Fall of Constantinople

[Mount Suribachi]

Just finished reading the 3rd and final volume of John Julius Norwich's history of Byzantium http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif The last chapter was awesome, very moving - the might of the Turks, the herioc last stand by the Byzantines. The last night with the service in St Sophia, Constantine XI giving his moving speech (there are 4 things a man should fight and die for - his family, his faith, his country and his king), his rushing into the fray once all was lost never to be seen again...it was stirring stuff Makes me want to play MTW as that purple faction...

Anyways, I thought it would make a great movie with its tale of tragic heroism. Whaddya think? Who should play Constantine XI and Mehmet II?

[BDC]

I am really getting interested in the Byzantiniums... I will have to read up more on them.

[Mount Suribachi]

In that case I really recommend the trilogy by Norwich - or you could get the short history, 3 volumes into 1. I read that 1st and enjoyed it so much I bought the full set http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif trying to remember your John VII from your Andronicus II gets a bit confusing tho http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif

[Heraclius]

I had that exact same thought the first time I finished the book Very well written. I figured the movie could end with a parting shot of the dead Constantine lying among his men, adn the camera panning out with much of Constantinople in flames.

[Shahed]

Good grief.

That kind of ending would make me enlist in the Greek army. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

Well it would be good movie anywaz.

[Elwe]

Chalk up another Byzantophile http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Anyone read The Alexiad? Bought it the other day, but haven't had the time to start reading it yet.

Cheers http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif

[kataphraktoi]

There is a film proposal for Heraclius's Persian campaigns at the moment, i don;t know whether to take this seriously or not.

Constantine XI the stuff legends are made of, so is he a Roman or a Greek???????

Who wants to debate this, thw Greeks claim him as their own a Greek not a Roman but Constantine claims himself as a ROman EMperor even though he wasn't crowned in COnstantinople.

I borrowed the Alexiad twice but I couldn;t force myself to read it, there is an online copy of the Alexiad full text and also a full text of Michael Psellus's CHronographia.

Penguin Classics

[noramis]

Gah Everytime I go to my bookstore to purchase The Alexiad, they don't have it. They give me the offer to order it, I decline telling myself that I'll go somewhere else and buy it... but two weeks later, I never bought it when it would have been easier to just order it in the first place

Lesson: Order books if they don't have them in stock.

[Gregoshi]

Hello there noramis. Welcome to Total War - Org style. A good general knows how to give orders, so keep practicing and you'll have that book in no time. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Mount Suribachi]

Quote[/b] (kataphraktoi @ May 01 2003,03:49)]Constantine XI the stuff legends are made of, so is he a Roman or a Greek???????
Well, he didn't call himself Constantine Palaeologus, he took his mothers name - haven't got the book so can't look it up right now - and his mother was Serbian. So was he a Greek a Roman or a Serb? hehe http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

As for an ending, I figured after all the looting etc and Mehemt has stopped it, done the Muslim thing in St Sophia etc it ends with a big pile of the dead, but you can only recognise Constantine in there due to the imperial insignia on the bottom of his purple boots a la the story in the book. Shot pulls away from bottom of boots, big pile of dead, burning city, roll credits, wipe tears from eyes http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif

[kataphraktoi]

Constantine Dragash (Dragases) XI

quarter italian, half serbia, half greek, quarter miscellaneous

Still Roman ........

[Mak]

Thanks for the recommended book -Mount Suribachi needed some new reading material.

I am very fond of playing the Byzantiums also, but I feel they are a bit too good with their basic infantry being so powerful. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I do like the way the game seems to outdate their faction in the latest period, feels like you are battling to save Constantinople from the mentioned tragic fate. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif

Will research further. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[BDC]

I think a movie would be a bit out of place at the moment... Muslims massacring Christians probably wouldn't go down too well.

[Blackball]

On a slightly related note, I've heard rumors that there'll be a movie version of the novel Gates of Fire about the Spartans' suicidal stand at Thermopylae. Pretty good read, and it'd make a great movie. From what I heard, Bruce Willis is supposed to play Leonidas, the Spartan king.