July 25th, 1461- Conquest of Trebizond

Of course I am. My contribution is a short history of the city (Trapezounta in the original, Greek, name)

History

Originally founded as Trapezus by traders from Miletus (traditionally in 756 BC), the city was one of a number (about ten) of Milesian emporia, or trading colonies along the shores of the Black Sea. Others include Sinope, Abydos and Cyzicus (in the Dardanelles). Like most Greek colonies, the city was a small enclave of Greek life, and not an empire unto its own, in the later European sense of the word. When Xenophon and the "ten thousand" Greek mercenaries fighting their way out of Persia, reached Trapezus, it was the first Greek city they had reached (Xenophon, Anabasis, 5.5.10).

The city was added to the kingdom of Pontus by Mithridates VI Eupator and it became home port for the Pontic fleet.

When the kingdom was annexed to the Roman province of Galatia in 64-65 CE, the fleet simply passed to new commanders, becoming the Classis Pontica. Trapezus gained importance under Roman rule in the 1st century AD because from its roadstead a road over the Zigana Pass led to the Armenian frontier or the upper Euphrates valley. New roads were constructed from Persia and Mesopotamia under the rule of Vespasian, and Hadrian commissioned improvements to give the city a more structured harbor. A mithraeum now serves as a crypt for the church of Panaghia Theoskepastos in nearby Kizlara, east of the citadel and south of the modern harbor. The city was pillaged by the Goths in 258, and, although it was afterwards re-built, Trapezus did not recover until the trade route regained importance in the 8th to 10th centuries.

After the Fourth Crusade in 1204, a Byzantine successor state was founded there with support of Queen Tamar of Georgia, the Empire of Trebizond, which ruled part of the Black Sea coast from Trabzon until 1461, when its ruler, David, surrendered to Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Empire. Following this takeover Mehmet sent many Turkish settlers into the area, but the old ethnic Armenian, Greek and Abkhaz communities remained. During the late Ottoman period, the city had a great Christian influence in terms of culture, and a wealthy merchant class who created several Western consulates.

Trebizond was captured during World War I by forces under the command of the Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolayevich of Russia. Following the Treaty of Sevres and subsequent Treaty of Lausanne, Trabzon has been in the hands of Turkey. The city is still a busy trading centre, more so after the collapse of the USSR, although the shipping industry fell into decline after the rail route between Ankara and Erzurum, and the road to Iran.

Trabzon is famous throughout Turkey for its anchovies, which are the main meal in many restaurants in the city. Major exports from Trabzon are hazelnuts and tea.

Geography

Trabzon has typical of a Black Sea climate, with rain the year round and temperatures reaching up to around 27�C in the summer. Winters are cool and damp, and the lowest temperature is around 5�C in January. The water temperature fluctuates between 10� - 20�C throughout the year.

Etymology

Trabzon < Trabizon < Trapezounta < Trpapezus "Slave Market" in Greek (in Platon's texts; a variation of Trapez "table" + Ounta "toponomic suffix" in Greek

What a grim and pitiful end for the Grand Komnenos David Comnenus and his family.

I have always wondered what happened exactly at the walls of Trebizond City and Sinope when the Ottomans besieged the cities.  William Miller provides some details in his old book Trebizond: The Last Greek Empire.  David Comnenus capitulated in the end because of some rampant sedition in the Trapezuntine court.  However, there was some fighting that occured outside the walls of the cities.  Has anyone ever read about what the Trapezuntine  army looked like in terms of uniforms and equipment?  Did they have firearms and artillery?  It would seem that they would have gunpowder weapons because Trebizond was an economic center in the Black Sea.  What do you think?

well, they have not much reason to conquer Trabzon.

After conquest of Istanbul, Muhammet the conquerer wanted to finish all byzantium cities.

And anatolia was conquered later than Balkain, because of Turkic Beyliks. Ottomans didnt touch them until Beyaz�t 1, and than timur comes

Later Muhammet the conquerer took this beyliks.. Most probably this is reason for Trabzon long surviva.

By the way, armenians claim trabzon for their city also. But dont have much knowledge maybe armenian survival can help us about this topic.

Rums? What is this nationality?