Manuel II Paleologus

Peter Robinson's post on the Corner about Manuel II Paleologus is a fine one. It doesn't make the Pope's quote more helpful in assessing the truth of whether their is an Islamic tendency to violence; this was clearly someone more exposed to the savage than the civilised in Islam. However, it would be sad if this diplomatic spat were to leave him tainted, unfairly, as a narrow and unpleasant man. Runciman's history of the Fall of Constantinople is a fine place to start in gaining a broader perspective on the events and people of this historical period.