Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020): Season 1, Episode 2 - Through The Walls - full transcript

The Red Apple
is the prized apple, Mehmed.

The sweetest.

The ripest.

It is the beating heart
at the center of our universe.

The Promised Land.

He who conquers Constantinople

will have the world.

But look at those walls, son.

They've stopped every army
that has tried to take the city.

They stopped me.

Why not just knock down the walls?



There is no weapon strong enough
to bring them down.

Some have wondered
if Allah himself could do it.

Father...

I will bring down those walls.

And when I am sultan,

I will take Constantinople.

Every empire has a beginning

forged of blood, steel,
fortune and conquest.

In 1453, Roman Emperor Constantine XI

and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II

wage an epic battle for Constantinople.

Twenty-three armies have tried
to take the legendary city.

All have failed.

Out of the carnage,
one ruler will emerge victorious



and change the course of history
for the next 300 years.

For one empire to rise,
another must fall.

I want the cannons firing day and night
until the Romans come crawling out,

begging for mercy.

April 1453.

Sultan Mehmed II unleashes
an artillery attack on Constantinople...

unlike any the world has ever known.

It's the largest concentration
of cannons,

about 69 or 70,
that the world had seenin one place.

These cannons are not the cannons
we know from 18th century, 19th century.

These are huge cannons.

Dear God,

the walls won't last until sundown
if this continues.

Have faith, Lord Loukas.

So long as the Holy Spirit is with us,

we will be safe.

Looking out from the walls,

Emperor Constantine is confronted
by Mehmed's 80,000-man army.

The monumental task
of keeping the Ottomans out of the city

falls on the shoulders
of Genoese soldier of fortune

Giovanni Giustiniani.

Giustiniani and his men
must defend 14 miles of city walls.

Emperor Theodosius II built the walls
in the 5th century.

They are among the strongest
ever constructed.

The walls of Constantinople
have been there

for 1100 years in that form.

This is an extraordinary piece
of military engineering.

There are five layers to the walls.

There's the outer moat,

then there is an open area
that troops had to run across,

a sort of killing field,

then there is an outer wall
with towers on it,

then there's another killing field,
and then there's an inner wall.

The whole system is about 200 feet deep;

from the bottom of the moat
to the top of the walls

it's about 100 feet high.

Nobody had found a way across it.

Mehmed looks at the city,

he says, "All right,
it's got these huge walls

nobody penetrated.

Now, how do you tear them down?
You need artillery.

I want a cannon
that's gonna bring these things down."

And he decided a frontal attack.

He takes it as a challenge.

This was the man.

This was his character.

Mehmed's plan is
a medieval version of shock and awe.

Taking down the massive walls

with an overwhelming storm
of cannon fire.

The centerpiece
of Mehmed's artillery attack

is a 27-foot cannon called Basilica.

An immense cannon is built.
Huge!

You know, they say that hundreds
of oxen pulled it.

It's incredible metallurgical skill
to make the thing,

it had walls of bronze,
eight inches thick,

cannonballs of half a ton.

A very large number of the bells
of Balkan churches

were melted down to cast the thing.

The Ottomans nickname
the mammoth bombard "The Bear"

and the smaller cannons "The Cubs."

Easy with that.

The man who brings
Mehmed's supergun to life

is a master cannon founder
from Hungary named Orban.

- Father!
- Yes?

The cracks are growing larger.

These cannons have huge firing power,
but could only fire every three hours.

More likely than not,
they're gonna blow up in your face.

If you fire them too often,
for example,

little cracks can develop,
and then they blow up.

They're pretty rudimentary things.

We'll give her a break after this one.
Okay?

All right. Go.

Ready, sir!

Send it!

The cannons fire day and night...

engulfing the city in chaos.

Giustiniani was faced with something

he has no experience of,

and that is a cannon
that can knock down a wall.

Giustiniani has his soldiers go down

and essentially pile up the rubble,

remake the walls, and that actually
works better than the original wall

because the loose bricks

absorb the impact of the cannonballs.

And are much harder to knock down,
takes a lot more impact to disperse them.

After six days of constant bombardment,

the walls of Constantinople are damaged,
but standing.

The sultan's cannons

pin the emperor's soldiers down
behind the walls.

To survive the onslaught,

they must devise a plan
to put the Ottomans on the defensive.

Giustiniani
and his Italian mercenaries prepare

to launch a counterattack
against Mehmed's troops

outside the walls.

Giustiniani would go out
and make small raids.

It was both to catch people off-guard

and just to, kind of,
stop the other side relaxing.

- Are you ready, brothers?
- Yah!

- For God!
- God!

- For the purse!
- The purse!

For she who you fight to return to!

Yah!

God!

Giustiniani,
he's an expert in defensive warfare.

The choice that
Giustiniani has to make is,

do I defend the outer walls
or do I defend the inner wall?

And he made the decision
to defend the outer wall.

Let's show them what a Genoese bastard
with a sword can do!

The outer wall
is essentially a suicide mission,

because that's where
the cannons are hitting.

The way the Italians fought,

you're going to get
somebody in plate armor

surrounded by people who use crossbows...

- Crossbows!
- ...And he was,

if we can draw a comparison,

like the Second World War, the tank.

And then you have the infantry
who is taking shelter behind the tank.

Hold!

Hold!

Hold!

Fire!

Swords!

Giustiniani actually brought with himself
this large professional army

of 2,000 people, and these guys
are professional soldiers.

They have fighting experience.

They belong to the condottieri,

which means "mercenary generals."

The ferocity and effectiveness
of Giustiniani's attack

catches the Ottomans by surprise.

The battlefield is littered
with the dead and dying.

We will make the Genoese pay
for their bravery in blood.

What's the delay, Orban Pasha?
Why isn't my Bear firing?

J-Just a minute more, Sultan.

I didn't pay you to build me a novelty,
Orban.

You promised your cannons
would take down those walls.

The barrel is cracking.

The copper isn't holding
as I had hoped.

If I could have a few more days...

I want this cannon firing immediately.

I'm doing everything in my power,
Pasha.

If we are lucky,
perhaps she can fire in the morning.

Orban, if you are lucky,

you will get this cannon firing now.

- But the cracks...
- Now.

The clock is ticking on the siege.

Every day brings with it a new threat

that Mehmed's enemies to the East and West
will attack his bogged-down army.

The gravest threat of all is that the pope
will send reinforcements from Europe.

Loaded, sir.

Do not forsake me,
you big, magnificent bastard.

Are you ready, Orban?

Yes, Sultan.

Please stand back. For your safety.

Have some faith, Orban.

Fire.

No, no, no, no, no!

Mehmed.

Mehmed.

- You can't catch me!
- Mehmed...

come sit with me.

Come.

What's wrong, Mama?

Your father has summoned you
to the capital.

Will I be gone long?

Yes.

What about my birds?

You will get others in the capital.

But you are coming with me?

We'll see each other soon.

I don't want to go.

From now on,
no more crying, Mehmed.

A sultan never cries.

Now... go.

- But Mama...
- I said go!

His mother was probably a Byzantine.

We don't know what she was.

He kept the secret
and took it to his grave.

He always called her "Hatun,"
"The Lady."

But we don't know who she was.

Mehmed arrives in the capital

with no friends or family,
other than his father, the sultan.

His stepmother, Mara Brankovic,
a Serbian princess,

is Sultan Murad's third wife,

but has no children of her own.

In the lonely young prince,
she finds a kindred spirit.

Mehmed had problems with his father.

Mara may have taken him under her wing.

He always called her "Mother."

You have grown...

since I last saw you.

Do you remember me?

Answer the sultan.

Your older brother, Prince Ali...

has died.

Do you understand what that means?

Boy.

Look at me.

Mehmed grew up
in a very chilly atmosphere.

Now come... and kiss my hand.

There was no knowing
whether you were going to survive.

Ahmed, the oldest,
was 12 years older than him.

He died.

And then Ali was mysteriously strangled,

and effectively,
Mehmed was all that was left.

You will take his place
as governor of Amasya.

There, you will be educated
and learn to be a ruler.

A sultan.

There is no longer time
for childish pursuits, Prince.

Candarli Pasha will report back to me
on your progress.

By the age of 12,
Mehmed is fluent in five languages,

and models himself
after Alexander the Great.

He boasts that one day
he will take the city of Constantinople.

From an early age,

the ambitious young crown prince clashes
with his father's grand vizier.

He was this rather unruly child
who had to be beaten into submission.

Again...

...again. Again!

We must teach the prince humility...

...for his own good.

What are you doing, Prince?

Whatever I please.

I'm a prince.

The wounds will heal.

The lesson will be remembered.

Yes, Pasha.

It will be remembered.

The lesson will be remembered.

Before he is even 13,

his father, Murad II,

decides to retire,
leaving Mehmed to take the throne.

The youngest sultan

in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

Mehmed is now the emir,

the sultan of the Ottomans.

And he is...

left with the entire Ottoman force

at his disposal.

And so,
it becomes problematic right away,

because the vizier of the time,
Candarli Halil Pasha,

is very nervous about this.

Mehmed being such a young boy,

they could lose everything.

Pashas, where have you been?

There is much to be done.

In what regard, Sultan?

Our council meeting.

My father built the foundation
of our empire...

and now... I will take the next step.

I will take Constantinople.

Did you not hear me?

Alexander had his first conquest at 20...

and I shall have mine now.

Sultan, the Romans are under control...

but the troubles in the East
are very real.

And in the West,
Jon Hunyadi and the Hungarians

are amassing their army
near our border.

There could be more crusades coming.

They will want to test you.

I will crush all of them.

You need the Janissaries,

and you've not given them
a crown gift yet.

They are demanding more pay.

Constantinople has more than enough gold

to silence those greedy thugs.

Perhaps we should consult with your father
before making any final decisions.

Make the preparations...

or I will find viziers that will.

The Hungarians
look to be mounting a new crusade

and the Janissaries are angry, Pasha.

What are they angry at now?

They don't trust the young sultan.

And he is, I confess...

impulsive at times.

Every sultan...

who ever took the throne...

had to grow into it.

Mehmed is young, Halil Pasha.

It will take time.

Indeed. Which is why
I wanted to reassure you.

We viziers are working
to find a prudent solution.

How can I rest
with my son so unpredictable?

He is headstrong.

But, Allah willing,
my guidance will bring measure

to his more... reckless plans.

Plans?

For Constantinople.

Have the cooks prepare
a feast for me tonight.

Sultan,

you have a visitor.

Father?

I was not told you were coming.

I have asked too much of you.

I don't understand.

Come.

I'm here...

to take the throne back.

- No. Father...
- Until you are older.

I have ruled wisely. Tell him, Pasha!

The crusaders are almost
at our doorstep, Mehmed.

You haven't yet seen combat.

And I can't leave you to fight Hunyadi
and the Hungarians.

- How could you do this to me?
- The throne will be yours again,

my son, when you are ready.

Traitorous dog!

This is your doing!

- I will take your head!
- Enough!

How dare you speak to my viziers
this way?

You will apologize.

Don't test my patience further...

Prince Mehmed.

Pashas...

I apologize for my behavior.

Now leave us.

Let's put ourselves in Mehmed's shoes.

He's brought to the throne and told
that he is the ruler of the state.

And then to be told,
after such a short space of time,

that he's no longer gonna have that power.

And then someone
who he associated with his father,

this big figure, Candarli Halil,

taking that power away from him...

must have bred huge resentment.

It will be yours again.

They betrayed me.

All of them.

Learn from this.

And I promise
you will have the throne back.

Sultan! Sultan!

Mehmed!

Wake up!

Wake up!

Mehmed's father's
failed siege of Constantinople

dragged on for three long months.

With each passing day,

he now sees his own chances for victory
slowly slipping away.

Inside the city,

Giustiniani and his men
continue rebuilding the walls

and tending to their wounded.

Hold this.

Lady Therma?

Lord Giustiniani.

I didn't expect to see a noblewoman
in these conditions.

I have as much a duty to my city
as anyone.

These men have risked their lives
to protect us.

I believe your comfort would ease
the worst of agonies.

You should get some rest.

Good night.

We think about sieges,

you think the conditions are roughest
for those being besieged.

But there are also pressures
on a besieging army.

For Mehmed,
he's got additional issues,

because he's new to the throne

and people aren't at all sure
what to make of him yet.

So he's gotta make this happen quickly.

You know,
he's almost as desperate to get in

as the Byzantines are to keep him out.

Pashas,

we have been pounding the walls
for nearly two weeks.

Our cannons have turned
the mighty walls of Constantinople

into piles of rubble.

But that does us no good
unless we go through them.

It is time to make our move.

Sultan, it is still to early.

We need to weaken their defenses more
before we send in the army.

I advise more patience.

There's no guarantee that
the siege is gonna be successful.

The Ottomans don't like long,
drawn-out campaigns.

They like quick warfare

where they can come in,
smash the enemy, and move on.

- Zaganos Pasha?
- The men are ready.

You only need to give the order.

Tell the men to rest tonight.

And be ready to fight.

Tomorrow we take the city.

He's going all in
with this particular conquest.

Day 13 of the siege dawns
at the Ottoman camp.

Mehmed and his generals survey
the Romans' defenses

and finalize plans
for their infantry assault.

The attack will take place
under the cover of night.

Mehmed II always stood firm.

and actually said
he would sacrifice his life,

uh... if needed,
but he will take that city.

And if we know one thing about Mehmed,

he's obviously a very stubborn man,

an eventful figure,

and a strong-minded, intelligent guy.

Tonight...

we will take the Red Apple.

We are Ghazi,

holy warriors and the heirs of Osman.

Our ancestors fought and died
at this wall.

But now, we are united

in avenging their deaths!

By all accounts,

he seems to have been a fantastic orator.

As a commander,

Mehmed, number one,
understood his own people.

Number two, understood the enemy.

And behaved accordingly.

If... his soldiers wavered,

he invented ways to encourage them.

The time of the infidels and the Romans
has passed!

A new age is coming,

and it begins tonight!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

Allahu akbar!

We can surrender now.

The sultan will show mercy.

Don't ask me
to be the last emperor of Constantinople.

A dead emperor will do
no good to anyone.

Alive, we can come back
and reclaim the city with a real army,

not a band of Italian mercenaries.

The noblemen will be with you.

Let's pray the Virgin Mother
is looking over us.

The Ottomans worked on warfare
on many levels,

and certainly on the psychological level.

They brought skills of intimidation
to sieges.

They would light fires

along the front line,
so you'd be looking at a ring of fire.

They also had military bands...

The wall of sound, you know,

the extraordinary wall of sound
that they created.

Outnumbered ten to one,

the Italian mercenaries
must counter the Ottomans' might

with cunning and strategy.

Giustiniani undoubtedly had great skill

in the art of defending cities.

He was an expert.

He was extremely brave,
and he was untiring.

And he brought a great deal of confidence
to the defense.

We will meet them in the moat.

That is our front line.

One of the key issues
in, uh, siege warfare

is getting across the ditch, the moat,
which is quite deep.

And a great deal of work

will be put in by the attackers
to fill up the moat.

We must not let them reach the walls,

or we don't stand a chance.

Tonight...

we live or die in the moat!

Giustiniani was
the iconic figure, undoubtedly,

for the defenders,
around whom they rallied.

He was the linchpin.

Constantine gave him control

of the critical zone,
the center of the wall,

and, really, organizing the defense.

Fire!

Take cover!

The Ottoman assault is led
by Mehmed's elite troops,

the Janissaries.

The Janissaries were
the most capable force

in the Balkans at the time.

They were all well-equipped, well-armored.

Different tactics, though.

Attack!

The Janissaries
wear lighter chain mail armor

and rely on speed and precision.

The Italians fight in thicker plate armor

and wield broadswords.

The Janissaries were all about
javelins and archery.

You can't do that with a siege.
You have to take a few hits.

And this doesn't necessarily suit
the Ottoman vision of warfare.

In this human wave
of death and destruction,

hundreds of Ottoman soldiers are killed.

The Turks come in,
and Giustiniani fights them off

and if you believe the Roman sources,
they didn't lose a single soldier.

Giustiniani and the Roman defenders

have turned back the Ottoman attack
yet again.

The defeat is devastating for Mehmed.

With each passing day,

the odds of taking Constantinople
grow longer.

When Mehmed launches his siege,

he has to be quick,
for three reasons.

One, he has to be quick
in order to finish the city off

without losing tens of thousands of men.

Second is that there was opposition
in the military,

led by Candarli Halil Pasha,
the grand vizier,

who didn't want the siege to continue.

And the third is,

if the siege took too long,

that there was gonna be reinforcements
coming from the West.

The walls of the ancient city
hold for another day...

and Giovanni Giustiniani Longo
proves himself

the one indispensable man
in the defense of Constantinople.

Yah!

Yah!

Yah!

Sultan. A message
from the Aegean Islands.

Read it.

A Genoese fleet was seen
in the Dardanelles

heading north towards Constantinople
with soldiers and supplies.

Leave me.