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Construction of Rumeli Fortress

Type Event Region Ottoman Empire Time 1452

In 1452 Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II built Rumeli Fortress (Rumelihisarı) on the European shore of the Bosphorus, pincering with Anadolu Fortress opposit…

Timeline

  1. 1452Rumeli Fortress construction site · BosphorusMehmed II ordered Rumeli Fortress built on the European shore at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, conscripting large numbers of craftsmen and laborers; legend holds the main works were completed in about four months, an extraordinarily rare speed for the time.
  2. 1452Bosphorus · BosphorusAfter the fortress was completed, the Ottomans used its batteries to control merchant shipping and levy tolls; Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI protested but was powerless to stop it, further heightening tensions in the strait.

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