ABSTRACT
After the fall of Rome at the end of the fiffth century, Europe was in shambles. Toward the end of the Roman Empire, the population in Europe had already declined, and it halved during the sixth and seventh centuries (Russell 1972, p. 25). By the ninth century, most towns in Europe were in ruins and a mere shadow of their former selves. Wars and famine ravaged the land. Public order was practically nonexistent, as were longdistance trade and economy (Harman 2002, p. 102). People were primarily occupied with trying to feed themselves and trying to live another day. There were very few full-time craftsmen. If the Ottoman wanted to invade Europe, they could have easily overrun most of Europe, except that they did not see it being worth the effort (Cipolla 1989, p. 221ff).
