The End Of Byzantium Analysis

The End of Byzantium, by Jonathan Harris, seeks to argue against popular thought that the Ottomans and the Byzantines fought due to their different religions, but that the two were often trading partners that adopted some of each other 's culture. Furthering that the real cause of the down fall of the Byzantine Empire were policies of power grabbing on both sides with the Byzantine trying to meddle in Ottoman policies and made several unwise alliances while the Ottoman 's sultans needed victories to promote themselves as viable leaders (xxi). Harris looks at Europe from 1354 to 1502, looking mostly at the local politics of the Byzantium, as well as the Ottoman Empire (xi-xii). The small empire of Byzantium had seen brighter days. This Greek …show more content…
While the empire did show a growth in trade within their borders they did not know how to capitalize on it. In the past, officials had levied a tax on all goods that entered or left a port in the empire. This tax though was compromised in 1403 by giving tax exemptions to Venetian and Genoese. This made it easy to avoid a tax as long as a merchant transporting their goods by using a vessel from one of these states (40-41). While trying to get more funding out of foreign states, the empire was also heavily debt to foreign powers from a funding a civil war generations ago. These debts nor their interest were being repaid after all this time and by 1403 and this problem compounded with the lack of tax revenue coming in from the wealthy trade market that was going untaxed by officials (41). The Venetian and Genoese were not the only that were groups that parties to become involved in imperial policy for their own end. The emperor 's family often meddled in the empire 's politics and some even tried to usurp the throne like Manuel II 's brother, Andronicus. Andronicus was originally the heir to the Byzantine throne under the rule of John V, Manuel 's father. Andronicus though did not agree with the way his father lead the empire and attempted to take the throne for himself. In May of 1373, Andronicus and the son of Ottoman Sultan, Saudzi attempted to overthrow the throne of both of these powers and failed (48-49). For his treasonous action, John V banished his son, only to see him succeeded in taking the throne in 1376, which he held for three years, when supporters of John V and Manuel II retook the city putting the emperor back on his throne(49). Other meddlers in imperial politics wanted neither economic nor the throne itself, but wanted to rid themselves of Ottoman influence and control. Figures like Eastern Orthodox monk, Demetrius Kydones, were for