In 1453, the Ottoman Empire was set to be the world’s newest superpower and after conquering all of the Byzantine Empire’s former territory, it had its eyes set on the capital, Constantinople. The year before, a weapons manufacturer by the name of Orban tried to sell the idea of a very, very large cannon to the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI. The Emperor wanted the cannons, but simply did not have the money to fund them. Eventually, destitute Orban left Constantinople and sold the idea to the highest bidder, the Ottoman Empire. They had money, and built Orban’s giant cannons. The result was a 27 feet long monster, with barrel walls 8 inches thick and of solid bronze. The cannon mouth had a diameter of 30 inches. The Ottomans promptly began bombarding the walls of Constantinople. After almost 50 days, the walls were degraded enough for Ottoman forces to try and storm the city. On May 29, 1453, the Ottomans rushed the walls and sacked the city. Constantinople had been taken and pillaged before (the Fourth Crusade anyone?) but this time it was different. The Ottomans were there to stay, and the Byzantines no longer held any territory where they could go and wait out the invaders. Orban’s enormous cannons ended the Byzantine Empire. If Emperor Constantine had enough money, the Ottomans would never have been offered Orban’s designs, and the Byzantines might have been able to withstand this latest siege like they had dozens of times before.
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