I am researching the fall of Constantinople for a school project and although i have found a lot of information about the events and their long term consequences, the effects on peoples lives has been much harder. Any information about the treatment of the common people, the change in the ruling structure and the position of the Orthodox church would be very much appreciated. Because this is a school project sources are essential so that I can check for my self. Any primary sources, that you can recommend, would make my day as this is what i am struggling to find. Thank you.
P.s. I feel like i should add that I am not trying to have you do my work for me, i just need some pointers in the right direction so i can do further research my self.
The effects were not as bad as you would think. After one day of looting (as supposed to the traditional 3) the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II (also known as "the Conqueror") ordered a cease to all looting and freed all of his personal slaves he had taken and he established a local governance body designed to repopulate the city. This was done in two ways, first, anybody who had lived in the city, mostly those of Greek ethnicity, were allowed to return (obviously most had fled the city when it became apparent the Ottomans were going to take Constantinople). These Greeks were allowed to return to their homes and resume their daily lives if possible. This was huge for the citizens of Constantinople, essentially the Ottomans were allowing them resume their lives as if they were still under Byzantine rule, this garnered much respect and admiration from the Greek populace
The big struggle for the Ottomans was to establish a Turkish population in the city, they instituted a sürgün (this is a loaded term that can mean anything from forced exile to using incentives to get a large population to move). Most of the Turks were enticed with major tax incentives to move to Constantinople, but in the end it was not enough and the Sultan had to order forced migration of Turks into the city. This did create some animosity between the different ethnic groups but the Greeks were placated and the Sultan set up new urban areas for the Truks to settle, so as not to force the Greeks out of their homes. Mehmet also encouraged the Turkish Elite to move to Constantinople and fund mosques, and buildings for trade. This was important to get goods flowing through the city and to make the incoming muslims feel more comfortable. Mehmet rarely replaced churches with mosques, the notable example being Hagia Sohpia
The effect on the Orthodox church is actually very interesting. "Soon after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II appointed the monk George Scholarios, who took the Patriarch name of Gennadios, as the head of the Orthodox church in his new capital. It is not clear whether or not Mehmed meant Gennadios to have authority over all Orthodox Christians in his empire. Orthodox Church officials would later make the claim that he had and the Mehmed's elevation of Genadios founded the Millet system."-The encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, page 239
It's important to note that Gennadios was chosen for the position because he was anti-union (meaning he did not want the Orthodox and catholic church to re-unite). You see, Mehmet needed to ensure the loyalty of his new Greek subjects, and he did not want to begging the west to come liberate them. By appointing Gennadios Mehmet assured that Greek population would be led by someone who disliked the western church as much as he disliked the Ottomans.
Essentially, and this is true for most Sultan's, they were uninterested in the going on's of religious institutions, as long as their subjects payed taxes they were happy. In this case Mehmet reestablishes the patriarchy, and there seems to be no harmful after effects to the Orthodox population, in fact the church seems to benefit from Ottoman control.
As for other groups within the city, the Greek merchant class rose to prominence after the conquest. Specifically the group that we refer to as the phanariots, ethnically Greek merchants that lived in the Phanar district. These merchants became to Ottomans direct contacts to the West, sometimes serving as spies and secret diplomats, but mostly serving as merchants. If you want a good look at how the fall of Constantinople affected trade with the West, look at the early sections of Giancarlo Casele's The Ottoman Age of Exploration, to look at how the conquest increased Ottoman profits from the silk and spice trade.
As for other sources, I admit I am interested in Ottoman history, so I can only really give you sources from the Ottoman point of view.
The best one I can give you is the source I used above, The Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire, written by Gabor Agoston and Bruce Masters. I also like Steve Runciman's The fall of Constantinople. It's a bit older, but it is still relevant and well written. If you want to know more about Gennadios there are many books out there. I got my information from Oeuvres complètes de Georges (Gennadios) Scholarios (which is unfortunately in French, so it might be useless to you).
I hope this helps you out, if you have more questions, or need more sources let me know and I'll do my best.