The Ottoman Capture of Constantinople and Its Implications for the Modern World: A Geopolitical Analysis

Abstract

This research examines the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 as a pivotal event in modern world history, based on a geopolitical reading that seeks to analyze its strategic dimensions and structural effects in shaping the modern international system. The study is based on the fundamental premise that this conquest was not merely a limited and sudden military or political event, but rather a gradual and cumulative process that lasted for several years and contributed to a comprehensive redistribution of centers of power and geographical control at the regional and global levels. The research also discusses the transformations brought about by the conquest in the structure of the Ottoman state and authority, and the demographic consequences resulting from it by linking the historical transformation with contemporary geopolitical developments. This conquest established the model of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Ottoman Empire. The research concludes that the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople represents a key point in the formation of the modern world, and that reading and approaching it from a geopolitical perspective provides us with a deeper understanding of the interactions between geography, military power, and historical transformations, explaining the continuing influence of this event on political, economic, and international ideological structures to the present day.