Intra-Christian schism outweighed the foreign threat for Orthodox Byzantines.

Evidence

By studying the theological dynamics of Christianity at the time of the fall of Constantinople, we see that the schism within the religion was perceived as a greater threat than that of a foreign invasion. As long as the Muslim foreign invader would grant them protection to practice their religion, as seen under the millet system, the Orthodox were relatively receptive towards having the Ottomans as material rulers in contrast to the Latins. — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 61

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the millet system as the Ottoman arrangement guaranteeing religious autonomy.
• XREF: connects to: The schism within Christianity was perceived as a greater threat than that of a foreign invasion; the Orthodox were relatively receptive towards having the Ottomans as material rulers in contrast to the Latins.; Some Byzantine laity preferred Latin Christian rule over Ottoman Muslim rule. — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople: A Critical…, 33; Medieval Christian infighting outweighed the shared threat of Islam — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople: A Critical…, 45 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Orthodox authorities perceived an invasion by the Latins as worse, for they would not afford them autonomy which might be hoped under Muslims. The land might remain under Christian rule, but the… #expands (0.85)
• Christians judged the inner religious enemy worse than the foreign one #corroborates (0.80) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 59
• Byzantine Orthodox preferred Muslim conquest over theological compromise with Latin Christians #exemplifies (0.75) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 25
• Some Orthodox Christians preferred Ottoman rule to papal supremacy #exemplifies (0.70) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 23
• Doctrinal inflexibility within Orthodoxy undermined defense against the Ottomans #qualifies (0.55) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 24