Illustrated Armenia and the Armenians . trast. Around a city, whose Greek population the recent calam-ities had reduced to about 100,000 souls, with an enfeebled gar-rison, there gathered the 258,000 soldiers of the Turk, with320 sail, including all kinds of craft. The day fixed for the final onslaught, i. May 29, 1453,was set apart by the Sultan Mohammed II. as a religious fes-tival. The preceding night witnessed a magnificent illumina-tion of the Moslem camp and ships, transforming the harborof the Golden Horn and its vicinity into a scene of splendorsuch as, perhaps, had never been witn
Illustrated Armenia and the Armenians . trast. Around a city, whose Greek population the recent calam-ities had reduced to about 100,000 souls, with an enfeebled gar-rison, there gathered the 258,000 soldiers of the Turk, with320 sail, including all kinds of craft. The day fixed for the final onslaught, i. May 29, 1453,was set apart by the Sultan Mohammed II. as a religious fes-tival. The preceding night witnessed a magnificent illumina-tion of the Moslem camp and ships, transforming the harborof the Golden Horn and its vicinity into a scene of splendorsuch as, perhaps, had never been witnessed before, or was everto be witnessed again in the history of Oriental display. The stated calls to prayer rose upon the still air without,while the pathetic cry of Kyrie eleison resounded within thedoomed city. The attack commenced in the early morning, and by mid-day Mohammed II. was riding in triumph into his newcapital by the gate of St. Romanus. He rode past the deadbody of the Greek emperor, buried beneath a heap of the p H o p <w ww O w~1-1 o HH ou O AND THE ARMENIANS, 75 The grand old emperor, whose courage had supportedhis people through the horrors of the siege, had already takenhis last sacrament in the church of St. Sophia, and biddenfarewell to his household, ere he went forth cheerfully to sec-rifice his life in defence of the throne of the Caesars. But theheroic effort was in vain. The blow long pending had fallen; the Roman Empirewas no more. Sultan Mohammed II., who captured the city of Constan-tinople, established an Armenian patriarchate there in 1461,A. D. The first patriarch was Havaguem, the Bishop of Broosa,with certain privileges, and as well as the representative, andthe responsible one for his nation. The first patriarch Havaguem was a friend of the SultanMohammed II. had two motives in this, first, to have an Ar-menian ecclesiastical centre in Constantinople for the nucleusof a strong Armenian settlement there, to play ofif against theGr
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidillustratedarmen01gaid
