....that's nobody's business but the Turks.
So saith a very catchy ditty.
On this day in 330, Constantine I dedicated Byzantium (Constantinople; now Istanbul) as the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, an act that helped transform it into a leading city of the world.
Britannica.com
1.I call’s ‘em as I sees ‘em…as the umpire supposedly said….also applies to lots of wishful thinking throughout history. Various cultures have claimed ‘God is on our side!’ prior to a battle….and hoped they’d be saying it afterwards, as well.
2.Reminiscent of the first Muslim siege of Constantinople, 717. After Emperor Leo III not only withstood a siege of a couple of years by several hundred thousand Muslim warriors under Maslama….Well, better than withstood….
“…August 15, 718, under the wise and stalwart leadership of Byzantium’s Leo III, the Arab Muslim jihad siege of Constantinople was broken, and the invaders—and Islamdom—suffered an ignominious defeat.” A 1300-Year-Old Lesson For 9/11 From Leo III: Know Islam To Defeat Jihad
3.The Christians interpreted these signs as God’s choice of the Christians over the Muslims:
the first winter of siege was inordinately cold and snowy. And, in addition, fierce nomadic Bulgars, neither Christian nor Muslim, were picking off Muslim sortees looking for food.
Then, when the caliph sent ships with reinforcements….the crews of the ships turned out to be Christian Egyptians, Copts, not Muslim Arabs, and the Copts joined Leo’s side.
And, when the Muslims attempted to leave….on 2,560 ships….a storm destroyed most of ‘em, and a volcanic eruption from the island of Santorini set other on fire. Ten ships survived.
See Siege of Constantinople (717–718) - Wikipedia
4. Of course, Leo et al claimed God was in their corner. Little did they know that the Muslims would be back, and victorious about seven centuries later.
If God was rewarding the Christians in 718, He must have been punishing them in 1453 when the Ottomans dropped by. And that is exactly how the faithful interpreted loses and defeats.
So saith a very catchy ditty.
On this day in 330, Constantine I dedicated Byzantium (Constantinople; now Istanbul) as the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, an act that helped transform it into a leading city of the world.
Britannica.com
1.I call’s ‘em as I sees ‘em…as the umpire supposedly said….also applies to lots of wishful thinking throughout history. Various cultures have claimed ‘God is on our side!’ prior to a battle….and hoped they’d be saying it afterwards, as well.
2.Reminiscent of the first Muslim siege of Constantinople, 717. After Emperor Leo III not only withstood a siege of a couple of years by several hundred thousand Muslim warriors under Maslama….Well, better than withstood….
“…August 15, 718, under the wise and stalwart leadership of Byzantium’s Leo III, the Arab Muslim jihad siege of Constantinople was broken, and the invaders—and Islamdom—suffered an ignominious defeat.” A 1300-Year-Old Lesson For 9/11 From Leo III: Know Islam To Defeat Jihad
3.The Christians interpreted these signs as God’s choice of the Christians over the Muslims:
the first winter of siege was inordinately cold and snowy. And, in addition, fierce nomadic Bulgars, neither Christian nor Muslim, were picking off Muslim sortees looking for food.
Then, when the caliph sent ships with reinforcements….the crews of the ships turned out to be Christian Egyptians, Copts, not Muslim Arabs, and the Copts joined Leo’s side.
And, when the Muslims attempted to leave….on 2,560 ships….a storm destroyed most of ‘em, and a volcanic eruption from the island of Santorini set other on fire. Ten ships survived.
See Siege of Constantinople (717–718) - Wikipedia
4. Of course, Leo et al claimed God was in their corner. Little did they know that the Muslims would be back, and victorious about seven centuries later.
If God was rewarding the Christians in 718, He must have been punishing them in 1453 when the Ottomans dropped by. And that is exactly how the faithful interpreted loses and defeats.
