ITT: Historical moments that unironically make you sad.
Reading "Ghost Empire", a book about the history of Constantinople under the Romans, and it's up to the reign of Constantine XI, and got seriously hit by feels when he said this in a letter to the Ottoman sultan as the Ottoman armies prepared to besiege Constantinople for the last time:
>"Since you have preferred war to peace and I can call you back to peace neither with oaths or pleas, then follow your own will. I take refuge in God. If He has decreed and decided to hand over this city to you, who can contradict Him or prevent it? If He instils the idea of peace in your mind, I would gladly agree. For the moment, now that you have broken the treaties to which I am bound by oath, let these be dissolved.
>Henceforth I will keep the city gates closed.
>I will fight for the inhabitants with all my strength."
Goddamn, this fucking letter. Normally I'm not moved emotionally by reading history, but this just made me so sad. The guy knew he was fucked and he'd be the last Roman emperor, but he was gonna die defending his city and his people anyway, to the end.
F.
Jayden Peterson
Man i felt that in my heart ;(
Cooper Moore
>"Since you have preferred war to peace..."
IF HE WANTED PEACE, WHY DID HE REFUSE MEHMED II'S OFFER OF PEACE UNDER THE CONDITION THAT HE CONVERT TO MOHAMMEDANISM?
CONSTANTINE XI COULD HAVE CEASED PERSECUTING AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANS, AND EMBRACED A NOBLE SPIRITUAL DOCTRINE, BUT, INSTEAD, HE CHOSE TO PERSIST IN HIS MALEVOLENCE UNDER THE JUDEOCHRISTIANITY —HE WAS A MISERABLE AND "EVIL" INDIVIDUAL WHO DESERVES NO SYMPATHY.
BYZANTINE ROMA WAS A SENILE AND JUDAIZED HYPERBUREAUCRACY WHICH, BY ENDURING ITS OWN OBSOLESCENCE, HAD BECOME SYSTEMICALLY MALEVOLENT —ITS END CAME TOO LATE.
Nolan Rogers
F
Last true Roman
Juan Ramirez
>dude why didnt he just change his religion lol
Every time.
Ian Russell
Cry more wh*Te dog
Landon Butler
>Byzantines >Romans Kek.
Isaiah Morgan
>... UNDER JUDEOCHRISTIANITY...
Isaac Price
Learn how to read.
Tyler Jones
>dodges it
Every time
Logan Howard
?
Ian Campbell
>Constantine arrived late for the service, entering the narthex through the Imperial Gate. Trembling with emotion, he took the holy sacrament, fell to his knees and begged God for forgiveness of his sins. The emperor then drew himself up, bowed respectfully to everyone present, and strode out of the church.
>As he departed, a terrible cry of anguish went up from the congregation.
This was the last religious ceremony held by a Roman Emperor, and it occurred on the night before the city of Constantinople fell.
Anthony Taylor
>Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will he be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!
Camden Cruz
Ray I missed you my man
Brandon Hill
my dude if he converted there would be no point. Byzantium was the capital of orthodox Christianity for a millennium, and now you would ask the people to convert? What would be the point of doing that? That would just be disgraceful, and they would eventually be incorporated into the Ottoman Empire if they converted. I prefer Constantine's decision, for that is how a Byzantine/Roman should have gone out.
Justin Hernandez
Any man worth his salt would rather die than convert to islam, even if he already belongs to a slave's denomination
Andrew Brooks
Good post tbqh
Tyler Roberts
Reminder that constantine died wearing a peasant womens clothes, abandoning his imperial regalia while he tried to flee the city
The turks didnt even know they had killed him in the aftermath lol
Anthony Cox
Nah
Henry Murphy
Yeah, that's very likely since he rejected every offer to give up Constantinople for his life AND a promising position in the Ottoman Empire and participated in the siege instead of escaping through the Golden Horn when there was still time for it Kek
William Ortiz
Explain how literally every source said that his body was never found despite byzzieboos writer claiming that he died with his city
>b-but he ditched his imperial regalia
Why would an emperor ditch his imperial regalia if he was so keen on dying with his men? Obviously he tried to save his ass if you dumb shit bizzyboos would actually think instead of going >muh constantinople ;_; everytime
Charles Campbell
That's literally what he fucking said. >Why didn't he just change his religion? Gee, I don't know - why do you think?
>b-but he ditched his imperial regalia >Why would an emperor ditch his imperial regalia if he was so keen on dying with his men? Because he didn't want his enemy to find his body and use his death as a morale-booster and massive symbolic/propaganda victory? That's the usual reason given, anyway. You're either legitimately stupid or you're being willfully obtuse if you really can't think of any reasons why he'd abandon his regalia except to flee.
Obviously as his body was never found nobody can conclusively prove that he *didn't* flee, but it's completely at odds with the man's personality and considerable physical and moral courage, as attested by numerous contemporary sources.
Parker Gutierrez
>att odds with his personality
Why do byzaboos always conveniently forgot that this is the same man who are willing gave up his faith,licking the pope's ass in italy to send him reinforcement? Muh faith muh honor my ass lol byzzieboos have no shame
Hunter Allen
>Willing to give up his faith
>equating the will to give up his faith to the will to reconcile the Eastern and Western churches.