He Polis healo: The Fall of Constantinople in 1453 in Post-Byzantine Popular Literature

Abstract

This article examines the reaction of the Greeks to one of the most momentous events in their history, the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in May 1453, as it is portrayed in works of Greek popular literature up to the seventeenth century. The popular lores, apart from reflecting the emotions and thoughts of the conquered Greeks, also contributed to the creation of legends, aiming at encouraging the Greeks to keep their hopes alive for eventual liberation from the Turkish occupation.