Giovanni Giustiniani Longo ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Lóngos Ioustiniánēs''; la, Ioannes Iustinianus Longus; 1418 – 1 June 1453) was a Genoese captain, a member of one of the greatest families of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

, a kinsman to the powerful house of Doria in Genoa,Runciman, Steven. The fall of Constantinople, 1453
/ref> and protostrator of the

Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. He led 700 professional soldiers, both Genoese and Greeks from the island of

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mast ...

, which at the time was part of the Republic of Genoa, to the

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

against the Ottoman army of

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

in 1453. He personally financed, organized and led this expedition on his own initiative, and upon arriving was placed in command of the land defenses by Emperor

Constantine XI Palaiologos Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Δραγάσης Παλαιολόγος, ''Kōnstantînos Dragásēs Palaiológos''; 8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453) was the last Roman (Byzantine) e ...

of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. Giustiniani was key in controlling the land forces and keeping the Greeks, Genoese and Venetians from quarrelling with each other, and instead kept focused on repairing the land walls after the Ottoman cannons had shot holes in them. It was at least partly because of Giustiniani's charisma that the Byzantine forces were able to hold out so long against overwhelming odds. On 29 May 1453, during the final attack by Mehmed II, Giustiniani was wounded by an Ottoman cannon while defending the walls of Constantinople. Some sources say the wound was caused by a

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar ...

bolt. Sources disagree about whether the wound was to his arm, leg, or chest, but it forced him to withdraw from his station at the land wall. He exited through the locked gate into the city, which opened up the opportunity for the fearful to flee, and panic spread throughout the lines. Seeing the loss of morale caused among the defenders by Giustiniani's retreat, Mehmed II ordered a renewed assault that eventually overwhelmed the Byzantine defenses and Constantinople was taken by the Turks. Although Giustiniani's men managed to escape with their general after its fall, Giustiniani died from his wounds on 1 June 1453. His body was carried by his comrades to the then Genoese island of Chios. His tomb in the Church of San Domenico on Chios is lost (possibly from the earthquake of 1881), but several descriptions survive.M. Philippides, W. K. Hanak, The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, p. 543-545.

Portrayals

* Giustiniani is played by Kemal Ergünenç in the Turkish film '' İstanbul'un Fethi'' (1951) * Cengiz Coşkun plays Giustiniani in the Turkish film '' Fetih 1453'' (2012). In the film, he is killed by Ulubatlı Hasan (

İbrahim Çelikkol İbrahim Çelikkol (born February 14, 1982) is a Turkish TV series and film actor, former player of The Turkey national under-20 basketball team and fashion model. His maternal family is of Pomak origin who immigrated from Thessaloniki, Greece. ...

) during the last day in the siege of Constantinople. * He appears as a major character in Mika Waltari's novel '' The Dark Angel'' * He appears as a major character in the historical novel '' Porphyry and Ash'' by Peter Sandham * He is played by

Birkan Sokullu Birkan Sokullu (born 6 October 1985) is a Turkish actor. Life and career Birkan Sokullu was born in Istanbul on 6 October 1985. Sokullu's grandparents were Bosnian immigrants. He left his basketball career after 10 years due to his leg injury ...

in the Turkish

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

docuseries '' Rise of Empires: Ottoman'' (2020)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Giustiniani, Giovanni 1418 births 1453 deaths 15th-century Byzantine military personnel 15th-century Genoese people Italian soldiers Byzantine generals Giovanni People from Chios People of the Byzantine–Ottoman wars Protostratores Fall of Constantinople