American Greatness:
Victor Davis Hanson
When Constantinople finally fell to the Ottomans on Tuesday, May 29, 1453, the Byzantine Empire and its capital had survived for 1,000 years beyond the fall of the Western Empire at Rome.
Always outnumbered in a sea of enemies, the Byzantines’ survival had depended on its realist diplomacy of dividing its enemies, avoiding military quagmires, and ensuring constant deterrence.
Generations of self-sacrifice ensured ample investment for infrastructure. Each generation inherited and improved on singular aqueducts and cisterns, sewer systems, and the most complex and formidable city fortifications in the world.
Brilliant scientific advancement and engineering gave the empire advantages like swift galleys and flame throwers—an ancient precursor to napalm.
The law reigned supreme for nearly a millennium after the emperor Justinian codified a prior thousand years of Roman jurisprudence.
Yet this millennium-old crown jewel of the ancient world that once was home to 800,000 citizens had only 50,000 inhabitants left when it fell.
There were only 7,000 defenders on the walls to hold back a huge Turkish army of over 150,000 attackers.
The Islamic winners took over the once magical city of Constantine and renamed it Istanbul. It had been the home of the renowned Santa Sophia, the largest Christian church in the world for over 900 years. Almost immediately, this “Church of the Holy Wisdom” was converted into the then largest mosque in the Islamic world, with minarets to follow.
So what happened to the once indomitable city fortress and its empire?
Christendom had cannibalized itself. Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy fought endlessly. Westerners often hated each other more than they did their common enemy. MORE
h/t NAAC
12th gen Cal on Mom and 4th get on Dad. Never voted of degenerate liar GWB.
Bush Clan hate VDH; also a many generation Cal! VDH wrote a very unpopular book on how the Rove/Bush clique destroyed Cal. Properly named MEXIFORNIA. Liberals like Rove denigrated it loudly!
IMHO it is a very good book. But see above for whom I DID NOT VOTE!
No. We are the walrus.
We are DeVo
The result of liberalism. Been saying for 50 years liberal courts were destroying the country. But I was the bad guy cause I was “intolerant,” and no one listened.
Spot-on, Mr. Davis.
An uncomfortably accurate assessment of current day USA.
Sad.
Front row seats Ba-BEE!
I think I’m turning Japanese
Read the essay like drinking a strong coffee, got to the end and realized it was VDH. Of course it was.