There have been surprisingly few really epic sieges in history. Rome was sacked by the Goths in 410 and the Vandals in 455 but neither siege was long or particularly glorious to either attackers or defenders. Carthage was besieged by the Romans and was heroically defended, but the Carthaginians were traders more than soldiers. The destruction of Nineveh was a major event but hasn't really resonated through history so I don't think that J.R.R.Tolkien had it in mind when he came to draft his account of the siege of Minas Tirith.
I think that there is one, and only one, siege that really compares with that of Minas Tirith. In 1453, after over a thousand years as the major city of Christianity Constantinople was besieged by the Ottoman Turks. Constantinople had taken over from Rome as the centre of the Empire and had changed so much that it is now referred to as the Byzantine Empire. It was by the standards of the time a huge city and maintained history and culture from a previous age that had been lost and forgotten in the world outside.
Its huge walls and defensive ditches had never before been taken. Only once in its history had it been attacked successfully. That had been by the 5th Crusade where there had been a large element of deception involved in the attack.
The Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire had been under attack by the Turks for centuries and had almost always come off worst. The conflict was so ingrained that it had become almost ritualistic. In fact often, cities would not be contested militarily. The Byzantines
The Turks attacked the walls by land and maintained a fleet outside. The defenders were hopelessly outnumbered and cut off from all help. The Turks had a large cannon fired - one of the first times that artillery was used against a city. The huge chain across the harbour entrance prevented the Turkish fleet from attacking directly. This was a key defence and when some Christian ships managed to break the blockade and reach the city, it became clear that the Turks could still be resisted. To counter this they transported ships overland on greased logs to get round the boom and block the port itself. Once they had achieved this all hope for relief vanished.
The canon continued to pound the walls during the day, but the defenders repaired the breeches during the night. Turkish attempts to build tunnels to undermine the walls were beaten by counter tunnels. (The chief of sappers on the Byzantine side was a Scot called John Grant.) The walls, first built by the Emperor Theodosius, continued to stand between the Turks and their prize. But they had overwhelming superiority in numbers and could hope to simply outfight the defenders. On May 22 the city experienced an eclipse of the moon. This was an evil omen for the superstitious Byzantines. When I first read about that I was instantly put in mind of Minas Tirith in its unnatural gloom during the siege by Sauron. And a few days later there was another omen. The whole city was covered with a dense fog. This is almost unknown in that part of the world. As the fog cleared people noticed that the church of Hagia Sofia was wreathed in a strange light. Hagia Sofia had been founded some 900 years before by the Emperor Justinian and was the religious and symbolic heart of the city. Some said it was the Holy Sprit leaving the city. It recalls the lights seen in the tower of Denethor as Minas Tirith was under attack.
But unlike Minas Tirith, Constantinople was not to be saved by a rescue from the North. Some defenders believed that they saw the campfires of a Christian army come to rescue them in the distance, but it was in vain. By the end of May it was obvious that the Turks were preparing for an all out assault. A last service was held in the Hagia Sofia - the last Christian service to take place there attended by the last emperor, Constantine XI. A last call to surrender was rejected. Hopeless as it might be, Constantine could not give up the last stronghold of the Christian Empire without a fight. At midnight the assault began. The defenders were overwhelmed . Constantine himself was killed defending his city. His courage at this last hour and willingness to fight to the end have justly made him a hero to the Greeks ever since.
The fall of Constntinople sent a shock through Western Europe. It was the largest and the oldest Christian city. It was the last link with the empire of the Romans. The Moslems now controlled all but one of the great patriarchies of the early church. A messenger walked into the council at Venice without following and without waiting to be announced or acknowledged interrupted whatever business was being conducted and said simply " I bring the worst news that there could be, the worst news that there will ever be. Constantinople has fallen."
Saturday 5 July 2008
Constantinople and Minas Tirith
There have been surprisingly few really epic sieges in history. Rome was sacked by the Goths in 410 and the Vandals in 455 but neither siege was long or particularly glorious to either attackers or defenders. Carthage was besieged by the Romans and was heroically defended, but the Carthaginians were traders more than soldiers. The destruction of Nineveh was a major event but hasn't really resonated through history so I don't think that J.R.R.Tolkien had it in mind when he came to draft his account of the siege of Minas Tirith.
I think that there is one, and only one, siege that really compares with that of Minas Tirith. In 1453, after over a thousand years as the major city of Christianity Constantinople was besieged by the Ottoman Turks. Constantinople had taken over from Rome as the centre of the Empire and had changed so much that it is now referred to as the Byzantine Empire. It was by the standards of the time a huge city and maintained history and culture from a previous age that had been lost and forgotten in the world outside.
Its huge walls and defensive ditches had never before been taken. Only once in its history had it been attacked successfully. That had been by the 5th Crusade where there had been a large element of deception involved in the attack.
The Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire had been under attack by the Turks for centuries and had almost always come off worst. The conflict was so ingrained that it had become almost ritualistic. In fact often, cities would not be contested militarily. The Byzantines
The Turks attacked the walls by land and maintained a fleet outside. The defenders were hopelessly outnumbered and cut off from all help. The Turks had a large cannon fired - one of the first times that artillery was used against a city. The huge chain across the harbour entrance prevented the Turkish fleet from attacking directly. This was a key defence and when some Christian ships managed to break the blockade and reach the city, it became clear that the Turks could still be resisted. To counter this they transported ships overland on greased logs to get round the boom and block the port itself. Once they had achieved this all hope for relief vanished.
The canon continued to pound the walls during the day, but the defenders repaired the breeches during the night. Turkish attempts to build tunnels to undermine the walls were beaten by counter tunnels. (The chief of sappers on the Byzantine side was a Scot called John Grant.) The walls, first built by the Emperor Theodosius, continued to stand between the Turks and their prize. But they had overwhelming superiority in numbers and could hope to simply outfight the defenders. On May 22 the city experienced an eclipse of the moon. This was an evil omen for the superstitious Byzantines. When I first read about that I was instantly put in mind of Minas Tirith in its unnatural gloom during the siege by Sauron. And a few days later there was another omen. The whole city was covered with a dense fog. This is almost unknown in that part of the world. As the fog cleared people noticed that the church of Hagia Sofia was wreathed in a strange light. Hagia Sofia had been founded some 900 years before by the Emperor Justinian and was the religious and symbolic heart of the city. Some said it was the Holy Sprit leaving the city. It recalls the lights seen in the tower of Denethor as Minas Tirith was under attack.
But unlike Minas Tirith, Constantinople was not to be saved by a rescue from the North. Some defenders believed that they saw the campfires of a Christian army come to rescue them in the distance, but it was in vain. By the end of May it was obvious that the Turks were preparing for an all out assault. A last service was held in the Hagia Sofia - the last Christian service to take place there attended by the last emperor, Constantine XI. A last call to surrender was rejected. Hopeless as it might be, Constantine could not give up the last stronghold of the Christian Empire without a fight. At midnight the assault began. The defenders were overwhelmed . Constantine himself was killed defending his city. His courage at this last hour and willingness to fight to the end have justly made him a hero to the Greeks ever since.
The fall of Constntinople sent a shock through Western Europe. It was the largest and the oldest Christian city. It was the last link with the empire of the Romans. The Moslems now controlled all but one of the great patriarchies of the early church. A messenger walked into the council at Venice without following and without waiting to be announced or acknowledged interrupted whatever business was being conducted and said simply " I bring the worst news that there could be, the worst news that there will ever be. Constantinople has fallen."
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2 comments:
I wonder if you are still reading comments on your blog...I like the idea of it. I like your thought but do think there are echoes of Ninevah as well. Here's an excerpt that I think will easily show why:
The prophet Nahum predicted the destruction of Nineveh in the book that bears his name. The following items were to be a part of the destruction of that great city:
An "overflowing flood" would "make an utter end of its place" (Nah. 1:8)
Nineveh would be destroyed while her inhabitants were "drunken like drunkards" (Nah. 1:10)
Nineveh would be unprotected because "fire shall devour the bars of your gates" (Nah. 3:13)
Nineveh would never recover, for their "injury has no healing" (Nah. 3:19)
The downfall of Nineveh would come with remarkable ease, like figs falling when the tree is shaken (Nah. 3:12)
In 612 B.C. Nabopolassar united the Babylonian army with an army of Medes and Scythians and led a campaign which captured the Assyrian citadels in the North. The Babylonian army laid siege to Nineveh, but the walls of the city were too strong for battering rams, so they decided to try and starve the people out. A famous oracle had been given that "Nineveh should never be taken until the river became its enemy." After a three month siege, "rain fell in such abundance that the waters of the Tigris inundated part of the city and overturned one of its walls for a distance of twenty stades. Then the King, convinced that the oracle was accomplished and despairing of any means of escape, to avoid falling alive into the enemy's hands constructed in his palace an immense funeral pyre, placed on it his gold and silver and his royal robes, and then, shutting himself up with his wives and eunuchs in a chamber formed in the midst of the pile, disappeared in the flames. Nineveh opened its gates to the besiegers, but this tardy submission did not save the proud city. It was pillaged and burned, and then razed to the ground so completely as to evidence the implacable hatred enkindled in the minds of subject nations by the fierce and cruel Assyrian government." (Lenormant and E. Chevallier, The Rise and Fall of Assyria).
Sounds like Denethor, doesn't it?
I could add Cyrus the Great's conquest of Babylon, where he diverted the Euphrates to get under the river gates and into the city.
I'm quite enjoying reading through this blog, I hope it's not abandoned.
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