Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/vasilief/conversion-john-v.asp

ELPENOR - Home of the Greek Word

Three Millennia of Greek Literature
CONSTANTINOPLE  

Vasilief, A History of the Byzantine Empire

The fall of Byzantium

The conversion to Catholicism of Emperor John V

ELPENOR EDITIONS IN PRINT

The Original Greek New Testament

Towards the seventh decade of the fourteenth century the Turks were the masters of Asia Minor and the peninsula of Callipol in Europe, and were beginning to advance through the Balkan peninsula and threatening to encircle Constantinople. John V Palaeologus put all his trust in the pope.

The fourteenth century was the epoch of the so-called Babylonian Captivity; from 1305 to 1378 the seven popes consecutively occupying the throne of St. Peter had a more or less permanent residence on the Rhone, at Avignon, and were practically dependent on the French kings. The papal appeals to the western rulers for aid against the Turks were fruitless or brought about only small expeditions, sometimes temporarily successful, but of no permanent help. There was no longer any crusading enthusiasm in the West. Also, in the opinion of the west Europeans of that time, the schismatic Greeks were more repulsive than the Muslim Turks. Petrarca wrote: The Turks are enemies, but the Greeks are schismatics and worse than enemies.

Next Page of this section

A History of the Byzantine Empire - Table of Contents

Next Chapter : The Union of Florence

Previous Chapter : The Hesychast movement

Constantinople

 

Medieval West * The Making of Europe
Three Millennia of Greek Literature

Learned Freeware

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/vasilief/conversion-john-v.asp