Introduction: The Last Stand of Byzantium

In 1453, a city that had stood for over a millennium fell to a new power rising in the East. Constantinople—jewel of the Byzantine Empire—was besieged by Sultan Mehmed II’s Ottoman forces. This blog takes you through six pivotal phases of that fateful siege, from the waning glory of Byzantium to the dawn of a new era.

Phase I: Byzantium on Borrowed Time

Key aspect: Decades of decline

title: “Introduction: The Quest for Certainty” date: 2025-05-03T00:25:05Z draft: true

Introduction: The Quest for Certainty

At the heart of Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy lies a simple yet profound question: What can we know for certain? Written in 1641, these six short essays map a rigorous inward journey. Descartes famously resolves to doubt everything he can—his senses, the physical world, even mathematical truths—so that what remains must be absolutely indubitable. Let’s step into his study and follow along.