In this episode, we follow the desperate defense of Constantinople as Emperor Constantine XI struggles to withstand the relentless siege. Ottoman cannons hammer the walls day and night, while engineers carve tunnels beneath the city, seeking to collapse its foundations from below. The defenders cling to the fragile hope of Western aid, even as Sultan Mehmet II pushes them to their breaking point—hauling ships overland to bypass the harbor defenses and constructing towering siege engines in the dead of night to overwhelm the walls. Desperate, the Greeks fight back with every means at their disposal. Barrels of gunpowder reduce a massive Ottoman siege tower to splinters, while brutal impalements and savage retributions spread fear through both camps. Yet inside the city, political rivalries between Venice and Genoa weaken Constantine’s already fragile coalition, eroding what little unity remains. With each passing day, the city's fate grows more dire... Help support the show on Patreon! Sources and Attributions on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices