held at Nicaea in Asia Minor, and the fugitives
there clung to their national Church, and her rightful independence.
[Sidenote: Attempts at reunion.] The Emperor Michael Palaeologus, after
driving out the Latins from Constantinople, endeavoured once more to
effect a reunion between East and West, partly from political and
partly from personal motives, and a formal act of union was signed,
A.D. 1274. Neither the Greek Clergy nor the Greek people would,
however, consent to give up their own national religious customs, nor
to acknowledge the supremacy of the Pope; and this shadow of union died
out with the death of the Emperor, its originator. [Sidenote: Invasion
of the Turks.] In the fourteenth century {138} the Turks were
treacherously invited over to Europe as allies of the usurper, John
Cantacuzenus (A.D. 1347-A.D. 1353), and so firm a footing did they
gain, that the rightful Emperor, John Palaeologus (A.D. 1341-A.D.
1391), found himself obliged to appeal to Rome for aid, promising in
return to reconcile the Greek Church to the Roman communion. The
affairs of Western Europe, were, however too unsettled to admit of such
aid being afforded, and the Emperor was obliged to give up all his
possessions to the Turks, except Constantinople, Thessalonica, part of
the Morea, and a few islands. Another appeal was made, with the same
results, by his son, Manuel Palaeologus (A.D. 1391-A.D. 1425).
[Sidenote: New attempts at reunion.] John VII. (A.D. 1425-A.D. 1448)
opened fresh negociations with the West, and he and the Patriarch of
Constantinople, together with twenty-one other Eastern Bishops,
appeared (A.D. 1438) at the Council of Ferrara (afterwards transferred
to Florence). At this council a decree of union was once more signed
by the Greeks, on condition of their receiving aid against the Turks
(A.D. 1439). This fresh attempt at union was repudiated by the Eastern
Church at large, but a troop of French and Italian crusaders started
for the East. Constantinople was, however, doomed, and the good and
brave Constantine Palaeologus (A.D. 1448-A.D. 1433) was the last, as he
was one of the best, of the Greek emperors. [Sidenote: Fall of
Constantinople] The city fell, after an obstinate defence, on the 29th
May, A.D. 1453, and Constantine was among the slain. The Turks
pillaged and slaughtered indiscriminately, and turned into a mosque the
beautiful Church of St. Sophia, built by the Emperor Justinian in
honour of the "Holy