The Ottomans and the Renaissance

Many years ago, we saw the beginning of Western versus Eastern Europe. Many scholars have tried to explain it, but I think I have a great explanation.

For about 1200 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, there was it's successors. There was the Eastern Roman Empire based in Constantinople, and the Latin Empire in the West. The Eastern, or Byzantine Empire, managed to maintain it's continuity for those twelve thousand years, gradually declining over time as it's enemies became stronger principalities. The Latin, or Western Empire, quickly became a bunch of fractured principalities that comprise our principal ancestors. We are very familiar with that history. We are not so familiar with the Byzantines, or their successors, but we are familiar with their effect on our history: The Renaissance and the start of America.

Byzantium, or the Eastern Roman Empire was one of the wealthiest, most highly educated places in the world. There is one book I read that stated that the solidus, or the gold standard coin did not have to be adjusted by the emperor for inflation for 700 years. (I will go make sure that is still factual). They unlike Rome or some of the other places in the West, never fell, never had their manuscripts burned or lost. They actually maintained the study of the old Greek and Roman writers, scientists, and thinkers. They were so successful in the maintenance of these old manuscripts that they even innovated something called "Greek Fire", a fiery naval napalm that annihilated their enemies on multiple occasions. (Bulgarians, Arabs, Rus, and previous Turkish invasions)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byzantine_Empire_animated.gif#/media/File:Byzantine_Empire_animated.gif

They also had a super strategic location, covering the point where the Black and Mediterranean Seas meet. This facilitated their trade, and their ability to be kept supplied during siege conflict. They controlled a big portion of the Silk Road, with Asian silks and spices making their way through the gateway city. It was and is where Asia, the Middle East, and Europe all connect. Ideas, money, and information flowed through the region like a flooded river. It was an immensely interesting place.

However, over time, as big of a success as it was, one cannot miss the fact that they were declining over time. They fought with the then Zoroastrian Persians, and the newly Muslim Arabs from 600-700 AD took over from the two. The Serbs and Croats moved in at about the same time. The Bulgarians alternately rebelled and made peace from a period of 900 AD-1100 AD. Chunks of territory were lost to Serbian Princes, the Crusades, the Black Plague, and the new Seljuk Turks. The Seljuk Turks started taking Anatolia, or the big chunk of Turkey in the 1000's. They had it completely dominated by 1338. They then took advantage of the weak and civil war-torn Byzantine Empire, by taking sides, and invading in behalf of the emperor, the Serbian Empire. In exchange for helping them, they were allowed to take the famous Gallipoli Peninsula This allowed them to have their European foothold. They raged through the Balkans, smashing the Serbian Empire by winning the finishing Battle of Kosovo in 1385. This killed off the intellectual, wealthy and leadership elite that would have been influenced by the Renaissance in future years.

By Chamboz - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52095316

After a time, they then turned on the Byzantines. In 1453 they finished a 7 week siege that destroyed the city. This had three consequences:

1^st: Scholars fled to Sicily to escape, with these precious manuscripts. Later, as they moved into the newly re-emergent cities of Florence, Genoa, Venice, Milan, among others, they brought them in contact with the original Greek and Roman authors that had previously thought to be lost to history. This allowed people to start thinking for themselves, independent of the Catholic Church. This was the beginning of the Renaissance, or rebirth of intellectual, scientific, and secular thought, without Catholic interference. At their expense, we Western Europeans gained an education.

Also by Chamboz. See how it got closed off!

2^nd: The closing of Byzantium, and changing it into a Muslim territory, gave the Ottomans the monopoly on the spice and silk trade with Asia. Europeans, faced with higher prices, started looking for a new place to look. They started exploring around Africa, and ultimately, through Christopher Columbus, America. This fueled the wealth of Western Europe, as it allowed them to exploit new, untapped resources without Ottoman interference.

3^rd  The fall of Byzantium and its educational system, is what started the seeds for the culture and founding of America. AS far and insignificant as it may seem, it explains the difference between Western Europe, America, and Eastern Europe. We are an educated, wealthy people who enjoy advances in technology because of the Renaissance forced by the Ottomans, while those who the Ottomans cataclysmically destroyed have to continue to deal with poverty, revolution, the lack of success, and the lack of innovation in their countries. These countries are starting to see the changes that happened 500 years ago happen to themselves which is a good thing. While there are many factors involving this change, I hope that this brought to light how this inverse of education and wealth is what began the profoundly different beginning of America from typical history.