Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of 1453: Constantinople and the Immortal Rulers by Billy Cotsis. This story is published by Histria Fiction, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding original works of fiction.
Set in the final weeks before the siege of Constantinople in 1453, 1453: Constantinople & The Immortal Rulers brings the last days of the Byzantine Empire into sharp, human focus. Billy Cotsis moves beyond the familiar story of a city surrounded by an invading army, placing emperors, soldiers, engineers, sailors, diplomats and civilians inside a world shaped by divided loyalties, faith, ambition and survival. Told through multiple voices, the novel gives equal weight to the pressure of command, the ingenuity of warfare and the private lives unfolding behind the walls. Its Constantinople is not a relic or a symbol, but a crowded, multilingual city whose future matters to people from Greece, Italy, Scotland, Armenia and beyond.Â
At a time when public debate often reduces history to rival claims, Cotsis offers a fuller picture: an account of empire, identity and conflict that resists easy sides while remaining close to the people asked to bear history’s cost.
Billy Cotsis is an Australian-Greek writer, researcher and human rights advocate whose family originates from the Greek island of Lesvos. A lifelong explorer of Greek history, heritage and diaspora communities, he has travelled to almost 90 countries and more than 100 Greek islands. Cotsis has published over 350 articles in Greek and international media, written 27 short-film and documentary projects since 2012, and contributed history-focused work to his blog, Herculean. He has also presented on the award-winning Meraki TV and is currently developing the feature film Once Upon a Time in Crystal Palace.
