Tribute to the Marble King

Constantine XI Paleologus, the ‘Marble King’, was the last Byzantine monarch of the Eastern Roman Empire. Every year, on the 29^th of May, Golden Dawn remains true to their roots, and marches in commemoration of Constantine Paleologus, who died while protecting the holy city of Constantinople against Asiatic Muslim hordes.

 

In history

The Romans, many of whom were bilingual in Latin and Greek, allowed most of the Eastern parts of their empire to maintain elements of their Hellenistic culture, the cultural ties which date back to the conquests of Alexander the Great. Between the 3^rd and 5^th centuries AD, the Roman Empire saw itself split into distinct halves; the Western (Latin) and the Eastern (Hellenic).

While the Western Roman Empire was short lived, and fell in the 5^th century, the Eastern Roman Empire (now referred to as the ‘Byzantine’ empire by modern historians) lived on for almost another 1,000 years. With its capital in Constantinople laying on the periphery of Europe, the Byzantine Empire preserved much of the Greco-Roman knowledge which dated back to antiquity, as well as the oldest form of Christianity; Orthodoxy.

The Byzantines withstood the test of the time, successfully repelling invaders such as the Huns, Persians, Bulgars, Arabs, & Mongols over the course of hundreds of years. After successfully repealing the Muslim Arabs on a number of occasions, and making significant inroads in reconquering parts of Syria from the Arabs, a new foe lurked deep from within the Steppes of Central Asia.  In the 11^th century, the Seljuk Turks began their drive into Anatolia, after crushing many Arab tribes in their way.

Betrayed by the Western European powers during the 4^th Crusade, the Byzantine Empire was delivered a fatal blow from which it would struggle to recover. After being sacked by Crusaders, the Empire regained control of the city, and began to defend itself from the increasingly growing power of the Turks, who now controlled almost all of Anatolia.

The Marble King

Constantine Palelogus was born in Constantinople to Manuel ll Palelogus (Byzantine Emperor) and Helena Dragas, daughter of a Serbian Royal. Constantine helped regain the Peloponnese from rogue Venetian princes, restoring their rule to the Byzantine throne. Soon after the Venetians were removed, the Turks attacked and plundered the Despot. Constantine, barely surviving the attack while defending his land, soon ascended to the Byzantine throne, and was crowned emperor.

The new Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, was crowned in 1451, and driven by his obsession to conquer Constantinople. Constantine, knowing the odds were against him, tried desperately to defend against the inevitable Ottoman invasion of Europe. Seeking unity with the Western European powers, Constantine worked with the Vatican to restore diplomatic and religious ties, in the interests of preserving Western Civilisation against a sinister foreign enemy. Receiving few troops from the North of Italy, most of the Western powers ignored Constantine’s diplomatic outreach, who was now left to fend the city himself.

Across the Bosporus, which separates Europe and Asia, Constantine had an army of 7,000 men, severely outnumbered by the Ottoman military giant. To make matters worse, a Hungarian arms maker by the name of Orban, supplied the Ottomans with the latest siege equipment. Knowing his fate, Constantine famously rejected the Sultan’s offer to give up the city, in return for rule of his original Despot in the Peloponnese-

‘To surrender the city to you is beyond my authority or anyone else's who lives in it, for all of us, after taking the mutual decision, shall die out of free will without sparing our lives.’

Constantine led his troops into battle against the Turks, who managed to break the walls of Constantinople with their European made siege weapons. His final speech to his men was as follows-

Fierce fighting took place on the streets of the Constantinople, and the city came under control of the Turks. Constantine’s last known words were ‘The city has fallen, and I am still alive’, to which he then ripped of his Imperial regalia, & gathered his remaining men for one final charge against the enemy.

Today

Legend has it that following his final battle, an angel rescued the Emperor, turning him into a marble statue. The marble remains silently in a cave, awaiting the day for when Christians will rally to take back the city, and Constantine Paleologus will return to lead his men once again against the Muslim Turks.

For now, Constantinople remains occupied by the Turks, waiting for the day to which it will be rightfully returned to the Greeks. Golden Dawn maintains that the city, as well as Western Anatolia, Northern Epirus, and the Pontus, have historical, cultural, & religious connections to Hellenism, facts that cannot be ignored by ‘modern’ Greeks, nor their treacherous Marxist government.

As Turkey continues to flirt with the Washington-Zionist axis, their increasingly liberalised urban population has seen a decline in birth rates similar to Western Europeans. Meanwhile, their second class Kurdish citizens explode in population, who within a few generations may outnumber the Turks themselves. If the recent events in Syrian/Iraqi Kurdistan are anything to go by, we may soon see the Kurds rightfully assert themselves in Eastern Turkey. Combined with the inevitable decline of the American empire, the pro-Washington hedge of Ankara will eventually backfire on the Neo-Ottoman state, which has taken the side of the Americans and ISIS against Russian backed Syria.

The foundation of a Nationalist Greece is of at most importance for the future of Hellenism, to ensure we are in a position were we can pick up the pieces when Turkey hits its inevitable trough. We can only hope to one day regain our holy city, restoring Hagia Sophia as a symbol for a free Europe.