The forty sieges of Constantinople : the great city's enemies and its survival

The great city of Byzantion/Constantinople/Istanbul stands on a commanding cape overlooking a busy waterway. It has been the target of repeated attempts to capture it for the past two and a half millennia. Most of these attacks failed, but some did so in spectacular fashion, such as the great Arab sieges. The inhabitants fought hard in almost every siege, with the result that when the city was captured it was also destroyed, or at least suffered a hideous sack. Almost every nation between the Atlantic and the Steppes of Asia have made attempts to capture the city, some repeatedly but only a few - a Roman emperor, the Crusaders, the Turks - have succeeded. And there is no sign that some have given up the hope of taking it - the last sieges were just before and then during the Great War, by the Bulgars, and then by the Allies, who got no closer than Gallipoli, but the city had to submit to enemy occupation when the empire it ruled collapsed. It is still surrounded by envious neighbours, who wish to control it. The city has been besieged forty times, and has been captured on three or four occasions; it cannot be said to be safe yet. It is still 'The City of the World's Desire'. Cover Book Title Copyright Contents Introduction: The City Part I Byzantion Chapter 1 Enemy from the East – The Persians Chapter 2 Enemies from the South – the Greeks Chapter 3 Enemy from the West – the Macedonians Chapter 4 Enemies from the North-West and the East –The Galatians and the Seleukids Chapter 5 Enemy from the East – Antiochos II Interlude I Polybios on Byzantion Chapter 6 Destruction from the West – The Romans Chapter 7 Enemies from the North – Goths and Heruli Chapter 8 Conqueror from the West – Constantine the Great Interlude II The Five Walls of the City Part II Constantinople Chapter 9 Enemy from the North-West – the Goths Chapter 10 An Enemy from Within – Vitalian Chapter 11 Enemy from the North – the Kutrighur Huns Chapter 12 Enemies from the Northwest, the East, and from Within – Avars, Persians and Greeks Chapter 13 Enemies from the East – Muslim Arabs Chapter 14 Two Civil Wars: Artabasdas versus Constantine V, Thomas the Slav versus Michael II Interlude III Conversions Chapter 15 Enemy from the Northwest – The Bulgars Chapter 16 Enemy from the North – the Rus Chapter 17 Enemies from the West – the First Crusade Chapter 18 Enemies from the West – the Fourth Crusade Interlude IV The Latin Empire Chapter 19 Recovery from the East –The Empire of Nikaia Chapter 20 Enemies within – Civil Wars Chapter 21 An Encircling Enemy – The Ottoman Turks Chapter 22 Success for the Ottoman Turks Interlude V Islamization of the City Chapter 23 Enemy from the Balkans – the Bulgarians Chapter 24 Enemies from the Sea – The Great War Allies Bibliography Notes Index Identifies and narrates 40 sieges of the city that was Byzantion, then Constantinople and now Istanbul.