Roger Crowley’s novel, 1453, is a narrative that lays the groundwork for the Battle of Constantinople. The collapse of the Persian Empire and the schism between the East and the West are also encompassed in this book. The fall of Constantinople signaled a shift in history and the end of the Byzantine Empire. Crowley’s comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmet II, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, Byzantium’s emperor, illuminates the period in history that was the foundation for the present-day struggle between the Middle East and the West. Crowley does a great job of using historical sources to bring the characters to life. Crowley goes into great detail and supplies his readers with many facts about the siege and, where the facts are unclear, he gives the readers the opposing stories and let’s them decide. Crowley sticks to the necessities of this battle. In the first few
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Crowley draws extensively from primary source documents and highlights many of the captivating subplots that were part of the greater drama of the siege. Crowley provides the reader with a meticulous exploration of the final days of Constantinople as well as the social, religious, and political forces behind its demise. Even though there was a wealth of information, the reader was never weighed down in minutiae. Crowley is able to unfold the big picture clearly without sacrificing key elements about the various armies and personalities involved. Crowley immerses the reader into the book and makes it personal. The reader can feel the death of Constantine XI at the wall. The detail is overwhelming, but it does not stifle the reader. Crowley is the epitome of a great historian, because he successfully brings one of the most interesting battles in history to life. Compared to Anna Comnena’s, The Alexiad, Crowley presents his findings in a more objective manner. The Siege of 1453 was a watershed of
Crowley draws extensively from primary source documents and highlights many of the captivating subplots that were part of the greater drama of the siege. Crowley provides the reader with a meticulous exploration of the final days of Constantinople as well as the social, religious, and political forces behind its demise. Even though there was a wealth of information, the reader was never weighed down in minutiae. Crowley is able to unfold the big picture clearly without sacrificing key elements about the various armies and personalities involved. Crowley immerses the reader into the book and makes it personal. The reader can feel the death of Constantine XI at the wall. The detail is overwhelming, but it does not stifle the reader. Crowley is the epitome of a great historian, because he successfully brings one of the most interesting battles in history to life. Compared to Anna Comnena’s, The Alexiad, Crowley presents his findings in a more objective manner. The Siege of 1453 was a watershed of