The History of Byzantium Episode 343 - The End of Crusading and the Third Rome
Mar 2, 2026
News of Constantinople's fall ripples through Venice, Rome, and Russia with tense diplomacy and Aegean skirmishes. Papal calls for a new crusade falter and organized crusading loses momentum. Russia embraces Byzantine symbols, marriage ties, and the 'Third Rome' claim. Legends of Constantine XI and disputed Palaiologos descendants shape emerging Russian identity.
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Venice Put Trade Before Byzantium
- Venice prioritized protecting its citizens and property over rescuing Constantinople, delaying aid and later normalizing relations with Mehmet II.
- The Venetian Senate sent gifts and negotiated peace to protect assets, sparking a long maritime conflict with the Ottomans within a decade.
The Last Western Crusade Died With Pius II
- Pope Nicholas V and later Pius II launched crusading efforts to recover Constantinople, but European rulers showed little sustained enthusiasm.
- Pius II even volunteered to lead and gathered a fleet at Ancona, but his death ended the last major attempt to field a crusading army for the eastern Mediterranean.
Fall Of Constantinople Recast European Identity
- The fall of Constantinople clarified Western priorities: Europe now defined itself as defender of a Christian classical civilization rather than as unified Christendom.
- Calls shifted from crusades to protecting European cultural inheritance from Ottoman expansion.