Gennadios was a staunch anti-unionist and saw the Pope as a far worse alternative to the Sultan. Gennadios saw the best hopes of Orthodox continuity as under the rule of the Ottoman state. He informed his subjects to not revolt against the new foreign ruler but rather continue their practices as Christians unabated with none of their rituals or creeds changed. Gennadios also helped Sultan Mehmet II to develop the millet system which would define how Orthodox were to be treated under Ottoman rule.

Evidence

On the eve of the conquest, the commander-inchief of the Byzantine navy said, “Better the turban of the Turk than the tiara of the Latin [Pope]”. 1 The Orthodox realized any call for Latin help would necessarily require doctrinal compromise as well. Rather than submit to the supremacy of the Pope, the Orthodox realized the city falling to Ottoman control was perhaps not the worst outcome. — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 23 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

  • XREF: connects to: In an effort to oppose the Ottomans, Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (the future Pope Pius II) tried to exhort all Christians to mount an offensive against the Ottomans. Like the crusades, some hoped Christian polities would look past their differences and come to the aid of the Orthodox Byzantine Christians in this dire hour. Another figure was King George of Kunštát and Poděbrady of Bohemia who—seeing the Ottomans surround Constantinople—also tried to promote the idea of a Pan-Christian resistance to the onslaught of the Muslim forces.; Joseph Bryennius, a Byzantine theologian said, ‘Let no one be deceived by delusive hopes that the Italian allied troops will sooner or later come to us. But if they do pretend to rise to defend us, they will take arms in order to destroy our city, race, and name.’ The military aid of the Latin might push off the Ottoman threat, but this assistance would have far worse consequence than those the rule of the Ottomans would have. Indeed, the Latins would require doctrinal subordination and recognition of papal superiority.; The Latin doctrine differed from the Orthodox in regard to papal supremacy, the filioque clause, and unleavened bread. With these tensions unresolved between the churches, the Ottomans may have been seen as a means to avoid a forced compromise which Latin rule might bring about. The Ottomans on the other hand would only impose a tax upon the Christian population. This financial subservience was the only toll they had to pay to the Ottomans, and perhaps this option was more economical than changing their creed under a Latin reign. (+11 more)

Broader Connections