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The Fall of Constantinople was the end of an era for Europe. The end of the Byzantine Empire was both a blessing and a curse for Renaissance Italy. There was a flood of refugees from Constantinople and many scholars found sanctuary in the various Italians city-states. These brought with them knowledge of the Ancient classics and precious manuscripts that allowed the humanists to have a better understanding of philosophers and other writers from the ancient world. This helped to change the direction of humanist thought and it began to focus on metaphysical speculation and concepts such as virtue.  The Fall of the capital of the Byzantine world raised the threat level posed by the Ottomans to Italy. For several decades after the capture of Constantinople, the Italian states lived in the shadow of the Ottomans. The end of the Byzantine Empire was a catastrophe for Venice and Genoa. The loss of trade and the persistent attacks from the Turkish Sultans led to the decline of both city-states. The Fall of Constantinople for Genoa led to a crisis that severely weakened the Republic. In the case of Venice is led to a period of relative decline as the city had to fight regular costly wars with the Turks.{{MediaWiki:AmNative}}