Some Balkan rulers (Hungarian Janos Hunniadi, Albanian Georg Skanderbeg, Moldovan Stefan Chel Mare)

Some Balkan rulers (Hungarian Janos Hunniadi, Albanian Georg Skanderbeg, Moldovan Stefan Chel Mare) won major victories over the Ottomans. Why didn’t Rome and other European powers help these generals to expel the Turks from Europe?

By the 15th century, the idea of a common European empire was outdated: each ruler thought “within the framework of his people” and was not eager to help his neighbors-enemies against the Ottoman Turks. It was as unnatural for the Austrians and Italians to recognize a Hungarian or Albanian over oneself as to submit to the Turks.