Question

The 15th and 16th centuries are by and large regarded as the ‘Renaissance Period’. In this context explain how the following led to the advent and growth of the Renaissance:

The capture of Constantinople by the Turks

Answer 1

The capture of Constantinople by the Turks: In the years 1453, the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire which remained in Christian hands for more than a thousand years. Its libraries contained the manuscripts of world-famous Greek and Roman writers. As the siege of the City began, the students and scholars fled with a number of priceless manuscripts. They went to various parts of Europe. They were especially welcome in Italy because, as George Guest puts it, “that land had already given birth to famous men of letters- Dante Petrarch and Boccaccio”. Nobles, merchants, and Churchmen flocked to the new teachers.