On the Fall of Constantinople and the Restoration of the Monarchy

Constantinople Fallen, Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos, and Charles II 

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)

May 29th marks the 569th anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople and the death of the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, in 1453AD; and it also marks the 360th anniversary of the Restoration of the Monarchy in England after the execution of St. Charles I, through 19 years of Puritan tyranny during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, and restoration of Charles II to the throne on today’s date, in 1660AD. 207 years stood between the two events. One was an apocalypse, the other was a rebirth after a horrible tribulation. 

In both situations, crazed iconoclasts attacked the edifice of Apostolic Christianity, martyred noble kings in an effort to erase the godly mandate that these nations had received to protect, propagate and disseminate the wholistic Christian culture of the Conciliar Faith, and in both situations these heretics forced upon the people something perverse, fearful, angry and spiritually dark in the name of “God.” The Greeks suffered for over 400 years “in Egyptian captivity,” and the English only 19. The English were able to restore their empire and their church, while the Rus took the Byzantine mandate and established the “Third Rome.” 

While there can be no comparison to the depths of the Greek suffering, it is profound that this date, May 29th, ties together such an important lesson for all Christians to learn.