Byzantine Empire in AD 1453 at a glance
In AD 1453 the empire covered about 22,624 km². That is 96.2% less than at AD 1180. It took in all or part of 2 modern countries, with the biggest shares of Greece (16%) and Turkey (0.2%).
The Ottoman sultan Mehmed II besieged Constantinople with cannon and took it. The last emperor, Constantine XI, is believed to have died in the fighting.
Constantinople falls to the Ottomans. Ruler at the time: Constantine XI Palaiologos.
- 22,624 km²area of the empire
- -96.2%since AD 1180
- 2modern countries inside
Constantinople and the Morea only, from modern administrative units clipped to the city and the Peloponnese. This outline is built from modern regions (Natural Earth states and provinces), so it follows modern boundaries and is coarser than the others. Borders are approximate and debated.
What changed since AD 1180
The area fell by about 568,405 km² (96.2%), from 591,029 km² to 22,624 km². There is no province table for this date, so the map compares areas only.
Modern countries no longer inside: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia.
Which modern countries were inside the empire in AD 1453?
2 modern countries were at least partly inside the empire. The share is the part of today's country that fell inside the outline above. The largest shares were Greece and Turkey.
| Country | Share inside | Area inside (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| Roman Greece | 16% | 21,372 |
| Roman Turkey | 0.2% | 1,252 |
Shares are measured against the part of each country inside a box around the Mediterranean world, so overseas territories do not count. A country counts as inside only above 1% of its area or 500 km².