Nestor Iskander's Tale on the Taking of Tsargrad
Encyclopedia
Nestor Iskander's Tale on the Taking of Tsargrad
(Russian: Повесть o взятии Царьграда) is a late 15th - early 16th century Russian tale on the fall of Constantinople
. It is extant
in two redaction
s, both of which are thought to be derived from a single original now lost. The so called 'Iskanderian' redaction, extant in a single copy, is part of an early 16th century manuscript
from the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery (Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
collection no. 773), and includes a reference to the supposed author
, Nestor Iskander. The much more common 'chronicle' redaction forms the final chapter of the Russian chronicle
of 1512, and differs from the 'Iskanderian' redaction chiefly in having no reference to the author.
for the Ottomans at Adrianople are said to be cast by the walls of Constantinople. The Ottoman attempts to storm the city walls, which took place at night to minimize casualties from defensive fire, take place during the day. Arguably the most impressive event of the campaign, the Ottomans' launching of galleys into the Golden Horn
by pulling them overland, is conspicuously ignored. The astronomical and meteorological events that were taken as portents of the city's fall are confounded. Contrary to the account of the tale, the Orthodox
Patriarch
was not present in the city during the siege, and the Byzantine
empress had deceased previously.
Nestor Iskander claims to be a Russian ("Iskander" being a Turkified form of "Alexander") who was captured at young age by the Ottomans, circumcised and forced to convert to Islam, though he remained a Christian at heart. He was supposedly in the Ottoman camp during the siege of Constantinople, and afterwards compiled more facts about the event from surviving Byzantine witnesses. The problem with this claim, apart from the historical inaccuracies noted above, is Iskander's command of literary language and style, which show him to be highly erudite and educated, and most probably a monk
. Therefore, it is assumed that Nestor Iskander is an imaginary author, and the tale was compiled from Greek and Slavic sources, though not all scholars share this view.
and detailed depictions of battle scenes. After an initial part that relates the founding of Constantinople and its significance, the siege itself is narrated in terms of the valiant but tragic defense of the Byzantines against the Ottomans, who are bound to win not because of their military strength, but because God has decided to punish the Byzantines for their former sins. The leading characters are given psychological depth, and even the Ottoman sultan
Mehmet II laments his losses. The portrayal of Mehmet II following the city's fall is unusual in terms of medieval religious fanaticism, in that he is merciful to the survivors, and glorifies the Byzantines and their last emperor, Constantine XI
.
Tsargrad
Tsargrad is a historic Slavic name for the...
(Russian: Повесть o взятии Царьграда) is a late 15th - early 16th century Russian tale on the fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
. It is extant
Extant literature
Extant literature refers to texts that have survived from the past to the present time. Extant literature can be divided into extant original manuscripts, copies of original manuscripts, quotations and paraphrases of passages of non-extant texts contained in other works, translations of non-extant...
in two redaction
Redaction
Redaction is a form of editing in which multiple source texts are combined and subjected to minor alteration to make them into a single work. Often this is a method of collecting a series of writings on a similar theme and creating a definitive and coherent work...
s, both of which are thought to be derived from a single original now lost. The so called 'Iskanderian' redaction, extant in a single copy, is part of an early 16th century manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
from the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery (Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow by the road leading to Yaroslavl, and currently is home to...
collection no. 773), and includes a reference to the supposed author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, Nestor Iskander. The much more common 'chronicle' redaction forms the final chapter of the Russian chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
of 1512, and differs from the 'Iskanderian' redaction chiefly in having no reference to the author.
Historical Accuracy
The tale's historical accuracy, as compared to other accounts of the fall of Constantinople, is fairly low. The massive cannons cast by the Hungarian master OrbanOrban
Urban, also known as Orban, was a Hungarian gunfounder who cast superguns for the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453.In 1452 he originally offered his services to the Byzantines, but emperor Constantine XI could not afford his high salary nor did he possess the materials necessary for...
for the Ottomans at Adrianople are said to be cast by the walls of Constantinople. The Ottoman attempts to storm the city walls, which took place at night to minimize casualties from defensive fire, take place during the day. Arguably the most impressive event of the campaign, the Ottomans' launching of galleys into the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
by pulling them overland, is conspicuously ignored. The astronomical and meteorological events that were taken as portents of the city's fall are confounded. Contrary to the account of the tale, the Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
was not present in the city during the siege, and the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
empress had deceased previously.
Nestor Iskander claims to be a Russian ("Iskander" being a Turkified form of "Alexander") who was captured at young age by the Ottomans, circumcised and forced to convert to Islam, though he remained a Christian at heart. He was supposedly in the Ottoman camp during the siege of Constantinople, and afterwards compiled more facts about the event from surviving Byzantine witnesses. The problem with this claim, apart from the historical inaccuracies noted above, is Iskander's command of literary language and style, which show him to be highly erudite and educated, and most probably a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. Therefore, it is assumed that Nestor Iskander is an imaginary author, and the tale was compiled from Greek and Slavic sources, though not all scholars share this view.
Style
The tale is remarkable for its lively narrativeNarrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
and detailed depictions of battle scenes. After an initial part that relates the founding of Constantinople and its significance, the siege itself is narrated in terms of the valiant but tragic defense of the Byzantines against the Ottomans, who are bound to win not because of their military strength, but because God has decided to punish the Byzantines for their former sins. The leading characters are given psychological depth, and even the Ottoman sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mehmet II laments his losses. The portrayal of Mehmet II following the city's fall is unusual in terms of medieval religious fanaticism, in that he is merciful to the survivors, and glorifies the Byzantines and their last emperor, Constantine XI
Constantine XI
Constantine XI Palaiologos, latinized as Palaeologus , Kōnstantinos XI Dragasēs Palaiologos; February 8, 1404 – May 29, 1453) was the last reigning Byzantine Emperor from 1449 to his death as member of the Palaiologos dynasty...
.