ABSTRACT

Western European Military Response to the Ottoman Invasions of Eastern Europe between 1396 and 1526 was necessary, and lack of such a response cost the freedom of Christians throughout eastern Europe and the Balkans. It may also have caused the loss of Hungary. Most of the contemporary sources about the battle of Nicopolis contend that the crusaders there had never before encountered such "cruelty" or "evil" in war. The massacre which took place during and after the fight was unforgettable, creating terrifying memories for the survivors and a legend of horror for those who were not present. Soon the Turks had become the symbol of evil, an evil which surpassed anything previously contemplated by western Europeans. This myth continued to be propagated and expanded by fifteenth-century travelers to the east, pilgrims and spies, whose writings were copied and popularized throughout western Europe.