Johannes Grant facts for kids
Johannes Grant, also known as Johannis Grandi, was a brave soldier who worked for the Byzantine Empire. He was a mercenary, which means he was a soldier who fought for money. He played a very important role during the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Some old writings from his time say he was German. However, a historian named Steven Runciman thought he might have been a Scot named John Grant. He seemed to work with soldiers from Genoa, perhaps with a group led by Giovanni Giustiniani.
Johannes Grant was very skilled at stopping the Ottoman army from digging tunnels under the city walls. These tunnels were meant to weaken the walls or allow soldiers to sneak in. Grant would use clever methods to find these hidden tunnels. He would fill barrels with water and watch for ripples, which showed where the Ottomans were digging. Then, he used special fire weapons, like a Cheirosiphon, to destroy their tunnels. His actions helped protect Constantinople from attacks from underground.
Grant in Stories and Shows
Johannes Grant, or characters based on him, appear in several books and TV shows:
- He is a small character in the book The Dark Angel by Mika Waltari.
- A character named John Le Grant, who is from Aberdeen and based on Johannes Grant, is in The House of Niccolò by Dorothy Dunnett.
- John Grant is the main character in the historical novel Porphyry and Ash.
- He is shown in the third episode of the historical TV series Rise of Empires: Ottoman. In this show, he is shown as being Scottish.
- John Grant is also the main character in the historical novel Master of Shadows by Neil Oliver.
