What did cannons allow the Ottomans to do?
1 Answer
In theory they helped knock down the walls of Constantinople. The city fell in 1453.
Explanation:
Bombardment was one of the methods that the Ottomans tried to attack the city fortifications. They also tried to undermine the walls. The defensive wall were in different states of repair. Overall the walls were mostly in reasonable repair. Much of the wall was also protected by water obstructions.
The Byzantines fortunes had been waning for some time and the Empire had shrunk to a small are around the city. The defenders were in small number for the area needing defending.
The Ottomans manufactured number of large caliber cannons. They were new technology at the time. The rate of fire was very slow about one shot every 3 hours. As well ammunition was in short supply. They did however cause some damage which kept the Byzantines busy. The city did fall to a general multi-point assault.
The fall of Constantinople was a major turning point in European history.
