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A member of the imperial Palaiologan family, albeit most probably
illegitimate, Isidore became a scholar at a young age and began his
rise in the Byzantine ecclesiastical ranks. He was an active
advocate of the union of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches in
Constantinople. His military exploits, including his participation
in the defence of Constantinople in 1453, provide us with
eyewitness accounts. Without doubt he travelled widely, perhaps
more so than any other individual in the annals of Byzantine
history: Greece, Asia Minor, Sicily, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and
Italy. His roles included diplomat, high ecclesiastic in both the
Orthodox and Catholic churches, theologian, soldier, papal emissary
to the Constantinopolitan court, delegate to the Council of
Florence, advisor to the last Byzantine emperors, metropolitan of
Kiev and all Russia, and member of the Vatican curia. This is an
original work based on new archival research and the first
monograph to study Cardinal Isidore in his many diverse roles. His
contributions to the events of the first six decades of the
quattrocento are important for the study of major Church councils
and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks. Isidore played
a crucial role in each of these events.
Constantine XI's last moments in life, as he stood before the walls
of Constantinople in 1453, have bestowed a heroic status on him.
This book produces a more balanced portrait of an intriguing
individual: the last emperor of Constantinople. To be sure, the
last of the Greek Caesars was a fascinating figure, not so much
because he was a great statesman, as he was not, and not because of
his military prowess, as he was neither a notable tactician nor a
soldier of exceptional merit. This monarch may have formulated
grandiose plans but his hopes and ambitions were ultimately doomed,
because he failed to inspire his own subjects, who did not rally to
his cause. Constantine lacked the skills to create, restore, or
maintain harmony in his troubled realm. In addition, he was
ineffective on the diplomatic front, as he proved unable to
stimulate Latin Christendom to mount an expedition and come to the
aid of south-eastern Orthodox Europe. Yet in sharp contrast to his
numerous shortcomings, his military defeats, and the various
disappointments during his reign, posterity still fondly remembers
the last Constantine.
This major study is a comprehensive scholarly work on a key moment
in the history of Europe, the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman
Turks in 1453. The result of years of research, it presents all
available sources along with critical evaluations of these
narratives. The authors have consulted texts in all relevant
languages, both those that remain only in manuscript and others
that have been printed, often in careless and inferior editions.
Attention is also given to 'folk history' as it evolved over
centuries, producing prominent myths and folktales in Greek,
medieval Russian, Italian, and Turkish folklore. Part I, The Pen,
addresses the complex questions introduced by this myriad of
original literature and secondary sources.
Constantine XI's last moments in life, as he stood before the walls
of Constantinople in 1453, have bestowed a heroic status on him.
This book produces a more balanced portrait of an intriguing
individual: the last emperor of Constantinople. To be sure, the
last of the Greek Caesars was a fascinating figure, not so much
because he was a great statesman, as he was not, and not because of
his military prowess, as he was neither a notable tactician nor a
soldier of exceptional merit. This monarch may have formulated
grandiose plans but his hopes and ambitions were ultimately doomed,
because he failed to inspire his own subjects, who did not rally to
his cause. Constantine lacked the skills to create, restore, or
maintain harmony in his troubled realm. In addition, he was
ineffective on the diplomatic front, as he proved unable to
stimulate Latin Christendom to mount an expedition and come to the
aid of south-eastern Orthodox Europe. Yet in sharp contrast to his
numerous shortcomings, his military defeats, and the various
disappointments during his reign, posterity still fondly remembers
the last Constantine.
This major study is a comprehensive scholarly work on a key moment
in the history of Europe, the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman
Turks in 1453. The result of years of research, it presents all
available sources along with critical evaluations of these
narratives. The authors have consulted texts in all relevant
languages, both those that remain only in manuscript and others
that have been printed, often in careless and inferior editions.
Attention is also given to 'folk history' as it evolved over
centuries, producing prominent myths and folktales in Greek,
medieval Russian, Italian, and Turkish folklore. Part I, The Pen,
addresses the complex questions introduced by this myriad of
original literature and secondary sources.
A member of the imperial Palaiologan family, albeit most probably
illegitimate, Isidore became a scholar at a young age and began his
rise in the Byzantine ecclesiastical ranks. He was an active
advocate of the union of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches in
Constantinople. His military exploits, including his participation
in the defence of Constantinople in 1453, provide us with
eyewitness accounts. Without doubt he travelled widely, perhaps
more so than any other individual in the annals of Byzantine
history: Greece, Asia Minor, Sicily, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and
Italy. His roles included diplomat, high ecclesiastic in both the
Orthodox and Catholic churches, theologian, soldier, papal emissary
to the Constantinopolitan court, delegate to the Council of
Florence, advisor to the last Byzantine emperors, metropolitan of
Kiev and all Russia, and member of the Vatican curia. This is an
original work based on new archival research and the first
monograph to study Cardinal Isidore in his many diverse roles. His
contributions to the events of the first six decades of the
quattrocento are important for the study of major Church councils
and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks. Isidore played
a crucial role in each of these events.
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