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<i>Rise of Empires: Ottoman</i> is a docudrama based on the events of 1453 that led to the conquest of Constantinople, then ruled by the Byzantine Empire, by the Ottoman Empire. The series follows Mehmed II (the Conqueror), the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who tries to create a name for himself in the history books by conquering the famed Byzantine capital of Constantinople , which had never been conquered despite more than twenty attempts by foreign armies. On the other side, Constantine XI leads the Byzantines as they defend the city.

In the beginning of 1453, Mehmed II has become impatient to conquer Constantinople. He had studied Alexander the Great and others and realized they accomplished many of their great feats at a young age. He wants to be like them and have a lasting conquest that can shape his empire and his legacy. The series looks at the events through 1453 and until the fall of the city in May 29 1453, but various flashbacks during the life of Mehmed II and how he grew up and how he was shaped by events around him are explored. Mehmed had come to power at a young age (12 years of age), only to then relinquish the throne back to his father at the age of 14, who had earlier retired. At the age of 21, he was back in power and eager to prove himself, as his he was forced to give up the throne in his earlier years because he was seen as unready and too rash to make good decisions. Nevertheless, he always wanted to conquer Constantinople, despite his chief adviser or grand vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha telling him otherwise. In fact, it is suggested that most Ottoman notables thought conquering Constantinople would be too costly at a time when the empire had other enemies to think about. Constantinople still had its great walls build by Theodosius II in the 6th century. Initially, Constantine XI tries to see what the new Sultan was like, but he learns very quickly that Mehmed II fully intends to capture Constantinople. This leads to Constantine obtaining a group of mercenaries to help protect the city, led by Giovanni Giustiniani Longo, a Genoese nobleman and captain.

Mehmed thought of a bold plan to bring his own ships around a large chain blocking Constantinople's port and the area known as the Golden Horn. He wanted to lift his ships out of the Bosporus and place them in the Golden Horn where the Byzantine ships were. This would force the Byzantines to then have to defend the sea-facing side of the city as well as the land-facing side, spreading their meager soldiers thinner. At this point, there were probably less than 7000 defenders, protecting more than 8 miles of walls, against the Ottoman army that may have been ten times this size. Mehmed then compels Genoese merchants in Galata, a small trade port next to Constantinople, to not interfere as the ships are transported. This operation is successful and causes panic among Constantine's people. The Byzantines try to counter this by sending their ships to attack but this time the Ottomans, perhaps having been warned, were ready and counter attacked with canon fire on the ships, turning the attackers away. Nevertheless, the siege went on and word soon reached that a Venetian army might come to the aid of Constantinople. By this time he was becoming more desperate as the Byzantines proved tenacious. This prompted Mehmed to make one last great assault on what he thought was the weakest gate. His advisers were mostly against the plan, but Mehmed had numbers on his side. He sent several waves of attackers, trying to use each wave to tire the defenders. This began to work as the defenders could not keep the elite Janissaries from entering the breach points after successfuling defending against the weaker troops sent. Constantine is killed as he makes a heroic counter-attack with some of his men, while Giovanni is mortally wounded. On May 29, Constantinople fell and Mehmed sits on the Byzantine throne. He converts the great Hagia Sophia domed church, the largest building in the world at that time, to the first great Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. He also then executes his grand vezier, and the Byzantine Grand Duke, perhaps for perceived treachery in trying to stop the attack on Constantinople or, in the case of the Grand Duke, his treachery against his master.

Mehmed II: Shown as a very stubborn character but with great cunning and intelligence. He is well educated and can read and write several languages. He is determined to be a great conqueror like Alexander the Great, who he admires for his achievements at such a young age.<ref>For more on Mehmed II, see: Babinger, F., Manheim, R., Hickman, W.C., 1992. <i>Mehmed the Conqueror and his time</i>. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.</ref>

Mara Branković: A Serbian noblewoman who was married to Murad II and became a surrogate mother to Mehmed II. Even though she is Christian and from an enemy state to the Ottomans, having grown up in the Ottoman court and with Mehmed, she attempts to act as a spy and informer to Mehmed when she is back in Serbia, which could be a potential threat to the Ottomans during the siege of Constantinople.<ref>For more on Branković, see: Nicol 2002, pg. 44 </ref>

As this 6-part series is a docudrama, it has historians that directly comment on events as they unfold. The accuracy is generally correct with the timeline, and the advise and counter-advise for attacking or not to attack Constantinople, is accurate from the Ottoman side. There are many facts depicted that we cannot be sure about. For instance, the execution of Çandarlı Halil Pasha happened but the exact reason is unclear. The destruction of the large canon attacking Constantinople is unclear. It may have blown up during the siege, perhaps due to Mehmed pushing the gunners beyond their limit as depicted in the series, but the details are not clear. While Mehmed was a brave ruler, he probably did not lead some of the assault, as shown in one of the scenes during the final attack on the city. We do not know if Mehmed did try to buy off Giovanni, as suggested by the series, although Giovanni must have been seen as one of the key obstacles by Mehmed. Similarly, other discussions and offers to switch sides or avoid given loyalties are not known. For instance, the betray by the Genoese traders or others in Constantinople that helped bring the city down are unclear. However, the timeline of events and key background are accurate. Both the Ottoman and Byzantine sides were shown as having cruel practices in confronting their enemies and even members to their own side, but this was probably accurate given the events at the time.

The series presents a focus on how the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, one of the greatest cities in the ancient and Medieval worlds. It had been an impossible city to conquer previously, but the use of canons during the siege did usher a new age where city walls now were no longer sufficient in protecting cities. Now, cannons began to shape modern warfare and this continued to be so after the siege. The events themselves were critical in shaping the course of history as the great city of Constantinople then became the capital of the Ottoman Empire, later changing its name (officially) in the early 20th century to Istanbul. Even that name Istanbul references Constantinople, as it means 'in the city,' a phrase used for Constantinople.