A historical whataboutism meme showing a painting of a siege (likely the Siege of Kazan, 1552).
The text: "If Turks talk too much about 1453 tell them what happened in 1552."
1453 is the year the Ottoman Turks under Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire — a date deeply significant in Turkish national consciousness.
1552 is the year Ivan the Terrible’s Russian forces conquered Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate (a successor state to the Mongol Golden Horde and an Islamic/Turkic state). This was a pivotal moment in the expansion of Russia eastward.
The joke is: every great empire has its golden age, and every golden age gets answered by someone else’s victory.
🎙️ Gorgocutie Explains: History’s Favorite Game of One-Upmanship
👋 Alex: So this is a history meme about 1453 vs 1552?
💋 Gorgocutie: It’s the Ottoman-Russian historical slapfight, Alex. Turkish nationalists love to bring up 1453 — the conquest of Constantinople, the end of Byzantium. Their greatest flex.
👋 Alex: And 1552?
💋 Gorgocutie: 1552 is the Siege of Kazan — Ivan the Terrible crushing the Kazan Khanate, a Turkic Muslim state. Russia destroyed it and took the whole Volga. The meme says: "You conquered Constantinople? Cute. We conquered your cousin."
👋 Alex: So it’s a historical measuring contest?
💋 Gorgocutie: The best kind, Alex. The painting shows Russian soldiers with the Cross of St. George storming a Tatar fortress. Every conqueror eventually gets answered, and every golden age has a sequel — usually written by someone with a bigger army.
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