THE 'Great Schism' of 1054 left the Church divided into Western (Latin/Roman) and Eastern (Greek/Byzan tine) branches. As imperialist Ottoman Islamic forces advanced northwards, the Eastern Church found it self on the frontline of Islamic jihad. In 1095, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I appealed to Pope Urban II for help to defend Constantinople (the magnificent capital of the Byzantine Empire), reconquer Asia Minor and liberate Jerusalem. The First Crusade was launched. In 1204, however, Western crusaders got side tracked while en route to the Fourth Crusade. Instead of liberating the Holy Land, they sacked and looted Constantinople, weakening the city irredeemably. Abandoned by the West, Constantinople fell to invading Ottoman forces on 29 May 1453. After a period of killing and looting, the Christian remnant was subju gated and Constantinople – the centre of Eastern Christianity for over 1000 years – became the base from which the 21yearold Ottoman Emperor Fatih Sultan Mehmed II would launch his jihad into Europe. Read more
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