Ever since Turks settled in Anatolia the empire had employed some of these warriors, known as Turcopoles, and they would gladly fight as long as Byzantine money kept flowing. Fun fact, after the capture of Nicaea during the First Crusade, emperor Alexios I would adopt an abandoned Turkish child, raising him as his own. John Axouch would become the closest friend of the emperor's son John II, serving as commander-in-chief of the then-formidable Byzantine army, thus pushing many fellow Turks back into the interior of Asia Minor.
Agree. P.S. I cant belive Ottomans had 200 000 soldiers. I mean in one place, I dont mean the total number of soldiers across the empire. Acording to scholars researches Ottomans had less than 100 000 warriors (40-80 thousands), this number looks more plausible. Ancient and Medieval chronicles quite often say about hundreds of thousands or sometimes even about millions of warriors, while in Early Modern period (16-17 centuries), from where we have more accurate written sources (not only chronicles, but also specific documents about army with numbers and types of warriors, how much money they were paid etc), the size of armies was much smaller (thousands and tens of thousands).
The Turks in Constantinople were with Prince Orhan who was grandson of Suleyman Celebi, oldest brother of Mehmet A and cousin of Mehmet B, they had long dispute about the Ottoman throne, so he voluntary joined Byzantines.
@@jus_sanguinis They probably had more and they kept coming. They didnt pay them, they promised them religious rewards and loot from the fallen Constantinople. They also recruit army from prisoners from the areas took over and passing by.
Indeed, unfortunately, I don't have access to the sources that properly discuss them otherwise I would have put it in the video. I know wikipedia says 600 Turks but this was based on some sketchy tertiary information so I erred on the side of caution.
Imagine being in constantines shoes. 2206 years of empire, tradition, and glory gone. Being the last of the romans. What i would give to have a conversation with him.
I cant belive Ottomans had 200 000 soldiers. I mean in one place, I dont mean the total number of soldiers across the empire. Acording to scholars researches Ottomans had less than 100 000 warriors (40-80 thousands), this number looks more plausible. Ancient and Medieval chronicles quite often say about hundreds of thousands or sometimes even about millions of warriors, while in Early Modern period (16-17 centuries), from where we have more accurate written sources (not only chronicles, but also specific documents about army with numbers and types of warriors, how much money they were paid etc), the size of armies was much smaller (thousands and tens of thousands).
In the video I did break down the figure as the sources do. The Ottomans had 60,000 soldiers, (whether the figure of Bashi Bazooks is inclusive or not is up to interpretation) and then the rest were all the other personnel, such as cooks, carpenters, camp followers, robbers, sailors, blacksmiths, etc.
Indeed, Mehmed's army contained a number of tribute soldiers from Serbia and the Christian parts of the Ottoman Empire such as Bulgaria. Interestingly, Nestor-Iskander, a Russian slave-soldier, defected to the defenders. He fought on the walls and later wrote an account of the siege.
@Triballian I know that Nestor-Iskander, a janissary who defected and fought with the defenders wrote an account of the siege, which many historians until recently have dismissed as legend rather than history. His and another by a polish janissary are the only two accounts of Christians formerly in the Ottoman army I know of. Unfortunately both are out of print and I have not had a chance to access them.
Is it accurate to say that the Romans & Ottomans were starting to signal the increasing number of gunpowder weapons being fielded in armies of the late 15th & 16th Centuries?
It is one of the memorable uses of gunpowder because of how many cannon were employed by Mehmed and was one of the chief reasons why he was able to breach the defences of Constantinople.
@@EasternRomanHistory Do we have any information from Primary Sources regarding Roman use of Handguns before the siege, like other 14th & 15th century conflicts with Serbia and/or the Turks (George Sphrantzes or other eye-witnesses mention that the Italian Condottieri had Handguns)?
200.000 soldiers for Turks is very high and can’t be true ! Because total number of soldiers in the Ottoman Army at its largest point during 16th century was at that point, and if they mass that number of soldier in İstanbul, then there was no soldiers left to defend provinces, and borders. You can use Turkish sources for more accurate numbers
@Δημήτρης Ο Δημήτρης you are not Hellenese, you are Romans, real Romans, and you should be proud of that. I am not disrespecting you or your nation or your ancestors. You guys are great. But on the current world, it is almost impossible to take Constatinople unless WW3 happens. Again, it is unfortunate you guys lost it, regaining it is as hard as Muslims regaining Spain. Greece is a great country, and are the real romans. But these westerners are trying to say they are the Romans and you are Byzantines. Constantinople would not have fallen if evil crusaders of 1204 did not the city. And who are looters? never in the history was any type of soldier called looter. This video is biased but still informative.
@Δημήτρης Ο Δημήτρης sorry to inform you, you tried to take Constantinople in 1919 with the huge help of British and allies, But still Turks beats you in battle Izmir despite having small army than yours. Important to note, Turks were all alone but still won decisively. In the world, Turks won't be alone and it is highly unlikely allies will help you like they did in 1900s. Be proud from what you achieved and your rich history. If you want to achieve too much you will lose more than gaining.
That last part that mentioned there were turks who fought for constantinople sounds very interesting
Ever since Turks settled in Anatolia the empire had employed some of these warriors, known as Turcopoles, and they would gladly fight as long as Byzantine money kept flowing.
Fun fact, after the capture of Nicaea during the First Crusade, emperor Alexios I would adopt an abandoned Turkish child, raising him as his own. John Axouch would become the closest friend of the emperor's son John II, serving as commander-in-chief of the then-formidable Byzantine army, thus pushing many fellow Turks back into the interior of Asia Minor.
Agree. P.S. I cant belive Ottomans had 200 000 soldiers. I mean in one place, I dont mean the total number of soldiers across the empire. Acording to scholars researches Ottomans had less than 100 000 warriors (40-80 thousands), this number looks more plausible. Ancient and Medieval chronicles quite often say about hundreds of thousands or sometimes even about millions of warriors, while in Early Modern period (16-17 centuries), from where we have more accurate written sources (not only chronicles, but also specific documents about army with numbers and types of warriors, how much money they were paid etc), the size of armies was much smaller (thousands and tens of thousands).
The Turks in Constantinople were with Prince Orhan who was grandson of Suleyman Celebi, oldest brother of Mehmet A and cousin of Mehmet B, they had long dispute about the Ottoman throne, so he voluntary joined Byzantines.
@@jus_sanguinis They probably had more and they kept coming. They didnt pay them, they promised them religious rewards and loot from the fallen Constantinople.
They also recruit army from prisoners from the areas took over and passing by.
Indeed, unfortunately, I don't have access to the sources that properly discuss them otherwise I would have put it in the video. I know wikipedia says 600 Turks but this was based on some sketchy tertiary information so I erred on the side of caution.
Excellent video. Can we expect more of these troop overviews for other battles and stages in Eastern Roman history?
Indeed. This year I plan to do some videos about important Byzantine battles.
Too sad to see this
I love this breakdown. Can we expect to see similar videos breaking down the Roman army and it's opposing force in other battles?
Glad you enjoyed it yes you can.
Great video as always !!! Do you think to cover the army of the eastern Roman empire at other periods ?
Indeed I will.
Excelente vídeo!!! Parabéns!!!!
Curious how the Pronoia were organized, trained and armed at this point. Great video.
A great subject for another video.
Αalso, pronoia in modern Greek state,means social help from the government.
Love the Empire Earth oundtrack use!
Imagine being in constantines shoes. 2206 years of empire, tradition, and glory gone. Being the last of the romans. What i would give to have a conversation with him.
Both Empires may be dead forever
But they will still live on our hearts
AETERNA VICTRIX
Empire earth ost. Love it
I cant belive Ottomans had 200 000 soldiers. I mean in one place, I dont mean the total number of soldiers across the empire. Acording to scholars researches Ottomans had less than 100 000 warriors (40-80 thousands), this number looks more plausible. Ancient and Medieval chronicles quite often say about hundreds of thousands or sometimes even about millions of warriors, while in Early Modern period (16-17 centuries), from where we have more accurate written sources (not only chronicles, but also specific documents about army with numbers and types of warriors, how much money they were paid etc), the size of armies was much smaller (thousands and tens of thousands).
He did say 80k actual soldiers and 120k looters. Also dont forget the fleet
In the video I did break down the figure as the sources do. The Ottomans had 60,000 soldiers, (whether the figure of Bashi Bazooks is inclusive or not is up to interpretation) and then the rest were all the other personnel, such as cooks, carpenters, camp followers, robbers, sailors, blacksmiths, etc.
I would love an episode on the Roman people after 1453, in Thrace the Peloponnese and Anatolia
hot stuff
one of the saddest season finales ever
It is also estimated that the Greek speaking soldiers were more numerous outside the walls rather than inside. What an irony!
Indeed, Mehmed's army contained a number of tribute soldiers from Serbia and the Christian parts of the Ottoman Empire such as Bulgaria. Interestingly, Nestor-Iskander, a Russian slave-soldier, defected to the defenders. He fought on the walls and later wrote an account of the siege.
@Triballian I know that Nestor-Iskander, a janissary who defected and fought with the defenders wrote an account of the siege, which many historians until recently have dismissed as legend rather than history. His and another by a polish janissary are the only two accounts of Christians formerly in the Ottoman army I know of. Unfortunately both are out of print and I have not had a chance to access them.
Man you should invest in a nice mic. Your audio quality is the only thing holding you back.
Well well beautiful stranger, are you one of those history channels of quality forgotten by the holy algorithm ?
Let's see ! :D
Quality History? Yes, certainly want to be. Forgotten by the algorithm? Aren't we all.
make video about the cumans in byzantine empire
Sorry my english,i am Brazilian
Certainly an interesting topic.
👏
as soon as i heard the background music i know its from rise and fall haha
Is it accurate to say that the Romans & Ottomans were starting to signal the increasing number of gunpowder weapons being fielded in armies of the late 15th & 16th Centuries?
It is one of the memorable uses of gunpowder because of how many cannon were employed by Mehmed and was one of the chief reasons why he was able to breach the defences of Constantinople.
@@EasternRomanHistory Do we have any information from Primary Sources regarding Roman use of Handguns before the siege, like other 14th & 15th century conflicts with Serbia and/or the Turks (George Sphrantzes or other eye-witnesses mention that the Italian Condottieri had Handguns)?
Maybe a dumb question. But why did the byzantine empire had such a small number of troops?
the byzantine empire by that point had been relegated to the Constantinople and a few small territories in Greece.
200.000 soldiers for Turks is very high and can’t be true ! Because total number of soldiers in the Ottoman Army at its largest point during 16th century was at that point, and if they mass that number of soldier in İstanbul, then there was no soldiers left to defend provinces, and borders.
You can use Turkish sources for more accurate numbers
As I explained in the video, the Turks had 40,000-60,000 soldiers the rest were non-combatants
Dark times.
Romans still exist, maybe we can bring it back in some form someday.
Europeans are Romanized. Romanization is witnessed everywhere, from Greece to the farthest reaches of Europe and to their descendants in the Americas.
America is Rome, it never ended.
@@barkley8285 america is a joke.
For the Emperor! Long live Βασιλεύς! We shall reclaim the great city of Constantinople which is rightfully ours, for the glory of God ☦️🛡️🙏🇬🇷⚔️😎
Good old times
Please don't cause balkan war part four in the process... those never end well.
Keep dreaming. It is and always will be Istanbul❤️❤️
@Δημήτρης Ο Δημήτρης you are not Hellenese, you are Romans, real Romans, and you should be proud of that. I am not disrespecting you or your nation or your ancestors. You guys are great. But on the current world, it is almost impossible to take Constatinople unless WW3 happens. Again, it is unfortunate you guys lost it, regaining it is as hard as Muslims regaining Spain. Greece is a great country, and are the real romans. But these westerners are trying to say they are the Romans and you are Byzantines. Constantinople would not have fallen if evil crusaders of 1204 did not the city. And who are looters? never in the history was any type of soldier called looter. This video is biased but still informative.
@Δημήτρης Ο Δημήτρης sorry to inform you, you tried to take Constantinople in 1919 with the huge help of British and allies, But still Turks beats you in battle Izmir despite having small army than yours. Important to note, Turks were all alone but still won decisively. In the world, Turks won't be alone and it is highly unlikely allies will help you like they did in 1900s. Be proud from what you achieved and your rich history. If you want to achieve too much you will lose more than gaining.
I do not appreciate the events of the fall of Constantinople. Thank you very much
Thank you Mehmed II. God bless you for everything you have done for us.
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🇦🇶