There’d _be_ no Renaissance without the continuuity of the East. West likes to pat themselves on the back. A very common thing in tribal history (and English history is tribal, American history is tribal; all tribal) – is giving credit for EVERYTHING as originating from your tribe somehow, and being dismissive of “outsider” influence. Irritating as hell honestly, the more I fill in the knowledge gaps.
Somewhere around the 1200s, the Muslims gained majority control in Constantiple and surrounding areas and really, all was well. It wasn’t _that_ big of a deal, as tolerance and peace were the mode of the day.
All the Eastern Christian schools continued teaching what they taught, the people did what they did, no differently than when the Christians were in power.
Until… 1453 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople – that’s when a young punk decided to get all Pure and “Back to Basics” and take everything over and make Islam it and nothing else, out Orthodoxing the Orthodox in their Orthodoxy as it were, just Islamic instead of Christian.
But during that 200 year span, a number of Greeks decided, “F this, we’re NOT HAPPY with the way things are under Islamic rule… taxes and shit – let’s go to Italy”.
And the formed schools. The schools taught the rich many things, made the educators lots of money. Started bringing “lost knowledge” back to Rome.
a couple hundred years of this, many generations.. new bits of knowledge and innovation slowly working its way through Europe.