What event in 1453 is often used as a marker for the end of the Middle Ages?

The story behind the answer

Historians use the 1453 Ottoman conquest of the Byzantine capital as a turning point because it ended the millennium-old Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and reshaped power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The siege showcased new military realities—especially massive gunpowder artillery—that rendered medieval walls and castle warfare obsolete, signaling the shift toward early modern warfare and states.

Its ripple effects were wide. Greek scholars fled west with classical manuscripts, invigorating Renaissance humanism. Meanwhile, Ottoman control over key overland trade routes to Asia encouraged Western Europeans to seek maritime alternatives, helping spark the Age of Discovery. The timing also coincides with other transitions, like the conclusion of the Hundred Years’ War, making 1453 a convenient marker for the Middle Ages’ end and the dawn of a new era.