The Ottoman conqueror of Constantinople collected Greek books and humanists.

Evidence

Even an interest in Western civilization, though very limited, was not entirely lacking. Mehmet the Conqueror had a knowledge of Greek, and a library of Greek books. His entourage included the Italian humanist, Ciriaco Pizzocolli of Ancona, and the Greek humanist, Critoboulos. The latter—who was Mehmet’s biographer— mentions his interest in Greek antiquities and remains, and, when describing Mehmet’s wonderment at the Parthenon, even confers upon him the title of “Philhellene.” — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 635

Categorization

• CANDY: The conqueror of Constantinople being called a ‘Philhellene’ by his Greek biographer is a delightfully counterintuitive one-liner.
• QUESTION: Curious how deep Mehmet’s engagement with Greek culture actually ran, and what became of his Greek library.