In Western Europe, the Turkish invasion was awaited with horror. The most far-sighted politicians understood that the new empire was a formidable military power, a force capable and ready to change the world order. The Europeans had reason both for panic and for military preparations; some sought to meet the Turks on the battlefield, others at the negotiating table. The history of relations between the countries of Europe and the Ottoman Empire is a history not only of the heroic struggle of small peoples for independence, but also of the rivalry of the great powers for dominance in Eurasia.
The most zealous and consistent fighter against the Turks was the Vatican. Every pope, from the gloomy fanatics of Eugene IV and Pius V to the dissolute Alexander Borgia, considered the "holy war" with the Turks "the subject of tireless cares and concerns." The Ottoman Empire dared to profess a different faith and live by its own mind, according to its own laws, leaving a huge territory outside papal influence. Their Holiness did not tolerate competitors. However, very few in Bvrop responded to the Pope's calls for war with the "infidels". Among them were the Rhodos Knights Hospitaller, who had remained opponents of the Muslims since the time of the Crusades. Having turned Rhodes into a fortified stronghold, the knights terrified the Turkish fleets, capturing ships and prisoners. The small courageous island alone resisted the powerful Turkish armadas at sea.
Venice also had a strong fleet, but it had very contradictory relations with both the Turks and the Europeans. Merchant Venice in the 15th century owned the Dalmatian coast of the Balkan Peninsula and a chain of harbors and islands in the Aegean Sea. The Venetians cherished their maritime empire like the apple of their eye, and the appearance of the Turks in the Balkans was perceived with caution. Regular Ottoman raids on Dalmatia could still be somehow survived, but attempts on the harbor and pirate attacks on ships seriously threatened the interests of Venice. In the second half of the XV century. Mehmed drove the Venetians out of the Seas and Albania and seized part of the islands of the Aegean Sea. In this situation, the Venetians, generally disposed towards peace and trade with the East, voted in the Senate for war. But the forces were unequal, and the Republic of St. Mark suffered defeat after defeat, despite its wealth and the skill of the admirals. The Turks even tried to land troops in southern Italy, and only the death of Mehmed the Conqueror ruined these plans.
https://all-andorra.blogspot.com/2020/06/news-update-27062020-764.html
https://weheartit.com/entry/346086312
https://weheartit.com/entry/346086312
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