Hello everyone and welcome to the history of Byzantium, episode 344, Cold Case, Constantine

the 11th.

Some listeners were upset, or at least disappointed, that I didn't spend more time on the death

of the final Roman emperor, Constantine the 11th.

That I didn't talk about his final moments in more detail, that I didn't eulogize him more for his heroic self-sacrifice.

At the time, I simply reported what we knew, which was not a lot, that he died in the fighting and it wasn't clear what happened or if his body was securely identified.

I knew I would go into more detail at a later date, and that date is today.

To say that he died with heroic self-sacrifice would have been to put my hand on the scale,

to assign his death a positive spin that I didn't feel it was right to claim without knowing more.

It is possible that he fled in terror and was cut down.

So today, let's treat this like a cold case.

Let's go over all the evidence we have

and try to piece together the Emperor's fate and final moments.

For those who wanted more details,

be careful what you wish for.

The victim, Constantine Dragash Paliologos,

Emperor of the Romans.

Last known location, Constantinople, the land walls, Pempton Sector.

Date, May 29th, 1453, time approximately 4 a.m. Multiple witnesses report that during the course of the siege,

the Emperor was present at the most vulnerable section of the land walls,

between the gate of St. Romano's and the gate of Churricius,

known as the Pempton sector, the fifth sector of the land walls.

...