5. The Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople (1453)
The 1453 siege and fall of Constantinople to Sultan Mehmed II marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and the Middle Ages. Unlike earlier unsuccessful sieges, Mehmed’s use of massive cannons breached the city’s formidable walls. This conquest shifted control of vital trade routes, leading European nations to seek alternative paths to Asia, thereby initiating the Age of Exploration. The Ottomans’ dominance over these routes significantly impacted global trade dynamics (via thefactera.com).
