A classic of the history of the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans: The memoirs of the Kosovo Serb Konstantin (circa 1435), who was raised as a Janissary in Anatolia. As a member of this elite troop, he participated in the campaigns of Mehmed II, who permanently altered the social and religious order of the Balkans. Konstantin's writings, created at the end of the 15th century, oscillate between Christian and Islamic perspectives. His vivid depiction of Turkish tactics, weaponry, and siege techniques was intended to aid Christian armies in their fight against the Turks. A source of great significance for both cultural and military history.