I need Primary Sources in English about the fall of..

...Constantinople-1453!! I have read secondary sources by John Julius Norwich and Steven Runciman.
Most of the primary sources seem to be in Latin or Byzantine period Greek.
If you know of any primary sources in English please post them for me!!!

   

Constantinople : City of the World's Desire, 1453-1924
by Roger Bigelow, Merriman

Constantinople 1453: The End of Byzantium (Campaign Series, 78)
by David, Phd Nicolle "The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 is sometimes regarded as the end of the Roman Empire, or as the absorption of..

The eye witness account of a Byzantine historian and close friend of the last Byzantine Basileos Constantine XI Dragas:

George Sphrantzes, The Fall of the Byzantine Empire (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1980) (on reserve)



This essay mentions numerous original sources:

Death of Constantine XI

I was studying at the library and found these sources but sad to say no time to read them,later on I will!!


Nicolo Barbaro "Diary of the Seige of Constantinople
Translated by J.R. Jones

"The Fall of Constantinople" by Steven Runciman
I have already read this!!

"Constantine Palaeologus 1448-1453" by Chedomil Mijatovich

"The Immortal Emperor" by Donald M. Nicol
hmmm I seem to remember reading one of this books about Byzatine history- ???

Originally posted by eaglecap Did Constantine Palaeologus survive or did he perish? The body was never found and there is a bit of speculation he survived although I would not hold my breath on that theory. I still think it is strange that the founder of the Byzantine era was named Constantine and the last Emperor was named Constantine- strange!! Was this by mere chance or Providence? There is a legend about an eerie blue or was it green light enveloping the Hagia Sophia and then departing heavenward just prior to the fall of Constantinople. The Byzantines freaked because they saw it as the spirit of God departing from them, but it also terrified the Turks- I love legends like this. True or false? who knows but I am open!!

If you read the article provided in the link in my previous post, it states that, firstly, with utmost certainty Constantine XI Dragas died, and secondly, most likely his body was never identified and that he was was buried in a mass grave. Other sources agree with that. I think that is a very believable scenario, however un-romantic it may be.

That both the first and last Byzantine Emperor were called Constantine is of course co-incidence, but as there were 88 Emperors and 11 of them were named Constantine there was a pretty good chance that that might happen.

A momentous event like the fall of Constantinople is bound to attract all sort of legends, the one you mention is not the only one: Priests disappearing through a secret door in the Hagia Sophia is the most well known. But legends are legends, there might have been an event that sparked them off, and in a superstitious age all kinds of stories evolved from there.
On the whole, the last stand of the Byzantines is fascinating enough, with or without legends.

It indeed is a very interesting topic, and one you cannot help but feel strikes a chord within you when you read of those last hours. It really was as if an entire world vanished all of a sudden.

 

Regarding the light on the Dome of Hagia Sophia I have heard that legend too and I believe it was a red glow that was being emitted. A few years ago I read online about a study done of the the world at that time in history and it appears that there was a volcanic eruption about this time which interfered with the atmosphere when fine particules of red dust were spewed into the atmosphere. The online article claims this is what caused the red glow to come from the dome of the building when it reflected off the metal (which if memory serves is copper). Apparently the bright moon, unusual weather patterns and dust particles acted together to create the phenomenon, we know from sources that when the city's defenders saw it it terrified them (must feel sorry for them that so unlikely a thing would happen duringthe siege). It was a few years back so i forget the link but I remember finding it on Google.

 

The book by Chedomir Mijatovich is alright, I read it last year, but keep in mind he is in the old school group of Byzantinists who inherits Gibbon's opinions and methodology. Also I strongly suspect as a Slavic nationalist he has his own agenda to push in discrediting the Byzantines and praising the Turks (at the time he wrote the book in the late 19th century the Balkan powers were manouvering to take advantage of Ottoman weakness and each wanted to snatch Constantinople). The other book by Nicol you may have read covers the final two centuries of Byzantium, I think almost entirely with Byzantium 1261 to the fall of Trebizond. I forget the name (too lazy to look it up at my local library ) but it's a good book, very informative and reliable.