fall. Back home, they watch his siege with great interest, he knows what failure results in. The walls have been battered in every way yet they stand. Standing against him and the aspirations Mehmet brings. He has done everything, the weeks of siege have turned into months. Despite the genius of the iron chain, many foes still stand in his way. The fleet has been destroyed, the morale low, the janissaries close to mutiny, he is trapped from all sides. The swords of his brothers are no less dangerous than those of the franks. The Sultan orders them to leave the tent, peace is his only solace.
Shouts and cries rise from outside the tent, breaking the calm of his stupor. Peering outside through the tent he tries to find the source of the commotion, then he does. There is a lunar eclipse. In disbelief, he steps down the royal steps and stares at the sky. The inhabitants of the walled city are terrified, the prophecy states that Constantinople will fall when there is an eclipse. The Sultan remembers what the legends say, he who conquers Constantinople will rule the world. Perhaps it is his
time.
The Sultan’s men are ready for the final effort,
Either I conquer Istanbul or Istanbul conquers me.
The drums beat, The horns blow. The men charge. In this viscous field of mercilessness the heads of his men charge against stone. The onslaught from all sides continue. The ships burn, the walls battered, those inside the walls start to flee. Blood is in the air, the fighting is at its peak now. Men slash the enemy, killing with fatal blows, it is kill or be killed. Riding his horse, Mehmet surveys the battleground, he can see the Janissaries forging a path through, slaughtered men show him their path. Defenders of the wall have either lost all morale or stay and fight for their honour, death is their honour. One section of the wall sustains prolonged damage, and in front of their eyes it finally happens, the walls give way.
As the walls give way, the Constantine of Constantinople watches with pain. Everyone has left, choosing to flee and start a new life somewhere else. Not him. Constantinople sighs, then charges into battle.
A true king would never leave his city. He rushes into martyrdom.
The walls have given way. Cries of the defenders and the shouts of the attackers can be heard throughout the perimeter of the walls. This is the end. The wave of men in red and green burst through the walls, swords raised high. The last man is slain. In all of their bloodshed and glory, the army that had achieved what twenty three others couldn’t, storms the city. The Sultan enters the foray of victory, sword held high.
The Sultan gives a speech, it is said to be beautiful, bringing the men under him ecstatic, he reminds them of what The Prophet had said;
Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will he be,
and what a wonderful army that army will be.
Awakening the age of the new dawn, Mehmet walks through the paths of the center of the world.
Glossary:
Qayser – Alternate spelling of Caesar
Qayser-i Rûm – “Caesar of The Romans”
Afrasiab – Fictionary lands found in “Shahnameh” (The Persian Book of Kings) by Al Firdausi
Muhammadens – Mediaeval term for followers of Islam
Pasha – Advisor to the king
Janissaries – Elite warrior forces for the Ottoman sultan, known as strongest military force in the middle ages
Basilica – 8ft Cannon crafted by Hungarian cannon-maker Orban, made for Mehmet’s siege of Constantinople
