How Byzantine Scholars Preserved Classical Texts That Later Fueled the Italian Renaissance

The 1453 Ottoman conquest of Constantinople did not directly send classical texts to Italy. Instead, after the Western Roman Empire fell (5th century), scholars fled to Constantinople, bringing manuscripts that were copied and preserved in Byzantine monasteries. During the Renaissance, Italian humanists (especially in Florence) actively sought out, translated, and disseminated these preserved works, sparking the revival of classical literature, art, and philosophy across Italy and Europe.