Ottoman Constantinople

Mehmed II's era

When dividing the spoils and trophies, Mehmed, per custom, received one-fifth of all that was seized. He settled his share of captives in the Fener district, thus laying the foundation for Istanbul's Greek quarter. Additionally, the inhabitants of Greek villages along the Bosphorus, who formally did not participate in the resistance, escaped captivity and deportation. Over 30,000 Greeks and Latins were sold in the slave markets of Edirne, Bursa, Gallipoli, Ankara, and Philippopolis, though many were redeemed by wealthy relatives (according to other sources, Constantinople had about 70,000 inhabitants at the time of the conquest, of whom 50,000–60,000 were sold into slavery or deported, while 10,000–20,000 remained in the city as free citizens). The bailo of the Venetian colony, Minotto, his son, and other prominent Venetians, as well as the Catalan consul and several of his compatriots, were executed. Lucas Notaras, whom Mehmed intended to appoint as the new prefect of Ottoman Constantinople, was executed for refusing to give his son to the sultan as a lover. However, other active defenders of Constantinople managed to escape, including Cardinal Isidore of Kiev, Archbishop Leonard of Chios, two of the three Bocchiardi brothers, and the Grand LogotheteGeorge Sphrantzes. Mehmed ordered the walls of Galata to be demolished and its moat filled, and all weapons were confiscated from the Genoese there. However, he guaranteed the enclave's safety, allowed it to retain its Christian character, and forbade Turks from settling there (in Galata, two Franciscan monasteries and several churches continued to hold Mass; for this reason, Turks long considered Galata separate from Istanbul, despising it as a haven of "infidels"). The nephew of Galata's podestà, Lomellino, along with the sons of surviving Byzantine nobles, were taken as hostages by the sultan (they were assigned to serve in the sultan's palace, with the most attractive sent to Mehmed's personal harem).