Nestor-Iskander on the Fall of Constantinople
About the Document
Nestor-Iskander was, insofar as we know, a Slav of Orthodox background who converted to Islam. His account of the fall of Constantinople has been preserved in Russian language sources, and tells the story of the battle from the Byzantine perspective--that is, from inside the city. Nestor-Iskander apparently was actually present for the siege and fall of the city.
This document paints a noble picture of the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI. More importantly, it highlights the intimate relationship between the Byzantine ruler, the Orthodox Church, and the elite of
Byzantine society.
Nestor-Iskander concludes his tale by mentioning an old Byzantine "prophecy" that held that one day a people called the rhusios would gain control of Constantinople. Russian sources interpreted rhusios, which in Greek means "red-haired," as russkii, which means Russian. This "prophecy" would inspire some Russians to understand that Russia would take Constantinople's place as the heir of Rome, and the seat of true Christianity.
The Document
The godless [Sultan] Mohammed [II, 1451-1481], son of Murad [II, 1421-1451], who at that time ruled the Turks, took note of all the problems [that plagued Constantinople]. And, although he professed peace, he wanted to put an end to Emperor Constantine [XI, 1449-1453]. Towards that end he assembled a large army and, by land and by sea, suddenly appeared with that large force before the city [of Constantinople] and laid siege to it.…[The Emperor], therefore, sent his envoys to Sultan Mohammed in order to discuss peace and past [relations]. But Mohammed did not trust them, and as soon as the envoys departed, he ordered cannons and guns to fire at the city. Others were commanded to make ready wall-scaling equipment and build assault structures. Such city inhabitants as Greek, Venetian, and Genoese [mercenaries] left because they did not want to fight the Turks. . . .
When the Emperor saw this [exodus], he ordered his nobles and high officials to assign the remaining soldiers to each sector of the city's wall, to main gates, and to windows. The entire population was mobilized and alarm bells were hoisted throughout the city. Each person was informed of his assignment and each was told to defend his country. All were organized into a fighting force to battle the Turks from city walls and no one was allowed to leave the city. They also placed cannons and guns in strategic places to defend city walls. The Emperor, the Patriarch, bishops, priests, and the entire church council, as well as a multitude of women and children, attended church service, where they prayed, cried, and lamented. . . . The Emperor frequently travelled around the city, encouraging his military leaders, soldiers, and all inhabitants, telling them to have faith, not to allow themselves to be disheartened by enemy pressure, and to trust Almighty God, their Savior and Protector. He also implored them to pray. Meanwhile, day and night, the Turks bombarded all parts of the city without stopping, and gave its defenders no time to rest.…
On the fourteenth day, after they had said their heathen prayers, the Turks sounded trumpets, beat their drums, and played on all other of their musical instruments.…Because of continued heavy shooting, city defenders could not stand safely on the wall. Some crouched down awaiting the attack; others fired their cannons and guns as much as they could, killing many Turks. The Patriarch, bishops, and all clergy prayed constantly, pleading for God's mercy and for [His help in] saving the city.
When the Turks surmised that they had killed all the defenders on the wall, they ordered their forces to give a loud shout [before the assault]. Some soldiers carried incendiary devices, others ladders, still others wall-destroying equipment, and the rest many other instruments of destruction. They were ordered to attack and capture the city. City defenders, too, cried out and shouted back and engaged them in a fierce battle. The Emperor toured the city, encouraging his people, promising them God's help and ordering the ringing of church bells so as to summon all the inhabitants [to defend their city], When the Turks heard the ringing of church bells, they ordered their trumpets, flutes, and thousands of other musical instruments to sound out. And there was a great and terrible slaughter! . . .
When Mohammed saw such a multitude of his men killed, and when he was told of Emperor's bravery, he could not sleep. [On May 27, 1453] he called in his Council and informed them that he wanted to lift the siege that night, before a large [Papal] fleet arrived in the city to reinforce [its defenses]. But then there appeared an unexpected miracle of God! The anticipated [Papal] help failed to materialize. Instead, at 7:00 p.m. that evening the entire city was suddenly engulfed by a great darkness. The air suddenly thickened and, in a moaning way, it hovered above the city. Then, big black drops of rain, as large as the eye of a buffalo, began to fall. People were shocked and horrified by this unusual occurrence. Patriarch Athanasius gathered all of his clergy and members of the Imperial Council, went to the Emperor, and told him the following: "Your Illustrious Majesty! All citizens of the city believe in its vitality. But they also think that the Holy Spirit has abandoned it. Now every living creature is foretelling the demise of this city. We beseech you to leave the city. All of us will perish here. For God's sake, please leave!". . . The Emperor did not listen to them. He replied instead: "Let God's will be done!"
When he saw that the great darkness engulfed the city, the impious Mohammed called in his learned men and dignitaries and asked them to explain: "What is the meaning of the sudden darkness that descended upon the city?" And they replied: "This is an important sign portending the demise of the city."
. . . [At that moment] a Turkish military governor, whose large force was deployed on the eastern flank, attacked the Greeks. His action divided Greek forces and forced them to retreat. He even captured their standards and advanced against the Emperor. The Emperor positioned his shield in a defensive position, knocked out [the Turk's] lance, and struck and cut off the enemy's head with his sword. When Turkish soldiers saw this they were shocked and carried away the corpse of their dead leader.
. . . When Mohammed learned about the death of his eastern military commander, he wept profusely because he admired the commander's bravery and wisdom. He also became very angry and led all of his forces to the Sublime Porte. He ordered that the Emperor's positions be bombarded with cannons and guns, being concerned that the Emperor's forces might attack him. Then, the godless [Mohammed] appeared opposite the Poloe Mesto and ordered his forces to fire cannons and guns at defenders in order to induce them to retreat. He also instructed [Turkish Admiral] Balta-Oghlu, in charge of many regiments and a select force of 3000, to capture the Emperor dead or alive.
When they noticed the determination of the godless [Mohammed], [the Byzantine] military commanders, officials, and nobles joined the battle and implored the Emperor to leave in order to escape death. He wept bitterly and told them: "Remember the words I said earlier! Do not try to protect me! I want to die with you!" and they replied: "All of us will die for God's church and for you!"
Then they escorted him to [relative] safety and many people told him to leave the city. After they pledged their allegiance to him, they lamented and cried and returned to their posts.…There was fierce fighting, more vicious than all previous encounters. Many [Byzantine] military commanders, officials, and nobles perished and the few who survived went to the Emperor to report to him about the disaster. There is no way to give an accurate number of Byzantine and Turkish casualties. The select Turkish force of 3000, like wild animals, dispersed and searched all comers of the city in an effort to capture the Emperor.
The impious Mohammed then ordered all of his forces to occupy all city streets and gates in order to capture the Emperor. In his camp he retained only the Janissaries, who readied their cannons and guns in fear of a sudden attack by the Emperor. Sensing God's command, the Emperor went to the Great Church [St. Sophia?], where he fell to the ground pleading for God's mercy and forgiveness for his sins. Then he bade farewell to the Patriarch, the clergy, and the Empress, bowed to those who were present and left the church.…As he left the church the Emperor said: "If you want to suffer for God's church and for the Orthodox faith, then follow me!"
Then he mounted his horse and went to the Golden Gate, hoping to encounter there the godless. He was able to attract some 3000 [Byzantine] soldiers. Near the Gate they met a multitude of Turks whom they defeated. The Emperor wanted to reach the Gate but could not on account of many corpses. Then he encountered another large Turkish force and they fought till darkness. In this manner the Orthodox Emperor Constantine suffered for God's churches and for the Orthodox faith. On May 29 [1453], according to eyewitnesses, he killed more than 600 Turks with his own hand. And the saying was fulfilled. It started with Constantine and it ended with Constantine. . . .
…City inhabitants in streets and courtyards refused to surrender to the Turks. They fought them and on that day [May 29] many died, including women and children. Others were taken into captivity. Brave soldiers stationed themselves in windows and refused to surrender and give up their posts.…During daylight they ran and hid themselves in various abysses and at night they came out and fought the Turks. Others, especially women and children, threw bricks, tiles, and burning pieces of wood at them and thereby caused them great trouble.
[This form of resistance] stunned the pashas and sanjak-beys. Because they did not know what to do, they sent a messenger to the Sultan with the following information: "The city will not be pacified until you enter it!" He ordered that a search be made for the Emperor and the Empress. He [the Sultan] himself was afraid to enter the city and that fact troubled him greatly. He then called in [Byzantine] nobles and military commanders who had been captured in the battle and were held as war prisoners by the pashas. He gave them his resolute word and some gifts, and sent them, together with the pashas and sanjak-beys, to deliver the following message to [the defiant] city inhabitants in streets and courtyards: "All fighting must stop! There should be neither fear, nor killings nor taking people into captivity! If you disobey this order, all of you, including your wives and children, will be put to the sword!" And so it was. The fighting stopped. . . .
When he heard this the Sultan was pleased.…
Then he went to the Imperial Palace. There he met a certain Serb who handed him the Emperor's [Constantine's] head. Mohammed was pleased with it and called [Byzantine] nobles and military commanders and asked them to verify whether or not the head was really Emperor's. Because they were afraid, they all said: "It is the Emperor's head!" He examined it and said: "It is clear that God is the creator of all, including emperors. Why then does everyone have to die?"
Then he sent the head to the Patriarch, instructing him to inlay it with gold and silver and to preserve it the best he knew how. The Patriarch placed it in a silver chest, gilded it, and hid it under the altar of the great church. I have heard from others that the survivors [of the battle] at the Golden Gate [where the Emperor was killed] took the Emperor's corpse that night and buried it in Galati.
. . . All of this happened as a consequence of our sins, that the godless Mohammed ascended the imperial throne. . . . Yet, those who know [history] also know that all of this was prophesied by Methodius of Patera [a third-century martyred Church Father] and by Leo the Wise [author of several prophetic works] concerning the destiny of this city. Its past has been fulfilled and so will be its future. For it is written: "A nation of Rus, as has been prophesied in the vision of St. Daniel, will triumph. And they will inherit the traditions of the seven hills [namely, Rome], as well as its laws, and will disseminate them among five or six nations that comprise Rus, and they will implant seeds among them and will harvest many benefits."
To you who have been selected to rule, by the highest, the all-powerful and almighty hand of God, by Whose will all rulers on earth govern and Whom all great people praise and about Whom the powerful write the truth, [I address these words] to you, the illustrious sovereign, Grand Prince [of Muscovy], occupier of the high throne, the Orthodox Christian Tsar and lord of all, the administrator of all Holy Churches of God and of the Holy Universal and Apostolic Church and of the Church of the Holy Mother of God, that has made such honest and illustrious progress that it has been enabled to triumph over the Church of Rome as well as over the Church of Constantinople.
…[H]eresy caused the downfall of old Rome. The Turks used their axes to shatter the doors of all churches of the Second Rome, the city of Constantinople. Now [in Moscow], the new Third Rome, the Holy Ecumenical Apostolic Church of your sovereign state shines brighter than the sun in the universal Orthodox Christian faith throughout the world. Pious Tsar! Let [people of] your state know that all states of the Orthodox faith have now merged into one, your state. You are the only true Christian ruler under the sky!
Tsar! As long as you hold that position, be mindful always of God. Fear God who has bestowed so much on you. Do not rely on gold, wealth, or glory! All of that is collected here and it will remain here on earth. Tsar! Remember the Blissful who held the scepter in His hand and the imperial crown on His head and said: "Do not turn your heart to wealth that is running away from you." The wise Solomon said: "Wealth and gold are valued not when they are hidden, but when people offer help to those in need. . . ." Tsar! During your rule remember [an additional] two commandments. . . . [The first is]: Do not violate the order which was chosen by your great predecessor [Emperor] Constantine, the beatific Vladimir, the great and God-selected Iaroslav, and all other blissful and saintly [rulers] from whom you have descended. [And second]: Tsar! Do not harm the Holy churches of God and honest monasteries. [Do not expropriate] that which has been given to God in return for eternal blessing of the memory of a family. The Fifth Great and Holy Ecumenical Council issued a very strict injunction [against such action]. . . .
Now I beg you and beg you again, please remember what I have said. For God's sake, please also remember that now all [Orthodox] Christian kingdoms have merged into your tsardom. Henceforth we can expect only one kingdom to come. That kingdom is eternal. I have written this because, admiring you as I do, I have appealed and have prayed to God that He may bless you. Change your stinginess to generosity and your inclemency to kindness. Comfort those who cry and moan day and night. Protect the innocent from their tormentors.
I repeat here what I have written above. Pious Tsar! Listen and remember that all Christian kingdoms have now merged into one, your [tsardom]. Two Romes have fallen. The third stands [firm]. And there will not be a fourth. No one will replace your Christian tsardom. . . .
Source: Anthology of Old Russian Literature, ed. Ad. Stender-Petersen in collaboration with Stefan Congrat-Butlar. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1954).
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