Conquering heroes

Just 555 short years ago last month, troops led by Mehmed II broke through the walls of the ancient Christian capital of Constantinople, ending a gallant defence by Constantine Paleologos, the last king of Byzantium. Just five even shorter days ago, a portly barrister and a ten-year-old almost pulled off the greatest cricket upset ever, but like Byzantium it was not to be. Ironically, I contributed to both gallant but losing causes: in spirit only in Constantinople; by fielding my arse off at the cricket. More about the portly barrister and the ten-year-old later.

As barbarians tend to do, Mehmed rode triumphantly into the city on a white horse. Soon, churches became mosques and Constantinople became Istanbul. This was Islam’s greatest victory ever. For nearly a millennium, Constantinople had been the foremost barrier to Islam’s sustained drive for world conquest. Mehmed did not stop there. He went on to conquer Greece — but not the Ionian islands because the Taki family came from there — Serbia and the Balkans south of the Danube and the Crimean Peninsula.