Saving Byzantium

In this compelling, readable and revisionist book, historian Laura Bolick makes a powerful case that the fall of Constantinople, which marked the end of the ancient Roman and Byzantine Empire, was not inevitable, as most historians have argued. Basing her opinion on the activities of two significant Byzantine officials, Iohannes Bessarion and Isidore of Kiev, Laura Bolick analyses the efforts that they made to galvanise the Roman Catholic west into forming a crusade that would defend Constantinople from the encroaching Ottoman Turks.

As the book shows, the Byzantine emissaries faced formidable obstacles, notably the strong divisions between Roman Catholic Christianity in the West and Orthodox Christianity in the east. They also had to navigate mutual suspicion and indifference. The book charts their continuing efforts to surmount the difficulties in order to promote a spiritual, cultural, political and military alliance against the Ottomans.

Although Constantinople would eventually fall, this book provides a new insight into this momentous period of history and one that is sure to stimulate renewed interest and discussion.