PAPACY; BASEL, COUNCIL OF; CONSTANCE, COUNCIL OF; etc.) Fall of Constantinople, 1453.—The capture of Constanti nople by the Turks was a startling occurrence and spread terror throughout Europe. It has long been taken to mark the close of the middle ages. But the results which have been attributed to it had already made their appearance before the fall of the city. The Turks were already masters of the Balkans and had made an end to the trade of the Italian cities with the Black sea ports. The works of Greek writers had been introduced into Europe by the Byzantine scholars who attended the Council of Florence at which it was sought to bring about the reconciliation between the Greek Church and that of Rome.
The Turks continued to threaten Europe; they were organized for continuous warfare, and they possessed an infantry and artil lery superior to those of the Western European States. The invasion reached the plain of the Danube and twice, in 1529 and 1683, the Turkish army stood before Vienna.