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==Preparations==
Mehmet, whose great-grandfather Bayezid I had previously built a fortress on the Asian side of the Bosphorus called ''Anadolu Hisarı'', now built a second castle outside the walls of Constantinople on the European side, which would increase Turkish influence on the straits. An especially relevant aspect of this fortress is its ability to prevent help from Genoese colonies on the Black Sea coast reaching the city. This castle was called ''Rumeli Hisarı''; ''Rumeli'' and ''Anadolu'' being the names of European and Asian portions of the Ottoman Empire, respectively. The new fortress is also known as ''Boğazkesen'' which has a dual meaning in Turkish; strait-blocker or throat-cutter, emphasizing its strategic position. Meanwhile, Constantine XI tried to buy him off with gifts. The closing of the small mosques within Constantinople by Constantine XI and the pressures on Greek Muslims to [[convert ]] back to Christianity formed the pretext for Mehmet to declare war.
Constantine appealed to Western Europe for help, but [[Nicholas V of Rome|Pope Nicholas V]] was unwilling to support the Empire. Ever since the [[Great Schism|mutual excommunication]] of the [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] and [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] churches in 1054, the Roman Catholic West had been trying to re-integrate the East; the West now used this as a negotiating tactic, promising to send help if the Byzantines brought their church back into [[full communion|communion]] with Rome. Attempts had been made to do this after the [[Council of Florence]] and the Council of Basel, but the Orthodox population refused to support it. Pope Nicholas and many other western leaders made the decision not to support the Empire, although some troops did arrive from the city states of northern Italy.