Original subtitles

The Red Apple is the prized apple, Mehmed.

The sweetest.

The ripest.

It is the beating heart at the center of our universe.

The Promised Land.

He who conquers Constantinople

will have the world.

But look at those walls, son.

They've stopped every army that has tried to take the city.

They stopped me.

Why not just knock down the walls?

There is no weapon strong enough to bring them down.

Some have wondered if Allah himself could do it.

Father...

I will bring down those walls.

And when I am sultan,

I will take Constantinople.

Every empire has a beginning

forged of blood, steel, fortune and conquest.

In 1453, Roman Emperor Constantine XI

and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II

wage an epic battle for Constantinople.

Twenty-three armies have tried to take the legendary city.

All have failed.

Out of the carnage, one ruler will emerge victorious

and change the course of history for the next 300 years.

For one empire to rise, another must fall.

I want the cannons firing day and night until the Romans come crawling out,

begging for mercy.

April 1453.

Sultan Mehmed II unleashes an artillery attack on Constantinople...

unlike any the world has ever known.

It's the largest concentration of cannons,

about 69 or 70, that the world had seenin one place.

These cannons are not the cannons we know from 18th century, 19th century.

These are huge cannons.

Dear God,

the walls won't last until sundown if this continues.

Have faith, Lord Loukas.

So long as the Holy Spirit is with us,

we will be safe.

Looking out from the walls,

Emperor Constantine is confronted by Mehmed's 80,000-man army.

The monumental task of keeping the Ottomans out of the city

falls on the shoulders of Genoese soldier of fortune

Giovanni Giustiniani.

Giustiniani and his men must defend 14 miles of city walls.

Emperor Theodosius II built the walls in the 5th century.

They are among the strongest ever constructed.

The walls of Constantinople have been there

for 1100 years in that form.

This is an extraordinary piece of military engineering.

There are five layers to the walls.

There's the outer moat,

then there is an open area that troops had to run across,

a sort of killing field,

then there is an outer wall with towers on it,

then there's another killing field, and then there's an inner wall.

The whole system is about 200 feet deep;

from the bottom of the moat to the top of the walls

it's about 100 feet high.

Nobody had found a way across it.

Mehmed looks at the city,

he says, "All right, it's got these huge walls

nobody penetrated.

Now, how do you tear them down? You need artillery.

I want a cannon that's gonna bring these things down."

And he decided a frontal attack.

He takes it as a challenge.

This was the man.

This was his character.

Mehmed's plan is a medieval version of shock and awe.

Taking down the massive walls

with an overwhelming storm of cannon fire.

The centerpiece of Mehmed's artillery attack

is a 27-foot cannon called Basilica.

An immense cannon is built. Huge!

You know, they say that hundreds of oxen pulled it.

It's incredible metallurgical skill to make the thing,

it had walls of bronze, eight inches thick,

cannonballs of half a ton.

A very large number of the bells of Balkan churches

were melted down to cast the thing.

The Ottomans nickname the mammoth bombard "The Bear"

and the smaller cannons "The Cubs."

Easy with that.

The man who brings Mehmed's supergun to life

is a master cannon founder from Hungary named Orban.

- Father! - Yes?

The cracks are growing larger.

These cannons have huge firing power, but could only fire every three hours.

More likely than not, they're gonna blow up in your face.

If you fire them too often, for example,

little cracks can develop, and then they blow up.

They're pretty rudimentary things.

We'll give her a break after this one. Okay?

All right. Go.

Ready, sir!

Send it!

The cannons fire day and night...

engulfing the city in chaos.

Giustiniani was faced with something

he has no experience of,

and that is a cannon that can knock down a wall.

Giustiniani has his soldiers go down

and essentially pile up the rubble,

remake the walls, and that actually works better than the original wall

because the loose bricks

absorb the impact of the cannonballs.

And are much harder to knock down, takes a lot more impact to disperse them.

After six days of constant bombardment,

the walls of Constantinople are damaged, but standing.

The sultan's cannons

pin the emperor's soldiers down behind the walls.

To survive the onslaught,

they must devise a plan to put the Ottomans on the defensive.

Giustiniani and his Italian mercenaries prepare

to launch a counterattack against Mehmed's troops

outside the walls.

Giustiniani would go out and make small raids.

It was both to catch people off-guard

and just to, kind of, stop the other side relaxing.

- Are you ready, brothers? - Yah!

- For God! - God!

- For the purse! - The purse!

For she who you fight to return to!

Yah!

God!

Giustiniani, he's an expert in defensive warfare.

The choice that Giustiniani has to make is,

do I defend the outer walls or do I defend the inner wall?

And he made the decision to defend the outer wall.

Let's show them what a Genoese bastard with a sword can do!

The outer wall is essentially a suicide mission,

because that's where the cannons are hitting.

The way the Italians fought,

you're going to get somebody in plate armor

surrounded by people who use crossbows...

- Crossbows! - ...And he was,

if we can draw a comparison,

like the Second World War, the tank.

And then you have the infantry who is taking shelter behind the tank.

Hold!

Hold!

Hold!

Fire!

Swords!

Giustiniani actually brought with himself this large professional army

of 2,000 people, and these guys are professional soldiers.

They have fighting experience.

They belong to the condottieri,

which means "mercenary generals."

The ferocity and effectiveness of Giustiniani's attack

catches the Ottomans by surprise.

The battlefield is littered with the dead and dying.

We will make the Genoese pay for their bravery in blood.

What's the delay, Orban Pasha? Why isn't my Bear firing?

J-Just a minute more, Sultan.

I didn't pay you to build me a novelty, Orban.

You promised your cannons would take down those walls.

The barrel is cracking.

The copper isn't holding as I had hoped.

If I could have a few more days...

I want this cannon firing immediately.

I'm doing everything in my power, Pasha.

If we are lucky, perhaps she can fire in the morning.

Orban, if you are lucky,

you will get this cannon firing now.

- But the cracks... - Now.

The clock is ticking on the siege.

Every day brings with it a new threat

that Mehmed's enemies to the East and West will attack his bogged-down army.

The gravest threat of all is that the pope will send reinforcements from Europe.

Loaded, sir.

Do not forsake me, you big, magnificent bastard.

Are you ready, Orban?

Yes, Sultan.

Please stand back. For your safety.

Have some faith, Orban.

Fire.

No, no, no, no, no!

Mehmed.

Mehmed.

- You can't catch me! - Mehmed...

come sit with me.

Come.

What's wrong, Mama?

Your father has summoned you to the capital.

Will I be gone long?

Yes.

What about my birds?

You will get others in the capital.

But you are coming with me?

We'll see each other soon.

I don't want to go.

From now on, no more crying, Mehmed.

A sultan never cries.

Now... go.

- But Mama... - I said go!

His mother was probably a Byzantine.

We don't know what she was.

He kept the secret and took it to his grave.

He always called her "Hatun," "The Lady."

But we don't know who she was.

Mehmed arrives in the capital

with no friends or family, other than his father, the sultan.

His stepmother, Mara Brankovic, a Serbian princess,

is Sultan Murad's third wife,

but has no children of her own.

In the lonely young prince, she finds a kindred spirit.

Mehmed had problems with his father.

Mara may have taken him under her wing.

He always called her "Mother."

You have grown...

since I last saw you.

Do you remember me?

Answer the sultan.

Your older brother, Prince Ali...

has died.

Do you understand what that means?

Boy.

Look at me.

Mehmed grew up in a very chilly atmosphere.

Now come... and kiss my hand.

There was no knowing whether you were going to survive.

Ahmed, the oldest, was 12 years older than him.

He died.

And then Ali was mysteriously strangled,

and effectively, Mehmed was all that was left.

You will take his place as governor of Amasya.

There, you will be educated and learn to be a ruler.

A sultan.

There is no longer time for childish pursuits, Prince.

Candarli Pasha will report back to me on your progress.

By the age of 12, Mehmed is fluent in five languages,

and models himself after Alexander the Great.

He boasts that one day he will take the city of Constantinople.

From an early age,

the ambitious young crown prince clashes with his father's grand vizier.

He was this rather unruly child who had to be beaten into submission.

Again...

...again. Again!

We must teach the prince humility...

...for his own good.

What are you doing, Prince?

Whatever I please.

I'm a prince.

The wounds will heal.

The lesson will be remembered.

Yes, Pasha.

It will be remembered.

The lesson will be remembered.

Before he is even 13,

his father, Murad II,

decides to retire, leaving Mehmed to take the throne.

The youngest sultan

in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

Mehmed is now the emir,

the sultan of the Ottomans.

And he is...

left with the entire Ottoman force

at his disposal.

And so, it becomes problematic right away,

because the vizier of the time, Candarli Halil Pasha,

is very nervous about this.

Mehmed being such a young boy,

they could lose everything.

Pashas, where have you been?

There is much to be done.

In what regard, Sultan?

Our council meeting.

My father built the foundation of our empire...

and now... I will take the next step.

I will take Constantinople.

Did you not hear me?

Alexander had his first conquest at 20...

and I shall have mine now.

Sultan, the Romans are under control...

but the troubles in the East are very real.

And in the West, Jon Hunyadi and the Hungarians

are amassing their army near our border.

There could be more crusades coming.

They will want to test you.

I will crush all of them.

You need the Janissaries,

and you've not given them a crown gift yet.

They are demanding more pay.

Constantinople has more than enough gold

to silence those greedy thugs.

Perhaps we should consult with your father before making any final decisions.

Make the preparations...

or I will find viziers that will.

The Hungarians look to be mounting a new crusade

and the Janissaries are angry, Pasha.

What are they angry at now?

They don't trust the young sultan.

And he is, I confess...

impulsive at times.

Every sultan...

who ever took the throne...

had to grow into it.

Mehmed is young, Halil Pasha.

It will take time.

Indeed. Which is why I wanted to reassure you.

We viziers are working to find a prudent solution.

How can I rest with my son so unpredictable?

He is headstrong.

But, Allah willing, my guidance will bring measure

to his more... reckless plans.

Plans?

For Constantinople.

Have the cooks prepare a feast for me tonight.

Sultan,

you have a visitor.

Father?

I was not told you were coming.

I have asked too much of you.

I don't understand.

Come.

I'm here...

to take the throne back.

- No. Father... - Until you are older.

I have ruled wisely. Tell him, Pasha!

The crusaders are almost at our doorstep, Mehmed.

You haven't yet seen combat.

And I can't leave you to fight Hunyadi and the Hungarians.

- How could you do this to me? - The throne will be yours again,

my son, when you are ready.

Traitorous dog!

This is your doing!

- I will take your head! - Enough!

How dare you speak to my viziers this way?

You will apologize.

Don't test my patience further...

Prince Mehmed.

Pashas...

I apologize for my behavior.

Now leave us.

Let's put ourselves in Mehmed's shoes.

He's brought to the throne and told that he is the ruler of the state.

And then to be told, after such a short space of time,

that he's no longer gonna have that power.

And then someone who he associated with his father,

this big figure, Candarli Halil,

taking that power away from him...

must have bred huge resentment.

It will be yours again.

They betrayed me.

All of them.

Learn from this.

And I promise you will have the throne back.

Sultan! Sultan!

Mehmed!

Wake up!

Wake up!

Mehmed's father's failed siege of Constantinople

dragged on for three long months.

With each passing day,

he now sees his own chances for victory slowly slipping away.

Inside the city,

Giustiniani and his men continue rebuilding the walls

and tending to their wounded.

Hold this.

Lady Therma?

Lord Giustiniani.

I didn't expect to see a noblewoman in these conditions.

I have as much a duty to my city as anyone.

These men have risked their lives to protect us.

I believe your comfort would ease the worst of agonies.

You should get some rest.

Good night.

We think about sieges,

you think the conditions are roughest for those being besieged.

But there are also pressures on a besieging army.

For Mehmed, he's got additional issues,

because he's new to the throne

and people aren't at all sure what to make of him yet.

So he's gotta make this happen quickly.

You know, he's almost as desperate to get in

as the Byzantines are to keep him out.

Pashas,

we have been pounding the walls for nearly two weeks.

Our cannons have turned the mighty walls of Constantinople

into piles of rubble.

But that does us no good unless we go through them.

It is time to make our move.

Sultan, it is still to early.

We need to weaken their defenses more before we send in the army.

I advise more patience.

There's no guarantee that the siege is gonna be successful.

The Ottomans don't like long, drawn-out campaigns.

They like quick warfare

where they can come in, smash the enemy, and move on.

- Zaganos Pasha? - The men are ready.

You only need to give the order.

Tell the men to rest tonight.

And be ready to fight.

Tomorrow we take the city.

He's going all in with this particular conquest.

Day 13 of the siege dawns at the Ottoman camp.

Mehmed and his generals survey the Romans' defenses

and finalize plans for their infantry assault.

The attack will take place under the cover of night.

Mehmed II always stood firm.

and actually said he would sacrifice his life,

uh... if needed, but he will take that city.

And if we know one thing about Mehmed,

he's obviously a very stubborn man,

an eventful figure,

and a strong-minded, intelligent guy.

Tonight...

we will take the Red Apple.

We are Ghazi,

holy warriors and the heirs of Osman.

Our ancestors fought and died at this wall.

But now, we are united

in avenging their deaths!

By all accounts,

he seems to have been a fantastic orator.

As a commander,

Mehmed, number one, understood his own people.

Number two, understood the enemy.

And behaved accordingly.

If... his soldiers wavered,

he invented ways to encourage them.

The time of the infidels and the Romans has passed!

A new age is coming,

and it begins tonight!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

We can surrender now.

The sultan will show mercy.

Don't ask me to be the last emperor of Constantinople.

A dead emperor will do no good to anyone.

Alive, we can come back and reclaim the city with a real army,

not a band of Italian mercenaries.

The noblemen will be with you.

Let's pray the Virgin Mother is looking over us.

The Ottomans worked on warfare on many levels,

and certainly on the psychological level.

They brought skills of intimidation to sieges.

They would light fires

along the front line, so you'd be looking at a ring of fire.

They also had military bands...

The wall of sound, you know,

the extraordinary wall of sound that they created.

Outnumbered ten to one,

the Italian mercenaries must counter the Ottomans' might

with cunning and strategy.

Giustiniani undoubtedly had great skill

in the art of defending cities.

He was an expert.

He was extremely brave, and he was untiring.

And he brought a great deal of confidence to the defense.

We will meet them in the moat.

That is our front line.

One of the key issues in, uh, siege warfare

is getting across the ditch, the moat, which is quite deep.

And a great deal of work

will be put in by the attackers to fill up the moat.

We must not let them reach the walls,

or we don't stand a chance.

Tonight...

we live or die in the moat!

Giustiniani was the iconic figure, undoubtedly,

for the defenders, around whom they rallied.

He was the linchpin.

Constantine gave him control

of the critical zone, the center of the wall,

and, really, organizing the defense.

Fire!

Take cover!

The Ottoman assault is led by Mehmed's elite troops,

the Janissaries.

The Janissaries were the most capable force

in the Balkans at the time.

They were all well-equipped, well-armored.

Different tactics, though.

Attack!

The Janissaries wear lighter chain mail armor

and rely on speed and precision.

The Italians fight in thicker plate armor

and wield broadswords.

The Janissaries were all about javelins and archery.

You can't do that with a siege. You have to take a few hits.

And this doesn't necessarily suit the Ottoman vision of warfare.

In this human wave of death and destruction,

hundreds of Ottoman soldiers are killed.

The Turks come in, and Giustiniani fights them off

and if you believe the Roman sources, they didn't lose a single soldier.

Giustiniani and the Roman defenders

have turned back the Ottoman attack yet again.

The defeat is devastating for Mehmed.

With each passing day,

the odds of taking Constantinople grow longer.

When Mehmed launches his siege,

he has to be quick, for three reasons.

One, he has to be quick in order to finish the city off

without losing tens of thousands of men.

Second is that there was opposition in the military,

led by Candarli Halil Pasha, the grand vizier,

who didn't want the siege to continue.

And the third is,

if the siege took too long,

that there was gonna be reinforcements coming from the West.

The walls of the ancient city hold for another day...

and Giovanni Giustiniani Longo proves himself

the one indispensable man in the defense of Constantinople.

Yah!

Yah!

Yah!

Sultan. A message from the Aegean Islands.

Read it.

A Genoese fleet was seen in the Dardanelles

heading north towards Constantinople with soldiers and supplies.

Leave me.

Sultana Mara, the sultan has arrived.

Here?

Uh... um,

um... I mean... no, I...

He waits in the Assembly Room.

Tell the sultan I'll join him as swiftly as my feet will carry me.

Thank you, Sultana.

Mara Brankovic is one of the chief

personalities of the 15th century.

Mehmed had the utmost respect for her,

she was crucial.

She was related to everybody,

the royal family of,

uh, Constantinople, uh,

the ruling family of Serbia,

and all her contacts in the West.

She was the link between the Slavic world,

the Greek world, the Ottoman world,

and the Western world.

Mehmed...

how I've longed to see you!

Mother Mara.

What is it?

When I came here as a small child, you treated me as your own.

Kind words,

before... something darker?

I'm releasing you from the harem.

Now that my father is gone, I owe you your freedom.

You wish me gone?

Of course not,

but it's time for you to return to Serbia and your family.

I've arranged a unit of Janissaries to escort you home at week's end.

You can't do this!

My family's here!

My place is here,

serving you.

You will serve me, in the Balkans.

I need you, Mother Mara.

Who else can I trust without doubt?

Despite having the options to retire into obscurity after Murad's death,

Mara Brankovic becomes a very important advisor in Mehmed's court.

You will be my voice and my ears in the West as the hour draws near.

Constantinople?

- So soon? - It has to be.

If I fail, I lose my throne,

and maybe my life.

But with it, Mother Mara,

I will become the new Caesar.

Then please,

before I leave, take my counsel...

Study the failures of your father,

and those that came before him.

Their defeats will inform your triumph

at the gates of Constantinople.

Every empire has a beginning forged of blood,

steel, fortune and conquest.

In 1453, Roman Emperor Constantine XI,

and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II,

wage an epic battle for Constantinople.

Twenty three Armies have tried to take the legendary city,

all have failed.

Out of the carnage,

one ruler will emerge victorious

and change the course of history

for the next 300 years.

For one empire to rise...

another must fall.

For two weeks, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II

bombards Constantinople with the largest artillery attack

the world has ever seen.

Mehmed sends his elite troops into the teeth

of Emperor Constantine's defenses,

along the city's ancient stone walls.

The defenders, led by Italian soldier-of-fortune,

Giovanni Giustiniani,

repel every attack.

Mmm-argh!

Mmm-argh!

The walls are still standing,

but the battle for Constantinople is being fought on multiple fronts.

If we think about the geography of Constantinople,

water surrounds it on pretty much all its sides.

And so, there needs to be a force on water

to take control of the city's, um, surroundings...

And that front is really, really worrying,

and potentially catastrophic for the course of the siege.

Constantinople is considered the best defended city

in the medieval world.

But there is a chink in its armor.

The weaker, poorly defended seaward walls along the Golden Horn.

An inlet on the city's Northeastern side.

The entrance to the Golden Horn has one protector...

a massive, half mile long cast-iron chain.

The Turks have this massive navy,

but they can't get into the Golden Horn

because there's this great chain stretching from the Acropolis,

all the way to the Genovese colony,

the tower of Galata.

So, if an enemy ship comes,

they used to stretch the chain,

so this chain will impede their entrance,

and the navy behind that will fire the ships

because they can't move.

If a friendly ship comes then they will lower the chain so that they could enter.

The Roman Navy is small,

less than 30 ships,

but safe inside the harbor of the Golden Horn.

Mehmed has studied the 23 failed sieges.

Without control of the sea lanes,

victory is virtually impossible.

His new 126-ship navy has been probing the Roman defenses

of the Golden Horn for weeks.

The Ottomans kind of had this bad reputation

for not being very seafaring.

There was always this idea that, um, the Ottomans are very much land based,

and naval stuff was for the Greeks.

Whereas actually, Mehmed invests heavily in a navy,

not least because there's also the risk the Byzantines might be helped

by naval forces coming from the Italian states.

So, there's this naval aspect to the siege that's often forgotten.

In mid-April, the Ottomans receive word of Genoese warships

approaching from the Mediterranean in the West.

They will be here in three days.

Two, if the winds are favorable.

Just the first of many Christian fleets, I fear.

Last night's attack was a disaster.

The Romans and their Italian mercenaries are laughing at us.

They were lucky, Sultan.

Baltaoglu Pasha,

I cannot afford another embarrassment like that.

I have put under your command the largest fleet in our history.

The Genoese ships must not reach the city under any circumstance, Admiral.

I promise you, Sultan,

we will send the Genoese to the bottom of the sea.

The scorpion fish will... pick their bones clean.

I have no doubt you will be victorious.

But, should you fail,

I'll feed you to the scorpion fish.

The Genoese Navy is among the most feared in the world.

The man tasked with stopping them is Mehmed's top admiral,

Baltaoglu Suleyman.

Baltaoglu, nicknamed "Son of a Battle Axe,"

has built a reputation as a fearless warrior

during his years in the elite Janissary corps.

His orders are to stop the Genoese from reaching Constantinople at all costs.

But he'll be battling more than the Italian warships.

The Sea of Marmara is renowned for its treacherous winds and currents.

Baltaoglu anxiously awaits the enemy ships.

The Genoese fleet has been sent by the pope.

An answer to Emperor Constantine's prayers,

and critical to his defense of the city.

The warships enter the Sea of Marmara on April the 20th,

putting them on a collision course with the Ottoman naval blockade.

Four Christian ships appear on the horizon.

Three ships bring supplies from the pope,

archers and men,

and then one ship bringing much needed food.

In God's grace, I said they would come.

In God's grace, they are not here... yet.

They are Genoese, Lord Loukas.

Sit down and enjoy the show.

So the four ships are sailing,

and the Turkish admiral gets his ships into position.

Hmm...

just four?

Surely there are more.

This will be over by dinner.

On the land wall side of the city,

the stalemate between the Roman defenders and the Ottoman Army continues.

Mehmed's land forces open another front

against Constantinople's seemingly impenetrable walls.

If they can't break through them...

they will go under them.

Come on,

you lazy bastards,

dig!

Mehmed's mining operation

is led by hundreds of Serbian silver miners.

Mehmed had sappers, as they called them back then,

miners, who were from Serbia,

who dug tunnels under the walls,

to weaken the walls, so they could fall down.

The Ottomans were digging tunnels

underneath the walls to undermine, what's where the word comes from,

the walls of the city by then setting off some gunpowder,

causing them to collapse.

Or setting a fire underneath, and then that would have the same effect,

therefore causing the walls to fall down.

But Emperor Constantine and the Romans

have an answer to the miners.

John Grant.

A Scottish soldier with a very particular skill set.

John Grant is this interesting figure,

and pretty much for all of history,

you will find a random British person involved in pretty much every war.

And it's always,

well, more often than not, Scots.

Because they just, for some reason,

have that martial gene, I don't know.

Grant has this reputation as being an engineer,

and his skills are called into use during the siege from the Byzantine side,

because of the use of mines.

In order to stop this, you have the counter-mining process.

So you have another bunch of guys digging under the ground,

trying to listen out for the first bunch of guys digging around.

Grant had a very simple strategy.

He put barrels with water,

and he observed the waves on the water,

and he was able to locate those mines.

Lads, you're on!

Over a period of days and weeks,

the Serbian miners clandestinely tunnel from the Ottoman trenches

to the city walls.

Quick!

If they reach these walls, they'll come crashing down

and these big filthy Turk bastards will have our balls for breakfast!

Ahh!

Baltaoglu and the Ottoman Navy

are all that stands between the Genoese fleet

and safe harbor in the Golden Horn.

But first, they must stop the bigger and faster sailing ships.

The Ottoman sailors pick up the pace,

bringing their archers within firing distance of the Genoese sails.

The dying winds slow the Genoese warships.

They are now sitting ducks for the approaching Ottomans.

Pull!

Pull!

Pull!

Pull!

Prepare the archers!

Ready!

Fire!

Take cover!

Put out the fires!

Put out the fires!

Yeah!

Ready?

Aim for the sails!

Fire!

They will never survive this.

Don't despair yet.

We just need the winds to pick up.

Go on! Go on!

Go on!

Come on, boys, come on!

- Pull! - Put your backs into it!

They're slowing down!

Help!

Pull!

With no wind, the galleons sails go limp,

allowing the smaller oared boats of the Ottomans to close the gap.

Finish them, Baltaoglu.

Outside the Western walls of Constantinople,

the Serbian miners continue tunneling towards the city.

We're close, boys!

I smell a rat!

Hello, you wee shite!

Go!

Light 'em up, lads!

John Grant torches the tunnels with Greek Fire,

an ancient version of napalm

that adheres to whatever it touches and burns for hours.

Dozens of Mehmed's miners are killed,

and the walls of Constantinople remain standing.

In the Sea of Marmara, the winds have died completely.

Time is running out on the stranded Genoese fleet,

as the Ottoman warships close in.

They are coming!

Lash the ships together!

The Christians eventually tie themselves together,

and make kind of this floating castle,

and it looks like a sitting duck.

But the Christian ships have an advantage that they are higher,

they can fire down on the Ottoman ships.

Prepare to board!

Yah!

Argh!

Kill them all!

The Ottomans had these, what's called Hadirika,

they are ordinary boats.

Whereas the Europeans had the galleons already.

So, when a Hadirika comes next to a galleon, you have to climb to it.

It's much easier for them to kill you, than it is for you to kill them.

Go!

Go!

Go!

Sink them, Baltaoglu, do it now!

Come on.

Go!

Move!

Amidst the chaos,

Baltaoglu is gravely wounded.

The fickle winds of the Marmara intervene once again...

No.

...filling the sails of the Genoese ships.

It is now a last desperate sprint to the Golden Horn.

With many of his men dead or wounded,

Baltaoglu falls further and further behind the fleeing Genoese fleet.

Quickly, men!

Before they make it to the Golden Horn!

Both sides give as good as they get,

but eventually these four ships managed to make it all the way to the chain,

the chain is lowered and they get through.

Uh, and it's really a morale booster for the besieged people.

What a glorious day!

God has smiled upon us!

Bring me Baltaoglu.

A hundred and forty piece Ottoman Navy

could not stop just four Genoese vessels,

only three of which were military.

And Mehmed was beside himself, he was so upset, rightly so.

The Holy Spirit has saved us today.

Hooray!

As long as the Spirit is here,

the walls will hold!

Hooray!

Sultan!

We brought Suleyman Pasha.

Perhaps the Ottomans will finally learn their place.

Yeah!

Perhaps, but the sultan is proud and has lost much in both men and pride.

He will want something for his pains.

Then let him kneel before the emperor, and beg for it!

Yeah!

Still it would be prudent to remember the temperament of the man.

If we helped him save face...

offer some sort of truce?

- A truce? - God is only truce!

Sultan!

Take it to him yourself, Lord Loukas,

if you like him so much.

Have faith, Loukas, God has spoken.

Mehmed will lead his dogs home with their tail between their legs!

Yeah!

I'll behead you right here.

Tell me why not?

I have failed you, Sultan.

Forgive me.

You made a fool of me.

You're a coward!

Say what you will, Sultan,

but I am no coward.

I would have gladly died on my ship,

and I will gladly die here by your sword.

Any fault is mine.

Punish me, Sultan,

but forgive my men.

We fought till we could fight no more.

- Argh! - Show him mercy, Sultan!

This is an honorable man who has proven himself a loyal soldier

in countless battles.

He has lost an eye for you.

Mehmed was used to making examples of people.

The Admiral, Baltaoglu,

failed to win a sea battle just off the walls,

and Mehmed had him

singled out in front of the whole army,

and he was, uh, going to be executed.

This kind of concentrated the minds of everybody else,

that you could not fail,

and the sultan was watching you.

Sultan!

Have mercy for your commander.

I fought with Suleyman Pasha in Bulgaria, he is a good man.

I will sacrifice my life for his.

And mine!

He fought like a true warrior.

You dare challenge your supreme leader?

I should have you all impaled!

Mercy is noble, Sultan.

Mercy is noble.

Give him 100 lashings.

You are merciful, Sultan.

How bad is he?

Lady Therma?

I only hope we can give them a decent burial.

Your bandage is filthy.

I've been a little preoccupied.

Let me clean the wound, before it festers.

This might be painful.

I can take it.

Mara, news from Constantinople.

Word of Mehmed's setback outside the walls of Constantinople

reaches the Balkans.

What is it, sister?

His stepmother, Mara, now lives in the palace of her father,

the Serbian ruler Durad Brankovic,

who has a fragile peace treaty with the Ottomans.

Lord, we can send an army now.

The Ottomans are bogged down outside Constantinople.

The Wallachians would be with us as well.

The Serbs and Hungarians are longtime rivals of the Ottomans.

The Hungarians launched a crusade against Mehmed

nine years earlier during his first reign.

They remain a constant threat.

What of the Catholics and the pope?

There is word of an army of 40 Italian ships

gathering in the Aegean.

They could reach the city within a month.

This is...

General Stefan.

What is it, daughter?

I wasn't aware you were visiting.

Nothing to be concerned about.

I hear worrying rumors of much bloodshed in Constantinople.

Rumors are always rife, my dear.

Was there something you wanted?

Please, continue.

Get me a messenger now.

He must make haste to Constantinople.

After nearly three weeks of fighting,

the siege of Constantinople is at a crossroads.

Mehmed must decide to withdraw and cut his losses, or change tactics.

A larger question hangs heavy over his camp.

Does he still have the loyalty of his troops?

The morale was low on the Ottoman camp,

propagated by the defeatist elements in the army.

But it was quite possible if the siege took too long,

there was gonna be reinforcements coming from the West.

Then you would've been doomed.

Taking Constantinople would be near impossible for Alexander, or Caesar.

Near, but not impossible.

With their entire armies mustered at the city walls.

Speaking in hypotheticals.

It won't be hypothetical if we lose the faith of our men.

Pasha, I can assure you...

What you need right now, is to turn defeat into victory!

Offer terms for a truce to end the siege.

The emperor would be a fool not to embrace it in the circumstances.

You are in a position to demand concessions,

that no other sultan has achieved.

Taxes, increased borders, territory...

But not the city!

It's a clear victory regardless.

- Maybe back in your day... - Enough!

From the Serbian court, for the sultan's eyes only.

My stepmother warns of conspiracy from the Balkan states.

We must act quickly.

I agree.

Mehmed, he's young and headstrong.

He wants to do something that really captures the imagination.

But people like Candarli, they're bureaucrats:

"Let's have more peace talks," "We need to be cautious with our neighbors,"

"Let's not jeopardize what we've already got."

Capturing the imagination is all very well, but how much does it cost?

Halil Pasha, I'll consider your suggestion.

That will be all, thank you.

Zagonos Pasha come with me.

Because if Mehmed fails with this idea that he can take the city,

what would happen then?

With rumors of a looming attack from the West,

spies secretly back-channel between the Roman and Ottoman courts.

You grew up playing on the walls,

when the slave master wasn't looking.

So don't tell me you don't know a hidden way out of the city.

But it's too dangerous outside the walls.

Turks are everywhere.

Have I not paid you well?

Found a placement in the palace?

Let me take your message. No one sees a girl like me.

It's a sensitive matter.

I must tend to it personally.

There is...

there is the old cistern system.

Take me there.

I used to come down here to play when I was alone.

I've never shown it to anyone else.

I chose you well, my dear girl.

You've had courage in your veins for longer than most warriors.

This way.

The ancient cisterns snaking beneath Constantinople

provide a covert way outside the city.

We are a quarter of a mile outside the Ottoman camp.

Okay.

Go back to the city.

If the Ottomans see you they will kill you on the spot.

I can deal with them.

Go back.

Hey...

go, child.

Stop! Who are you, and what's your business here?

I'm a Roman nobleman with news that could help your cause.

Then why you kneel down like a slave huh?

If you knew who I was, soldier,

you would speak to me with a little more respect.

Argh!

Wake up.

Wake up, you old Greek.

Oh, I've died and gone to hell.

I would choose my words wisely, Lord Notaras.

I'm the only reason you are still alive.

Are you here to defect?

Hardly.

I'm here for business.

I'm here... to discuss terms for truce.

By the order of the emperor?

Leave him to me.

Tell me your offer?

I will tell you what Mehmed should offer.

Your attempts to take the city have failed.

Your army will mutiny soon,

and your young sultan will pay for defeat with his life.

The same could be said about your emperor and his Italian mercenaries.

Constantine is a fair man,

and he is wise enough to know when to stop.

And Mehmed is my sultan.

Ah, then...

talk sense into him.

End this siege before a unified Christian army shows up at these gates.

If they come.

We both know it's just a matter of time.

And if your sultan does not back down,

we all lose.

What terms do you suggest?

Pressure mounts to offer the Romans a truce.

Mehmed is running out of time to find a way into Constantinople.

One day,

when I die,

this will be yours again.

This sword has seen too many battles to count.

But heed this, my son...

Every great leader...

has such a weapon

imbued with legacy

and legend...

and hope.

But what sustains an empire

is not just its weapons.

It takes wisdom,

and loyalty...

strategy...

and instinct.

Ultimately, Mehmed,

it is your mind

that will win the fight.

Fetch me my cartographer and a scribe!

Mehmed has that thing that Napoleon had.

He has a pizzazz, and he has luck,

and he has a kind of sense of destiny riding with him.

Somehow everything that Mehmed does,

the timing is right.

Zagonas Pasha, I have discovered a way to get our ships into the Golden Horn,

but we must do it now.

I would move heaven and Earth for you, Sultan, but how?

What I say must not leave this tent.

You cannot tell a soul until the plan is set in motion.

You have my undying loyalty, Sultan, you know that.

Look...

If the infidels are forced to defend an attack from the Golden Horn,

and spread their forces,

the land walls will be vulnerable.

Yeah, but the chains. I mean, it's impossible.

So we go round the chain.

I... I don't understand, Sultan, you want to move the army?

I want to move the navy...

over land.

I will repeat myself.

Can any of you fetch me the red apple,

without setting foot on the carpet?

Selim Pasha...

the esteemed general of the North,

what is your plan?

Just as I expected.

And how about you,

the great grand vizier,

Candarli Halil Pasha?

For a sharp mind such as yours,

a riddle like this should be easy to solve.

I haven't time for childish games,

my prince.

Perhaps it takes a child to solve this riddle.

You are fortunate...

I am not yet sultan.

Every empire has a beginning.

Forged of blood, steel, fortune and conquest.

In 1453,

Roman Emperor Constantine XI,

and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II,

wage an epic battle for Constantinople.

Twenty three armies have tried to take the legendary city,

all have failed.

Out of the carnage one ruler will emerge victorious

and change the course of history for the next 300 years.

For one empire to rise,

another must fall.

Sultan Mehmed II's siege of Constantinople

enters its third week.

Mehmed's artillery teams continue their relentless bombardment

of Constantinople's walls.

After his navy suffers a devastating defeat...

Prepare to board!

Yah!

...at the hands of an incoming Genoese fleet

bringing soldiers and supplies to Constantinople,

the Genoese find safe harbor inside the Golden Horn,

a narrow inlet that runs along Constantinople's seaward walls.

Constantinople is gifted becauseit has this huge protected harbor,

which is the Golden Horn.

It has a very narrow entrance

and it has two towers on each side,

but if an enemy fleet enters the Golden Horn

there's only one line of walls and it's not well protected.

Because they didn't make it as tough as those all looking towards the West,

where any besieging army would have come from.

This is an area where loads of Christian ships are all kind of moored up in there.

It was like a soft underbelly.

If they can only get in there,

they can then set up operations against that side of the walls.

That's why Mehmed II would go to great lengths in order to open a...

another front against the most vulnerable part of the city.

This definitely underscores in his mind

"I've got to get into the Golden Horn."

But the harbor is protected by a massive cast-iron chain.

The chain spans half a mile from Constantinople to Galata

and weighs over 30 tons.

It has protected the harbor for over seven centuries.

Newly reinforced by order of Emperor Constantine,

it is virtually impenetrable.

Mehmed, he's got a very active mind and he's always thinking,

and so he concocts this brilliant,

out of the blue, wild plan.

It's not clear how the idea comes to Mehmed,

but clearly, under the pressure of time

and with a sort of genius

for both strategic thinking and good PR,

he comes up with this idea that they can turn the whole flank

of the attack by dragging ships overland from the Bosporus

and then drop them back down into the Golden Horn.

It's falling!

The 76 ships will be hauled

across a one-and-a-half mile stretch of woods

above the Genoese colony of Galata.

Warfare is about engineering, most of the time.

It's not about valiance or it's not about bravery,

it's all about different techniques.

It was a stroke of genius.

Brilliant.

The success of Mehmed's audacious plan

hinges on secrecy in a land riddled with spies.

Mehmed's plan to move his ships takes on even greater urgency,

as rumors of a large incoming Christian fleet from Venice reach camp,

along with hints of unrest among his soldiers.

Forgive me, Sultan. The guard told me you were due back.

Has the brazier gone cold in your own tent, Pasha?

Candarli Halil is always welcome.

You wish to speak with me?

Yes, Sultan.

There are troubling rumors circulating through camp.

What sort of rumors?

Reports of the Venetians sending more ships and men imminently.

These reports you speak of,

who are they from?

Our spies in Constantinople have been hearing rumblings of this for days now.

I see.

If true,

even word of this could be disastrous for the morale of our troops

and our plans to take the city.

Are you still considering terms for truce?

I am considering options, Pasha.

I will inform you once I've made my decision.

Forgive me, Sultan, but we are in peril here.

Hence my endeavors.

You must trust me, teacher,

as I have always trusted you.

I should check on my men.

I want those ships in the Golden Horn now.

We need to move before word gets out.

In Constantinople, the victory at sea

and rumors of a 40-ship Venetian fleet sent by the pope

lift the city's spirits for a moment.

But many citizens have already fled,

knowing the battle is far from over.

Where are you going?

You thought I was going to lay here all day,

watching you sleep like an angel?

Come back to bed.

We don't have to sleep.

Don't you have a war to fight?

Isn't there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?

There is one thing.

You have only to name it.

Take me with you when you leave the city.

Have you been talking to your father?

Or that slippery bootlick, Notaras?

You'd do well to keep an eye on that one.

I'll tell you what I told them.

I don't intend to leave until I see this siege through.

You can tell them I will honor my word.

I don't care what they say.

Take me from this city.

You're speaking of marriage?

- How would your father... - I don't need a husband.

Just passage to Italy.

I will pay you.

Think about my offer.

In the hills above Galata,

Mehmed's daring plan to bring more than 70 ships across land,

and drop them into the Golden Horn is progressing.

The massive operation is dependent upon complete secrecy.

Mehmed was very secretive,

and he used to say,

"If one hair in my beard

knew what I really think,

I would pull it out."

Everywhere they were surrounded by spies.

Anything Mehmed said in the council

was reported to the Romans.

Anything that the Romans decided was reported to Mehmed immediately.

So there was a lot of that.

Galata, the Genoese trading colony across the Golden Horn

from Constantinople,

sits just below Mehmed's planned route for his ships,

and is a hotbed of spying.

A growing concern for the sultan.

The Genoese are merchant states.

They don't have a kind of dramatic religious policy,

they don't have a kind of plan except to get rich.

It's like, "We'll stay here, behind our walls,

and we'll talk to Mehmed, we'll talk to whoever we need to

but we'll say to Mehmed, 'don't worry, we won't interfere.'"

Genoese also had a little problem.

They supplied the Ottoman forces.

But at night, we're told,

they used to go and help Giustiniani and the defense.

So they were trying to play every possible side.

Sultan,

the Genoese Governor of Galata is here to see you.

Lord Lomellini.

Thank you for coming.

I only have a few minutes,

as you can imagine there is much to keep me busy these days.

Yes, of course, Sultan.

There is a matter which requires the sort of confidence

which can only be had between good neighbors.

Our humble little colony in Galata

has always been a friend of the Ottoman people.

And of the Romans.

Perhaps.

But we simply seek to ply our trade and make a living.

A neutral friend to all.

And?

We have repeatedly shown our support of the sultan,

supplying grains and goods to your army,

and ships when asked.

We helped your father, rest his soul,

at the Battle of Varna, when he needed to cross the straits.

If your spies...

were to see something that I wished to remain unseen,

and if that was reported to the Romans,

that would make me very unhappy.

Hm.

You can be sure I will not speak of anything.

If there were to be something like you suggest.

But?

People from all parts of the world come through our gates to trade,

with many different agendas.

The Genoese in Galata have trafficked in information for centuries.

But discretion might be more profitable in the coming weeks.

I will certainly try my best, Sultan.

You have my thanks, Lord Lomellini.

Wherever necessary, you instill respect.

Wherever necessary, you instill fear.

But you have an aim.

To reach that aim, you do whatever is necessary

and that is a sign of genius.

Mehmed orders his cannons fired directly over Galata,

at the ships moored in the Golden Horn.

The bombardment obscures the sounds of his men

clearing the overland path for the Ottoman ships...

and sends a clear message to Governor Lomellini...

"You could be next!"

Hundreds of miles to the West,

trouble could be brewing for the Ottomans

in the form of their old adversaries,

the Hungarians and Serbs.

Still working?

Always, my dear.

Some warmth?

I saw General Stefan was here again.

He's been making frequent visits.

It's always good to keep friendly relations with the Hungarians.

And what of Rome?

Rome will always drag its feet when it comes to Orthodox Christians.

We are no friends of the pope.

Meaning?

What are you after, Mara?

Are you sending an army to attack the Turks?

That is a matter I cannot discuss.

Do you not trust me?

I trust you.

But?

Some in the council feel your allegiance is with the sultan.

And what about you?

These are complicated times, my dear.

It was quite possible, if the siege took too long,

that the Hungarian king could come with a major relieving force

then you would have been doomed.

If there's a Hungarian army waiting at your side

and you are in a besieging position,

then your entire army could be annihilated.

Attacking the Ottomans would be a grave mistake.

Do not mistake youth for weakness.

If even a whisper of this gets to him,

you will have the Ottoman army at the gates

and they will crush your army.

You mean our army?

Father, please,

I beg you to reconsider your plan before it's too late.

You have always been wise beyond your years.

Like your mother.

I fear now...

you are blinded by the sultan.

Mehmed is like a son to me.

Murad is dead,

and your time in Adrianople has passed.

Perhaps...

you should consider another marriage.

Certainly a suitable husband can be found.

Sultan, the Governor Lomellini is here to see you.

Sultan Mehmed.

I did not mean to interrupt your meal,

but I come on urgent business.

Signore Lomellini.

You're kind, but I don't intend to trouble you for long.

What could possibly be so urgent, Angelo Pasha?

I'm here about our ships,

specifically the merchant ship your cannons sank in the harbor today.

- I'm certain it was just an accident... - Hm.

Yes, it went down very fast.

That was a Genoese trade ship from Galata.

It was loaded with cargo worth 100,000 ducats.

But it was inside the chain,

was it not?

Yes.

My dear governor,

I was not aware there were friendly ships still in the harbor.

You were warned before the siege to move all your ships outside the chain.

It is our assumption that

all vessels still inside the Horn are there with hostile intent,

including that of the pirate,

Giustiniani.

But, you're telling me those are yours?

- A misunderstanding. - Good.

- It will be addressed at once. - Good.

There's one other matter.

Yes?

Your new cannons,

they have been firing directly over our city all day.

The constant firing overhead is...

unnerving.

My brother's wife went into labor from the distress

and there's growing concern

that another errant shot could hit a house or a school.

That would be terrible.

But we are in the middle of a battle.

Governor,

you're wise in all matters of business

so I have a proposal.

I will silence my cannons in exchange for your silence.

But I already assured you I will try to contain any speculation...

Let me show you something.

Once I take Constantinople,

we will be even closer neighbors.

I will build the new capital for my empire there.

It will make Rome seem like a small village.

For a trading colony like yourselves, there will be plenty of business.

All I'm asking in the meantime is

you control your countrymen, my dear friend.

Understood.

Good. Good.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to me, Governor.

It would have been a tragedy

if one of our cannons mistakenly hit your beautiful tower.

In the hills above Galata,

thousands of Ottoman soldiers

have nearly finished clearing the path for the sultan's ships.

We need to think about the human labor

and effort involved in this exercise.

You need loads and loads of tallow,

so that's animal fat,

to help grease these various trees

that have been chopped down to help roll the ships along.

The fact that they then are able to take these ships

across from one body of water into the other,

to surpass the Roman's trap,

it's a credit to some of the visionaries in the Ottoman armed forces

to think around a really practical solution

to a seemingly impassable problem.

They built that road for many days,

and they did it behind the mountains of Pera

from a place where they couldn't see from Constantinople or from Galata.

And they started transporting the ships to the Golden Horn

in one night.

The Romans look out from their walls

and they're initially thinking, "What's all this noise? What's going on?

What infernal machine is going to come at us now?"

Once this roadway has been built, greased and everything is ready to roll,

the ships are dragged up out of the water

with ropes with men and... and oxen.

And then they get to the top of this hill and they just come sliding down

and they sploosh into the... into the water of the Golden Horn.

Turkish ships are in the harbor!

Is it true?

The bastards are in the Horn.

How could this be? Did they break through the chain?

They went around it.

Dear God.

If you're standing there watching this happening

from the walls of Constantinople, you must lose a bit of heart.

Everything we're trying, they're clever enough to get around us.

Zaganos Pasha, move your artillery from Galata to the harbor below.

Keep them in sight of the city and have them ready to fire.

In the meantime, a salute for the emperor:

Fire all the cannons we have on the land walls.

Yes, Sultan.

That's all I have!

Hey!

All of a sudden, these guys that were over there are now over here

and they're also shooting at you and unloading troops.

That must have been very terrifying.

Not only is it a strategically useful thing to have done,

but it's one of those things where everyone goes, you know,

"Oh, Mehmed really knows his business,"

you know, "That's a stroke of genius."

It's about morale.

Everyone's spirits are flagging and suddenly this amazing event occurs

and the news of it spreads like wildfire and everyone, you know,

the man's a genius, you know, let's follow him.

Mehmed's gambit swings the momentum of the siege.

The Romans are caught off guard, and are now vulnerable.

We need to send soldiers to the harbor walls.

Now.

Do it.

This is a severe blow because the Roman defenses are stretched thin as it is.

They have less than 7,000 to patrol 14 miles of wall.

And now, suddenly,

because there's Turkish ships inside the harbor,

that's an additional three-and-a-half miles of sea walls

they have to defend which stretches their limited resources even further.

But even worse, now,

even if a relief force arrives,

where are they gonna sail in?

Are you hurt?

No, no but there are many who are.

My lord, you must do something.

- I can take a message to your friend... - Shh.

- It's too late, Ana. - But the city is falling.

- Your Ottoman friend might... - Shh. You must not speak of it again.

It's gone too far.

Anything now would be treason on both our parts.

My lord...

It's out of my hands now.

Now clean your face,

attend to your duties and pray.

How did we not get word of this from Galata?

This is open betrayal.

If they knew about it,

they would have told us.

If they knew about it?

You think they didn't notice

the Ottoman fleet passing over the hills behind their city?

Why haven't they attacked us from the harbor yet?

They have us pinned down on both sides.

If I were them,

I would wait,

slowly choke us...

then finish the job in one blow.

I see you've thought quite a bit on how to end us.

We can't allow them to stay in the harbor.

They expecting us to hide behind the walls in fear.

Which is exactly why we must attack now,

before they settle in.

Could we launch our ships against theirs?

We can turn this into an advantage.

Their ships are in the harbor, yes.

But they are also cornered.

You have seen our naval superiority against them.

With one well planned ambush,

we can sink every ship they have.

I agree with Lord Giustiniani, Emperor.

If we wait, we give them what they want.

But if we catch them off guard,

we can end the naval threat.

Very well.

It's decided.

Prepare for an attack as quickly as possible.

And burn every Turk on those ships.

No, please don't leave me!

Let me go!

Enough!

You're hurting my arm!

Let me go!

Let me go!

Bring her to me.

Let go of me I can walk!

Let me go, you're hurting...

What is your business here?

Yes,

the devil himself speaks Greek.

You're safe here.

And have nothing to worry about.

Unless you're a spy.

Mehmed comes across as an extraordinarily complicated character.

He spoke many languages, he spoke Turkish,

he spoke Arabic, he spoke Persian,

he spoke Greek, and he spoke a Slavic dialect.

He is fascinating because he comes across as a warrior,

but he also could be generous to foreigners.

What business have you here?

I have a message for someone.

A warning.

Who?

My master's friend.

I don't know his name.

And your master is?

Do you know the punishment for spying?

- Death. - Yes.

It would be a slow and horrible death.

And it would give me no pleasure to exact.

God will be waiting.

What's your name?

Ana.

Ana... What are you doing outside the city, Ana?

It's dangerous.

It's dangerous inside the city.

I heard you speak Turkish to my men.

My parents were Turkish.

They moved to Constantinople to find a better life.

Surely they wouldn't approve of you running through the woods at night?

They died when I was young.

The plague.

I see you're a Christian now.

I was brought up in an orphanage.

Nuns raised me.

So,

here we are,

two orphans,

caught in a war with no end in sight.

But you are the sultan, and I am a slave.

We are all the same in Allah's eyes.

Your Bible says,

"Rich and poor have this in common:

The Lord is the maker of them all."

You know the Bible?

Yes, I have studied it.

Mehmed was a very, very powerful sultan.

He was actually interested

in building something that was larger

than just an Ottoman and a Turkish empire.

Something that was multi-religious,

multi-ethnic,

and expansive.

You, Sultan, have the power to show mercy before thousands more die.

I offered your emperor mercy and safety for everyone inside the city walls,

but he refused. His vanity blinds him.

So the siege is for the benefit of your people, Sultan?

Not for you own glory?

I think it's time you told me about this "warning" of yours.

I just want to stop the bloodshed.

Then start with yourself, I could spare you.

Your ships, in the harbor,

have shaken the emperor.

They will escalate things.

Things don't have to escalate.

Your navy is in danger.

The Italian mercenaries are gathering on the sea walls.

They have a plan, and it will be deadly.

When?

I don't know when, but soon.

And why would I believe a little Roman spy?

My only hope was that this news would see you retreat, Sultan.

Spare yourselves, spare us all.

You think I should run?

After coming this far?

The emperor hits you and you will hit back harder.

I fear it will go on like this until no one is left.

No Muslims, no Christians, no Romans, no Ottomans.

- Just death! - I'm not interested in more death.

Yet here you are encamped outside the city with thousands of soldiers!

The Romans' time is ending, little spy.

How brutally it ends is in your emperor's hands.

Fetch me Zaganos Pasha immediately.

I will have my men confirm your story. If you're lying to me...

If you must execute me for my crimes, so be it.

But if you take the city,

I beg you,

be kind.

Be the ruler you say you will be.

In Constantinople,

a plan to ambush the Ottoman fleet

is led by Venetian naval officer, Giacomo Coco.

The problems here come down

between the Genoese and Venetians.

An attempt was planned

and Coco was placed in charge of it, Venetian,

to go burn the Turkish boats that were in the harbor.

The Venetians planned this, approved by the emperor,

then the Genoese find out about it

and they wanted to be part of it.

So the operation was postponed for a number of days

so the Genoese could participate.

We can't keep delaying. I don't understand the hold up!

An attack of this sort must be thought out properly.

There is no room for haste.

One wrong move,

and it will be the end of all of us.

We don't need your advice.

You are simply here as a courtesy.

An unnecessary one if you ask me.

And how do you plan to get through my harbor to the Ottoman ships?

If my night watch sees any ship moving through the harbor,

they will have no choice but to sound the alarms.

Now, please,

let us go over the plans one more time, eh?

If there is anything I need to know, tell me now.

What could there be to know, Lord?

I swear on my dead mother's grave, if you betray us

I will cut you in half and string your guts from Galata Tower.

Then it is just as well I am faithful.

After several delays,

the secret mission to destroy the Ottoman fleet

is launched on the night of April the 28th.

The saboteurs plan to use Greek Fire

to incinerate the 76 Ottoman ships and sink them.

Greek Fire which is a kind of mixture of inflammable material and pine resin.

If you were hit by this,

you were going to be burned alive and there was no, no way out of it.

It is like medieval napalm.

You're a stubborn-assed Genoese bastard, Giustiniani.

But you are a warrior.

I'd like to pay you the same compliment, Coco,

but, unfortunately, you are not Genoese.

God willing, we will end this tonight.

But, if I don't come back,

will you make sure that my wife and daughters get this?

Godspeed, brother.

Ciao.

Ciao.

Coco and his men set out upon the Golden Horn.

If they're able to destroy the Ottoman fleet,

it could change the entire course of the battle for Constantinople.

Prepare the Greek Fire.

Abort!

Abort!

Take cover!

No!

We have been betrayed.

History will reward your loyalty, my friend.