World roundup: May 29 2026

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TODAY IN HISTORYMay 29, 1453: The city of Constantinople falls to the besieging Ottomans, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and, if you prefer the longer view, the Roman Empire.Greek painter Theophilos Hatzimihail’s 1932 painting depicts Emperor Constantine XI on a white horse leading a final charge (Wikimedia Commons)May 29, 1658: At the Battle of Samugarh, not far from the Indian city of Agra, an army commanded by Mughal heir apparent Dara Shikoh is soundly defeated by forces allied with two of his brothers, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh. The reigning emperor, Shah Jahan, was critically ill, which sparked a civil war over the succession. Dara Shikoh’s defeat was so comprehensive that he was not only removed as his father’s regent, but Aurangzeb was actually crowned the new emperor. Shah Jahan then recovered, but Aurangzeb declared that his father was incapable of ruling the empire and had him more or less placed under medical arrest. This turn of events proved fateful for the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb took the empire to its greatest territorial extent, but he broke with his predecessors’ religious tolerance and began persecuting India’s Hindu majority. This policy shift began to lay the groundwork for the Mughal Empire’s eventual destruction. In case you’re wondering, Shah Jahan lived for around seven and a half years after his deposition, so it seems he wasn’t all that medically infirm.May 29, 1807: Ottoman Sultan Selim III is overthrown in a coup instigated by his own Janissary forces, fearful of his plans to create a new elite military unit meant in part to supplant t…