At the Papacy’s Service Cardinal Bessarion’s Call to the Crusade against the Turks

Cardinal Bessarion, who was born in Trabzon at the beginning of the fifteenth century, went to Constantinople and then to Mistra for his education. He is participated Ferrara-Florentine Council on behalf of Eastern Church in 1438/39. After the council he could not be held in the Byzantine Empire and moved to Florence and then to Rome. He has undertaken important tasks with the support of Pope IV. Eugenius. In the meantime, he went to the Catholic Church and rose to cardinality. Bessarion closely follows the struggle of the Byzantine Empire with Turks and devotes his life to fight against to them. The conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the conquest of Bosnia in 1463, the conquest of Euboea in 1470 and the threat of the Christian world of Turks in this process led to the organization of meetings for a crusade to be organized against Turks in Europe. Bessarion also played an active role in the diplomacy of the second half of the fifteenth century. He has struggled not only with his meetings and embassies but also with the writings until the end of his life, to carry out a great holy war against the Turks in Europe and take back Istanbul from the Turks