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The Fall of Constantinople shocked Europe and when the news that the capital of the New Rome had fallen, there was consternation, even panic. After 1453 there was widespread fear and many Christian kingdoms feared an Ottoman invasion was likely. The Fall of Constantinople was to change the geopolitical situation in the Mediterranean. Many feared that Italy was the next target of the Ottomans whose army was feared to be invincible. The end of the Byzantine Empire meant that the Turks could concentrate upon expanding to the west and east. Successive Popes called for a crusade in order to reclaim Constantinople and to defend the Italian city-states from a Turkish onslaught. There was a great deal of fear in Italy. These fears were realized in 1480 when the Turks invaded Southern Italy and seized the city of Otranto, part of the Kingdom of Naples.
Forces of the Ottoman Empire occupied the city and slaughtered some 800 locals who refused to convert to Islam.<ref> Howard, Douglas A. , [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521727308/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521727308&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=9bddcab4f5f4d4d03525ca01580f5cbe A History of the Ottoman Empire]. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), p, 113</ref> Many feared that Southern Italy and even Rome would fall. However, the city was later recaptured by a coalition of Christian forces. The invasion of Otranto showed the weakness of the Italian city-states and especially the kingdom of Naples. The fear of the Ottomans persuaded many Italians in the 16th century to accept the rule of either French or Spanish monarchs, as they could better protect Italy from the seemingly invincible Muslim Empire. However, the Ottomans focused on the capture of Vienna and their battle with the Safavid Empire and this possibly spared Italy from a further invasion.
==== The Fall of Constantinople: Venice and Genoa====
