Johannes Grant
Johannes Grant or Johannis Grandi , for example "Johannes the Great", was a German engineer who worked on the side of the Byzantines in the defense of Constantinople in 1453 against the Ottomans .
Live and act
Almost nothing is known about his life; contemporaries refer to him as a German . The historian Steven Runciman speculates on a possible origin from Scotland based on the name .
John came to the city to defend the Genoese contingent. During the siege of Constantinople it was his job to find the enemy tunnel systems underground and to destroy them. This prevented the ramparts from collapsing and the city from being taken prematurely.
literature
- David Nicolle , John Haldon, Stephen Turnbull : The Fall of Constantinople. The Ottoman Conquest of Byzantium. Osprey, Oxford 2007, ISBN 978-1-84603-200-4 .
- Edward Gibbon : Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Eichborn, 2004.
- Mark C. Bartusis: The Late Byzantine Army. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
- Steven Runciman : The Conquest of Constantinople 1453.Beck , 2005.
- Donald Nicol: Last Centuries of Byzantium. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
- Roger Crowley : Constantinople 1453. The last battle . Theiss Stuttgart, 4.A.2012, p. 171
Individual evidence
- ^ Leonard of Chios: Johannis Grandi Alemani
- ^ Georgios Sphrantzes , Chronica Minor: Johannes der Deutsche
- ↑ Steven Runciman: p. 84
- ^ Andreas David Mordtmann : Siege and conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453: edited according to the original sources. Cotta, 1858, p. 46.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Grant, Johannes |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 14th century or 15th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th century |