In which year was Constantinople conquered by the Turks?

The story behind the answer

1453 is correct because on May 29 of that year Sultan Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) captured Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire and making the city the Ottoman capital. The Ottomans used innovative tactics, including massive gunpowder cannons (like Orban’s bombard), a naval blockade, and overland transport of ships to bypass chains in the Golden Horn.

This watershed event is often seen as the end of the Middle Ages. It shifted trade dynamics, helping spur European exploration, and many Greek scholars fleeing the city invigorated the Renaissance in the West. Memory tip: think “1453 = 53-day siege” (the city fell after roughly 53 days), and “fall of the city” famously turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque and Istanbul into a world capital.