Question

How did mehmet Il overcome the strategic blocking of the golden horn by the byzantines

Answer 1

Mehmet II overcame the strategic blocking of the Golden Horn by the Byzantines through a combination of military tactics and advanced weaponry. He assembled a fleet of ships to block sea reinforcements, used bombards to breach city walls, and received support from his vassals and elite soldiers.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mehmet II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, overcame the strategic blocking of the Golden Horn by the Byzantines by using a combination of military tactics and advanced weaponry. Firstly, he assembled a large fleet of newly constructed ships to prevent Constantinople from receiving reinforcements and supplies via the sea.

Additionally, Mehmet brought in European gunsmiths to craft powerful bombards, which were early forms of cannon, to bombard and breach the city walls. These tactics, along with the help of his Muslim and Christian vassals and a core of elite professional soldiers, enabled Mehmet to successfully conquer Constantinople in the year 1453.

Answer 2

By the time Mehmed became Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire (1451), the Byzantine Empire was reduced to Constantinople itself, the Peloponnese, and a handful of Aegean islands. The Ottomans had had control of the territory surrounding Constantinople for decades. Mehmed fortified both sides of the Golden Horn, and would eventually lay siege to Constantinople.

Those fortifications were largely there to block reinforcements from the Black Sea, namely the Genoese in the area. In response, the Byzantines stretched a chain across the Golden Horn to keep the Ottomans from using their naval superiority to assault a section of the walls.

Some Christian reinforcements managed to get past the blockade, and Mehmed decided to make up for his navy’s failures by rolling his ships on greased logs overland, then putting them back in the water behind the chain. This rendered the Byzantines chain useless, spread their troops to defend all of the city’s walls, and made the siege much easier on the Ottomans.