The introduction of Greek philosophy and science into the culture of the Latin West in the Middle Ages was an event that transformed the intellectual life of Western Europe. It consisted of the discovery of many original works, such as those written by Aristotle in the classical period. Greek manuscripts had been maintained in the Greek-speaking world in Constantinople, the Near East and Egypt. Interest in Greek texts and their availability was scarce in the Latin West until traffic increased to the East, particularly the medieval Islamic world from where Arabic translations were translated to Latin, and the Byzantine Empire during the time of the Crusades and the Latin rule of Constantinople following the sack of the Byzantine capital in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. Finally, the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire caused many Byzantine Greek scholars to flee to Western Europe bringing with them manuscripts of classical works in the original Greek, thus fueling the Renaissance.
