In Constantinople, empires are about to collide, lovers are about to depart, and the world is about to change for ever.

Beyazit Akman’s epic, 1453: The Conquest is the first novel to appear in English that tells the story of the era-changing war of 1453 for Constantinople between the Ottomans and the Eastern Roman Empire. Written after five years of archival research in libraries worldwide, the novel is a page-turner based on sound historical research. It is also the first of its kind to expound on the life of the renowned fifteenth century historical character, Ottoman-Turkish Sultan Mehmed II, also known as  the Conqueror.

Celebrated as a national bestseller in its home country of Turkey, the novel has also helped to revitalize historical fiction and has been an inspiration for TV series and films. The novel also lends a new perspective to the centuries-old debate of Constantinople’s fall versus its conquest..