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Another great set of books are the books by Harold Lamb. "Iron Men and Saints" and "The Flame of Islam". Older books, but very readable. Not as deep, but they are more of a story than the minute details.

The final act of the Eastern Empire was one were the Emperor was trying to draw the Western powers to his aid, but retain his autonomy. His fear was that the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church prelates would never reconcile, and at the time he was right. To many attempts at reconciliation had been tried and failed. Also, reconciliation would mean that the Byzantine empire would have to recognize the legitimacy of the Holy Roman Empire (basically the German and Spanish states), which for a number of political and theological reasons he couldn't.

That, coupled with the scandal of two Popes in the West, pretty much guaranteed that no help would come. Buy Paleologus's mission did have one great result. It opened the way for more exiles to flee to the West, which helped bring the Renaissance.

As to what it means for today, look to Russia and the new Russian Empire (for that is what it is). Russia was for centuries after the fall of Constantinople seen as the last bastion of the Eastern Church. The symbols (double headed eagle, St. Andrew's cross, etc) are all tied with the Eastern Empire. There was, and is, a big feeling that the West abandoned the East to her fate. Russia, and to some extant Greece, have long had the goal of retaking Constantinople and restoring the Hagia Sophia.

To counteract this, Britain and France in the past, and the US in the present, have allied themselves with what is now Turkey. So we have the specter of Christian states (Protestant England, Catholic France, and polyglot US) joining together with a muslim power against an Orthodox state (as Russia is once again trying to be). That is partially why, even after the Cold War, Russia views us as opponents.

Thank you. I think I might give them first shot.

There was, and is, a big feeling that the West abandoned the East to her fate.

That is exactly the sad and sort of sickening feeling I got when I read the Spectator piece. How could we do it? It's like leaving your brother to an awful fate.

I have mostly Russian neighbors. I live in an area known as little Odessa. The gentleman that occupied the apartment below me, back in 2000 had been a prosecutor in Moscow. He was 75 at the time, so I'm not sure if he was a prosecutor under Stalin or not. But he had stacks of dossiers that he brought with him when the dissolution occurred. A very interesting man. I was sorry to see him move.

As I begin to read some of this stuff, I might ping you for opinion or helping me understand something. Is that ok?