So Wade in the recent episode talked about one of the key instruments in the historical collapse of the final Roman city in 1453 came down to something as simple as leaving a gate unlocked. However, as a history student in college I feel like I should give more context to those who don’t know it’s signifigance.

The walls of Constantinople, also known as the Theodosian Walls, were built by Emperor Constantine between the 4th and 5th centuries after he move the Roman capital from Rome to Constantinople, then known as Byzantium and it quickly became the main hub for Roman culture and politics

Thousands of years pass, the western Roman Empire collapses, the remaining portion goes through many civil wars, the crusaders sack the city while traveling to Jerusalem during the 4th crusade, they watch as the remnants of the Roman Empire slowly fade until finally they are all that’s left. Surrounded by the Ottoman Turks and the walls still standing, ever a strong symbol of the long dying empire.

The walls themselves were not like normal medieval walls you may have seen. They were built up into multiple tiered sections. I have linked a model here. As you can see it wasn’t just any fortress. It was a system of moats, tunnels, traps, embarkments and stone towers that had protected the city for a 1000 years. It took the Turks weeks just to cross the first few layers of defense, losing thousands of men in the process. A relentless onslaught by the seemingly endless number of troops still wasn’t enough to break the line however.

And of course that’s when it happens. Someone left the gate unlocked, and seeing the weakness, the Ottomans surged through the gap, everything afterwards was but a formality.

Thousands of years of Roman culture, defeated just like that. It’s debated whether or not the city could have withstood the siege, door screw up or not. The Christians crusade at Varna against the Turks had failed in 1444 and many Italian traders, especially the Venetians, were all too happy to watch the old Empire burn so that they could secure their trade for themselves. With no allies and the ever growing strength of the Turkish army, perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered.

That however, is the fun of history. Even though it’s empire died, the Romans and their culture still forever changed western civilization. And many of the refugees who fled the city after its fall would go on to help spark the Renaissance, a blossoming of western culture we still admire today. Anyways thanks for listening to my TED talk.