The Fascinating Constantine XI — How the Last Byzantine Emperor Became A Legend

“To surrender the city to you is beyond my authority or anyone else’s who lives in it.” — Constantine XI to Mehmet II

Constantine XI was the last Byzantine emperor (Image: Artstation/@Olga Shvetskaya)

Constantine XI died as a true leader should — fighting to defend his empire. His life ended on May 29, 1453, the day Constantinople fell to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and his elite janissaries.

The very moment Constantine XI realized the city walls had been breached, he tore off his imperial regalia. He then took a last charge against the Ottomans and died with a sword in his hand. His body was never found.

“God forbid that I should live as an emperor without an empire. As my city falls, I will fall with it.”

— Constantine XI

Constantine XI Palaiologos was a born leader

The flag of the Byzantine Empire (Image: Wikimedia Commons) and the statue of Constantine XI (Image: Tripadvisor)

Constantine XI was born on February 8, 1405, as the fourth son of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (reigned 1391-1425). He was a royal prince of the last…