John V Palaiologos finally returned to Constantinople after being rescued from Venetian detention by his loyal son Manuel, who raised money in Thessalonica, sold his own possessions, and even offered himself as a hostage when the funds proved insufficient. Meanwhile, John's eldest son Andronikos IV had enjoyed ruling in his father's absence and openly refused to help secure his release, leading John to elevate Manuel as his new heir and co-emperor. As this dynastic crisis unfolded, a far greater threat emerged in the Balkans. Believing Sultan Murad was distracted by war in Anatolia, the Serbian princes Vukašin and Jovan Uglješa assembled a large coalition army and marched toward Adrianople to drive the Ottomans from Europe. Near the Maritsa River in 1371, however, their overconfident force was caught completely off guard when a vastly smaller Ottoman army launched a surprise night attack, setting the Serbian camp ablaze and throwing the army into panic. Thousands were killed, drowned, captured, or scattered, while both Serbian leaders perished in the disaster. The Battle of the Maritsa shattered Serbian power, spread terror throughout the Balkans, and convinced many that the Ottomans were an unstoppable force. When news reached Constantinople, John V realized that if even the strongest army in Eastern Europe could be destroyed so completely, the Byzantine Empire had little hope of surviving. The battle also revealed the strategic dilemma facing Murad: while expanding into Europe, he was constantly forced to defend Anatolia against the Karamanids, a powerful Turkish rival angered by Ottoman expansion and determined to challenge Ottoman dominance of the Turkish world.

The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events from Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453, to the years under the Ottoman Empire, and 1821 when the Greeks fought for independence... all the way to the modern-day.

EMAIL US: historyofmoderngreece@gmail.com

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https://www.instagram.com/historyofmodern%20greece/

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Music by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com

In this episode we move away from the collapse of Constantinople, and the rise of the Ottomans, and see exactly why France and England were nowhere to be seen. For centuries, the French and English were championed crusaders, and now they were fighting each other in a war that would turn so gruesome and bloody it would drain over a century of the best fighting men and fertile land in a shrinking world engulfed by cold winters and short summers. This is an episode about why France and England never came to rescue Constantinople. This is a story about the 100 Years War.

The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events from Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453, to the years under the Ottoman Empire, and 1821 when the Greeks fought for independence... all the way to the modern-day.

EMAIL US: historyofmoderngreece@gmail.com

Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA: Go here to chat with us.

https://www.instagram.com/historyofmodern%20greece/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578023316172

Music by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com

In this episode, we cover the emperor's journey to Rome, where he finally bends the knee to the Pope and converts to Catholicism. This was a gamble, for he risked alienating his people by converting to the faith of those who sacked Constantinople in 1204. But he felt like he had no other choice, for there was no way he was going to defeat the Ottoman Empire on his own. The only trouble was that converting didn't guarantee crusading relief, for the western hemisphere was gripped in one of the worst wars in centuries. Everything turned worse when he found himself stranded in Venice with no money to return home and imprisoned by his lenders.

The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events from Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453, to the years under the Ottoman Empire, and 1821 when the Greeks fought for independence... all the way to the modern-day.

EMAIL US: historyofmoderngreece@gmail.com

Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA: Go here to chat with us.

https://www.instagram.com/historyofmodern%20greece/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578023316172

Music by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com