The third assault on the tattered remains of Roman civilization came from even further North, where the melting glacial ice had created immense sheltered fjords, leaving its inhabitants little choice but the sea. These fearless navigators understood that dominion over the oceans was the key to their ambitions. Where the Romans expanded incrementally, the Vikings adopted a bolder, more aggressive approach. So was it the Dark Age which failed Europe, or the stifling uniformity of the great Roman experiment? Were the lost tribes more victim than failure? Richard Rudgley will hope to shed new light on the real secrets of the so-called Dark Age.
The Obsidian Mirror is a mysterious artefact crafted from volcanic rock, and it's said to be a device used to communicate with supernatural beings; experts use cutting-edge tech to discover who made this strange relic and why. A golden disc can answer the biggest mystery of all: Are we alone in the universe? The Voynich manuscript is one enormous puzzle. What secrets are hidden in this bizarre 600 year old book that nobody can read?
Previously on the first season on ‘Rise of Empires: Ottoman,’ Sultan Mehmed II won the battle for the conquest of the great city of Constantinople. Eight years after, Mehmed enjoys the might of his rule over the Ottoman Empire and holds the most significant reputation around his name in the world around. His eyes now glare at the west, with ambitions to seize control over all of Europe. However, there’s a lint in his eyes in the form of Vlad Dracula, the Voivode of Wallachia — a vassal state under the Ottoman Empire. The second season retells the Mehmed vs. Vlad throw down where the two historical figures lay it all out against each other in a fierce battle for the ages. In the first episode, Vlad along with his brother Radu were left with Mehmed I by their father, as a guarantee that he would not betray the Sultan and help the Hungarians — something he was strongly suspected of. Over time, Vlad went on to get coronated for the throne of Wallachia and his characteristic hotheadedness and arrogance, as well as resentment against the Sultan and the empire, drove him to be unruly. As the threat of his rebellion became the largest it had ever been, Mehmet prepares for battle and moved with his mighty war machine of an army to defeat him.
When Mahmud Pasha and his men were crossing the river at night, Vlad Dracula started his first attack on the Ottomans. However, Mehmed II was smart enough to know that Vlad would be waiting for them. Mehmed II counterattacks Vlad’s army, and we see the first great battle here. After his victory, Mehmed's troops advance into Wallachia, and Vlad employs guerrilla tactics to weaken his rival. At one point, Vlad Dracula released some criminals with tuberculosis and bubonic plague in order to infect the Ottomans. He sent these infected criminals to the Ottoman camp at night, and it is considered a great tactic by the experts because we see Vlad Dracula practicing biological warfare. Meanwhile, a threat lurks in the imperial palace.
After two weeks of chasing Vlad Dracula across Wallachia, Mehmed the Conqueror and his exhausted Ottoman army camp on the outskirts of Târgovişte. Their attack on the capital is imminent. But the man known to the Ottomans as the ‘Impaler Lord’ has turned the surrounding countryside into a chamber of horrors. Raiding during the night, sentries disappearing from the Ottoman camp, being taken outside and being murdered by Wallachian raiders. An exhausting day of marching followed by a night full of terrors, but yet still, Mehmed begins to close on his prey. Mehmed prepares to strike a fatal blow to Vlad's army. A spy is found in Mehmed's camp. Vlad Dracula planned to kill Mehmed II in his tent in a very famous historical event called the ‘Night Attack.’ Vlad ambushed the Ottoman camp with his army in a surprise night attack. His plan was to confuse the Ottoman army by using their uniform so that they could not distinguish between the Turks and the people of Wallachia, but a surprise awaits.
Vlad Dracula was somewhat successful in having the upper hand during the first five-hour fight in the night attack; however, Mehmed’s army won the battle because of their strength and numbers. Vlad could not kill Mehmed II and fled the scene. After the battle, Mehmed and his army enter Târgoviște which was abandoned by Vlad Dracula. But when he entered the city, Mehmed saw a horrific scene. Muslims were impaled by Vlad in Târgoviște, and there was a ‘forest of corpses.’ In history, this is considered a sad event for the Turks. The experts said that when Mehmed saw these impaled bodies, he immediately started praying. One of the dead bodies was of his father in law Hamza Bay. Days before, Mara and Gülbahar foiled the Wallachian plot inside the sultan’s harem. Radu Dracula takes the throne in Wallachia on Mehmed II’s orders. Radu Dracula promises his loyalty to the sultan, and Mehmed gives 2,000 men to him. We see a restless king Mehmed II back in Istanbul, because he was not successful in killing Vlad Dracula. However, after 15 years, Vlad’s head is brought to Istanbul by one of Mehmed’s soldiers at the end of the last episode of the series.
Where the Romans expanded incrementally, the Vikings adopted a bolder, more aggressive approach. So was it the Dark Age which failed Europe, or the stifling uniformity of the great Roman experiment? Were the lost tribes more victim than failure? Richard Rudgley will hope to shed new light on the real secrets of the so-called Dark Age.