October 4, 1853: Europe Goes To War

On a crisp autumn day, October 4, 1853, the Ottoman Empire, weakened but defiant, declared war on the Russian Empire, igniting what would become one of the most significant conflicts of the 19th century—the Crimean War. For decades, the Ottoman Empire had been struggling…

Read More

May 29, 1453: The Gates Of Constantinople Are Breached

After more than two millennia, the Roman Empire—transfigured, fragmented, renamed, and reimagined—finally collapsed on May 29, 1453, as Ottoman forces under Sultan Mehmed II breached the gates of Constantinople following a 53-day siege. With the city’s fall came the extinguishing of the last imperial…

Read More