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Fourth Crusade
Part of the Crusades

Conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents
Date 1202 - 1204
Location Balkans
Result Completion of Great Schism. The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the Creation of Latin Empire. The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople (original Latin name Imperium Romaniae, " Empire of Romania " is the
Territorial
changes		 Creation of Crusader States in the Balkans. The Crusader states were a number of mostly 12th- and 13th-century feudal states created by Western European Crusaders in Asia Minor, Greece and
Belligerents
Crusaders Balkans
Commanders
Otto IV
Boniface I
Theobald I
Louis I		 Alexios V Doukas
Isaac II Angelos
Alexios III Angelos
Emeric I
Strength
Army
  • Crusaders: 12,000 men[1]
  • Venetians: 8,000 men[2]

Navy

  • Venetians: 200 ships[1]
 Army
  • Byzantines: 30,000 men[3]

Navy

  • Byzantines: 20 ships[4]

The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was originally designed to conquer Muslim Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica The March (also margraviate or marquisate) of Montferrat was frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages Counts of Champagne ruled the region of Champagne from 950 to 1316 The County of Blois was originally centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. Amiens (amjɛ̃ is a city and commune in northern France, 120 km north of Paris. Île-de-France is one of the ancient Provinces of France, and the one that has been the centre of power during most of French history. Saint-Pol-sur-Mer is a commune in the département of Nord and the Nord-Pas de Calais region of France The Duchy of Burgundy was a feudal territory once existing within the Kingdom of France. The County of Flanders was a historical region in the Low Countries. The Kingdom of Hungary (short form Hungary) was a considerable state in Central Europe that existed from 1001 to 1918 then from 1919 to 1946 Dalmatia ( Croatian: Dalmacija, see names in other languages) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern Otto IV of Brunswick (1175 or 1176 – May 19, 1218) was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on sole king from 1208 on and emperor Boniface of Montferrat (Bonifacio del Monferrato Βονιφάτιος Μομφερρατικός Vonifatios Momferratikos) (c Theobald I ( 30 May 1201 &ndash 8 July 1253) called the Troubadour, the Chansonnier, and the Posthumous, was Louis I of Blois (1172 &ndash April 14, 1205) was Count of Blois from 1191 to 1205 Isaac II Angelos or Angelus ( Greek: Ισαάκιος Β’ Άγγελος Isaakios II Angelos) (September 1156 &ndash January 1204 was Byzantine Alexios III Angelos ( Greek: Αλέξιος Γ' Άγγελος (c There was also a Hungarian prince and saint named Emeric of Hungary (died 1031 For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian (Eastern Orthodox) city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS This is seen as one of the final acts in the Great Schism between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world It has been often described as one of the most profitable and disgraceful sacks of a city in history. [5]

Contents

Background

After the failure of the Third Crusade (1189–1192), there was little interest in Europe for another crusade against the Muslims. The Third Crusade (1189&ndash1192 also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Jerusalem was now controlled by the Ayyubid dynasty, which ruled all of Syria and Egypt, except for the few cities along the coast still controlled by the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, now centered on Acre. The Ayyubid or Ayyoubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origins which ruled Egypt, Syria, Yemen (except for Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية This article is about the Christian kingdom For the history of the city see History of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian The Third Crusade had also established a kingdom on Cyprus. The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489

Pope Innocent III succeeded to the papacy in 1198, and the preaching of a new crusade became the goal of his pontificate. Pope Innocent III ( February 22, 1161 &ndash June 16, 1216) born Lotario de' Conti di Segni, was Pope from January His call was largely ignored by the European monarchs: the Germans were struggling against Papal power, and England and France were still engaged in warfare against each other. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. However, due to the preaching of Fulk of Neuilly, a crusading army was finally organized at a tournament held at Écry by Count Thibaut of Champagne in 1199. Fulk of Neuilly (died 1201 was a French preacher of the twelfth century and priest of Neuilly-sur-Marne. This article is about the tournaments of the Middle Ages For the general article on tournaments see Tournament. Theobald III (Thibaut 13 May 1179 &ndash 24 May 1201) was Count of Champagne from 1197 to his death Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name Thibaut was elected leader, but he died in 1200 and was replaced by an Italian count, Boniface of Montferrat. The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Boniface of Montferrat (Bonifacio del Monferrato Βονιφάτιος Μομφερρατικός Vonifatios Momferratikos) (c Boniface and the other leaders sent envoys to Venice, Genoa, and other city-states to negotiate a contract for transport to Egypt, the object of their crusade; one of the envoys was the future historian Geoffrey of Villehardouin. The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica The Most Serene Republic of Genoa (Repubblica di Genova was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from the 11th century Geoffrey of Villehardouin (in French Geoffroi de Villehardouin) (1160 &ndash c Genoa was uninterested, but in March 1201 negotiations were opened with Venice, which agreed to transport 33,500 crusaders, a very ambitious number. This agreement required a full year of preparation on the part of the Venetians to build numerous ships and train the sailors who would man them, all the while curtailing the city's commercial activities. The crusading army was expected to comprise 4,500 knights (as well as 4,500 horses), 9,000 squires, and 20,000 foot-soldiers. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. In Feudal or Medieval times a squire was a Man-at-arms in the service of a Knight, often as his Apprentice. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists

The majority of the crusading army that set out from Venice in October 1202 originated from areas within France. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the It included men from Blois, Champagne, Amiens, Saint-Pol, the Ile-de-France and Burgundy. Blois is a city and commune in France, the Préfecture (capital of the Loir-et-Cher département, situated Amiens (amjɛ̃ is a city and commune in northern France, 120 km north of Paris. Île-de-France ( pronounced /il d̪ə fʁɑ̃s/ literally "Island of France" is one of the twenty-six administrative regions of France. Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) Several other regions of Europe sent substantial contingents as well, such as Flanders and Montferrat. Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Montferrat (in Piemontèis, Monfrà; in Italian, Monferrato) is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. Other notable groups came from the Holy Roman Empire, including the men under Bishop Martin of Pairis and Bishop Conrad of Halberstadt, together in alliance with the Venetian soldiers and sailors led by the doge Enrico Dandolo. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Bishopric of Halberstadt (Bistum Halberstadt was a Roman Catholic Diocese from 804 until 1648 and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from the late The Doge ( Venetian language, also Doxe, derived from Latin Dux military leader duke cf Enrico Dandolo (also Anglicised Henry Dandolo or in Latin Henricus Dandulus, 1107? &ndash June 21 1205) was the Doge The crusade was to make directly for the centre of the Muslim world, Cairo, ready to sail on June 24, 1202. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place This agreement was ratified by Pope Innocent, with a solemn ban on attacks on Christian states. [6]

Attack on Zara

Main article: Siege of Zara

As there was no binding agreement among the crusaders that all should sail from Venice, many chose to sail from other ports, particularly Flanders, Marseilles, and Genoa. The Siege of Zara ( Croatian - Zadar) ( November 10 - November 23, 1202) was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade. Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ Genoa ( Genova, ˈdʒɛːnova in Italian; Zena in Genoese and Ligurian; Genua in Latin and archaically in English By 1201 the bulk of the crusader army was collected at Venice, though with far fewer troops than expected; 12,000 instead of 33,500. Venice had performed her part of the agreement: there lay war galleys, large transports, and horse transports - enough for three times the assembled army. The Venetians, under their aged and blind Doge, would not let the crusaders leave without paying the full amount agreed to, originally 85,000 silver marks. Doge (plural dogi or doges) is a dialectal Italian word that descends from the Latin Dux (as does the English Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen This article is about the archaic weight of measure/currency For other uses of mark, see the disambiguation page Mark. The crusaders could only pay some 51,000 silver marks, and that only by reducing themselves to extreme poverty. This was disastrous to the Venetians, who had halted their commerce for a great length of time to prepare this expedition. In addition to this 20-30,000 men (out of Venice's population of 60,000 people) were needed to man the entire fleet, placing further strain on the Venetian economy. [7]

Dandolo and the Venetians succeeded in turning the crusading movement to their own purposes as a form of repayment. Following the 1182 massacres of all foreigners in Constantinople, the Venetian merchant population had been expelled by the ruling Angelus dynasty with the support of the Greek population. [8] These events gave the Venetians a hostile attitude towards Byzantium. Dandolo, who joined the crusade during a public ceremony in the church of San Marco di Venezia, proposed that the crusaders pay their debts by attacking the port of Zara in Dalmatia. Saint Mark's Basilica ( Italian: Basilica di San Marco a Venezia) the Cathedral of Venice, is the most famous of Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of 72717 (2001 Dalmatia ( Croatian: Dalmacija, see names in other languages) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern [9] The city had been dominated economically by Venice throughout the twelfth century, but had rebelled in 1181 and allied with King Emeric of Hungary and Croatia (the two were in a personal union). There was also a Hungarian prince and saint named Emeric of Hungary (died 1031 The Kingdom of Hungary (short form Hungary) was a considerable state in Central Europe that existed from 1001 to 1918 then from 1919 to 1946 The Kingdom of Croatia was an independent state from circa 925 until 1102 covering most of what is today Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans A personal union is the combination by which two different States are governed by the same Monarch, while their boundaries their laws and their interests remain distinct Subsequent Venetian attacks were repulsed, and by 1202 the city was economically independent, under the protection of the King. [10]

The Hungarian king was Catholic and had himself agreed to join this Crusade (though this was mostly for political reasons, and he had made no actual preparations to leave). Many of the Crusaders were opposed to attacking Zara, and some, including a force led by the elder Simon de Montfort, refused to participate altogether and returned home. Simon IV de Montfort Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury 5th Earl of Leicester (1160 &ndash June 25, 1218) also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was While the Papal legate to the Crusade Peter Cardinal Capuano endorsed the move as necessary to prevent the crusade's complete failure, Pope Innocent was alarmed at this development and wrote a letter to the Crusading leadership threatening excommunication. Peter of Capua (d1214 was an Italian theologian and Scholastic philosopher, and a Cardinal and Papal legate. Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community [11]

Historian Geoffrey Hindley's The Crusades: Islam and Christianity in the Struggle for World Supremacy mentions that in 1202, Innocent III “forbade” the Crusaders of Western Christendom from committing any atrocious acts on their Christian neighbours, despite wanting to secure papal authority over Byzantium (Hindley 143, 152). This letter was concealed from the bulk of the army and the attack proceeded. The citizens of Zara made reference to the fact that they were fellow Catholics by hanging banners marked with crosses from their windows and the walls of the city, but nevertheless the city fell after a brief siege. Both the Venetians and the crusaders were immediately threatened with excommunication for this by Innocent III.

Diversion to Constantinople

The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople (Eugène Delacroix, 1840). The most infamous action of the Fourth Crusade was the sack of the Orthodox Christian city of Constantinople
The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople (Eugène Delacroix, 1840). Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of The most infamous action of the Fourth Crusade was the sack of the Orthodox Christian city of Constantinople

Boniface of Montferrat, meanwhile, had left the fleet before it sailed from Venice, to visit his cousin Philip of Swabia. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Boniface of Montferrat (Bonifacio del Monferrato Βονιφάτιος Μομφερρατικός Vonifatios Momferratikos) (c Philip of Swabia (1177 &ndash June 21, 1208) was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV. The reasons for his visit are a matter of debate; he may have realized the Venetians' plans and left to avoid excommunication, or he may have wanted to meet with the Byzantine prince Alexius Angelus, Philip's brother-in-law and the son of the recently deposed Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelus. Isaac II Angelos or Angelus ( Greek: Ισαάκιος Β’ Άγγελος Isaakios II Angelos) (September 1156 &ndash January 1204 was Byzantine Alexius had fled to Philip when his father was overthrown in 1195, but it is unknown whether or not Boniface knew he was at Philip's court. There, Alexius IV offered 200,000 silver marks, 10,000 men to help the Crusaders, the maintenance of 500 knights in the Holy Land, the service of the Byzantine navy to transport the Crusader Army to Egypt and the placement of the Greek Orthodox Church under the Roman Catholic Church if they would sail to Byzantium and topple the reigning emperor Alexius III Angelus. The Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is formed by several autocephalous churches It was a tempting offer for an enterprise that was short on funds. Greco-Latin relationships had been complicated ever since the Great Schism of 1054. The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the

The Latins of the First, Second, and Third Crusade had been hostile to Constantinople on their way to the Holy Land, whereas the Greeks had been accused of betraying the Crusaders to the Turks. The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the dual goals of conquering the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and freeing The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the The Third Crusade (1189&ndash1192 also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin A large number of Venetian merchants were also attacked and deported during anti-Latin riots in Constantinople in 1182. However, the Byzantine prince's proposal involved his restoration to the throne, not the sack of his capital city, which Count Boniface agreed to. Alexius IV returned with the Marquess to rejoin the fleet at Corfu after it had sailed from Zara. Corfu (Κέρκυρα Kérkyra, ˈkʲe̞ɾkʲiɾa Κέρκυρα or Κόρκυρα Corcyra Corfù is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea The rest of the Crusade's leaders eventually accepted the plan as well. There were many leaders, however, of the rank and file who wanted nothing to do with the proposal, and many deserted. The fleet of 60 war galleys, 100 horse transports, and 50 large transports (the entire fleet was manned by 8,000 Venetian oarsmen and marines) arrived at Constantinople in late June 1203. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Galleys redirects here For other uses see Galley (disambiguation. Horse transports in the Middle Ages were boats used for effective means of transporting horses over long distances whether for war or general transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a Ship used to carry Soldiers either in peacetime or wartime [2] In addition, 300 siege engines were brought along on board the fleet. [12]

When the Fourth Crusade arrived at Constantinople, the city had a population of 150,000 people, a garrison of 30,000 men (including 5,000 Varangians), and a fleet of 20 galleys. The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian [3] The Crusaders' initial motive was to restore Isaac II to the Byzantine throne so that they could receive the support that they were promised. Conon of Bethune delivered this message to the Lombard envoy who was sent by the reigning emperor Alexius III Angelus, who had deposed his brother Isaac. Conon de Béthune (c 1150 in the former Artois region today Pas-de-Calais - December 17, 1219 or 1220 in or near Constantinople Alexios III Angelos ( Greek: Αλέξιος Γ' Άγγελος (c The citizens of Constantinople were not concerned with the deposed emperor and his exiled son; usurpations were frequent in Byzantine affairs, and this time the throne had even remained in the same family. The Crusaders sailed alongside Constantinople with 10 galleys to display Alexius III, but from the walls of the city the Byzantines taunted the puzzled crusaders, who had been promised that Prince Alexius would be welcomed. The Walls of Constantinople are a series of stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul in Turkey) since its [13] First the crusaders captured and sacked the cities of Chalcedon and Chrysopolis, then they defeated 500 Byzantine cavalrymen in battle with just 80 Frankish knights. For the Ecumenical Council of 451 see Council of Chalcedon; For the religious/political organization see Chalcedon Foundation. Üsküdar is a large and densely populated suburb of Istanbul, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus right opposite the heart of the great city next [14] Alexios III finally took action, and led 17 divisions from the St. Romanus Gate, vastly outnumbering the crusaders. Alexios III's army of about 8,500 men faced the Crusader's 7 divisions (about 3,500 men), but his courage failed, and the Byzantine army returned to the city without a fight. [15] Next the crusaders landed, attacked the northeastern corner of the city, and set a destructive fire, causing the citizens of Constantinople to turn against Alexius III, who then fled. The destructive fire left 20,000 people homeless. [16] Prince Alexius was elevated to the throne as Alexius IV along with his blind father Isaac.

Further attacks on Constantinople

Alexius IV realised that his promises were hard to keep. Alexius III had managed to flee with 1,000 pounds of gold and some priceless jewels, leaving the imperial treasury short on funds. Alexios III Angelos ( Greek: Αλέξιος Γ' Άγγελος (c At that point the young emperor ordered the destruction and melting of valuable Byzantine and Roman icons in order to extract their gold and silver, but even then he could only raise 100,000 silver marks. In the eyes of all Greeks who knew of this decision, it was a shocking sign of desperation and weak leadership, which deserved to be punished by God. The Byzantine historian Nicetas Choniates characterized it as "the turning point towards the decline of the Roman state".

Thus Alexius IV had to deal with the growing hatred by the citizens of Constantinople for the "Latins" and vice versa. In fear of his life, the co-emperor asked the Crusaders to renew their contract for another six months, to end by April 1204. There was, nevertheless, still fighting in the city. In August 1203 the crusaders attacked a mosque, which was defended by a combined Muslim and Greek opposition. Meanwhile, Alexius IV had led a Crusader army of 6,000 men against his rival Alexius V in Adrianople. [17]

On the second attempt of the Venetians to set up a wall of fire to aid their escape, they instigated the "Great Fire", in which a large part of Constantinople was burned down. Opposition to Alexius IV grew, and one of his courtiers, Alexius Ducas (nicknamed 'Murtzuphlos' because of his thick eyebrows), soon overthrew him and had him strangled to death. Alexius Ducas took the throne himself as Alexius V; Isaac died soon afterwards, probably naturally.

The crusaders and Venetians, incensed at the murder of their supposed patron, demanded that Murtzuphlos honor the contract which Alexius IV had promised. When the Byzantine emperor refused the Crusaders assaulted the city once again. On April 8th, Alexius V's army put up a strong resistance which did much to discourage the crusaders. It is said that the Greeks were so elated at their victory that they mooned the Crusaders. Mooning is the act of displaying one's bare Buttocks by removing clothing e

The Greeks pushed enormous projectiles onto the enemy siege engines, shattering many of them. A serious hindrance to the crusaders was bad weather conditions. Wind blew from the shore and prevented most of the ships from drawing close enough to the walls to launch an assault. Only five of the Greek towers were actually engaged and none of these could be secured; by mid-afternoon it was evident that the attack had failed.

The clergy discussed the situation amongst themselves and settled upon the message they wished to spread through the demoralized army. They had to convince the men that the events of 9 April were not God's judgment on a sinful enterprise: the campaign, they argued, was righteous and with proper belief it would succeed. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) The concept of God testing the determination of the crusaders through temporary setbacks was a familiar means for the clergy to explain failure in the course of a campaign.

The clergy's message was designed to reassure and encourage the crusaders. Their argument that the attack on Constantinople was spiritual revolved around two themes. First, the Greeks were traitors and murderers since they had killed their rightful lord, Alexius IV. The churchmen used inflammatory language and claimed that "the Greeks were worse than the Jews", and they invoked the authority of God and the pope to take action.

Although Innocent III had again demanded that they not attack, the papal letter was suppressed by the clergy, and the crusaders prepared for their own attack, while the Venetians attacked from the sea; Alexius V's army stayed in the city to fight, along with the imperial bodyguard, the Varangians, but Alexius V himself fled during the night. The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian

Final capture of Constantinople

Capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204
Capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204

On 12 April 1204 the weather conditions finally favoured the Crusaders. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. A strong northern wind aided the Venetian ships to come close to the wall. After a short battle, approximately seventy crusaders managed to enter the city. Some Crusaders were eventually able to knock holes in the walls, small enough for a few knights at a time to crawl through; the Venetians were also successful at scaling the walls from the sea, though there was extremely bloody fighting with the Varangians. The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian The crusaders captured the Blachernae section of the city in the northwest and used it as a base to attack the rest of the city, but while attempting to defend themselves with a wall of fire, they ended up burning down even more of the city. Blachernae (Βλαχερναί was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople. This second fire left 15,000 people homeless. [17] The Crusaders took the city on April 12. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The crusaders inflicted a horrible and savage sacking on Constantinople for three days, during which many ancient and medieval Roman and Greek works were either stolen or destroyed. The magnificent Library of Constantinople was destroyed. Despite their oaths and the threat of excommunication, the Crusaders ruthlessly and systematically violated the city's holy sanctuaries, destroying, defiling, or stealing all they could lay hands on; nothing was spared. It was said that the total amount looted from Constantinople was about 900,000 silver marks. The Venetians received 150,000 silver marks that was their due, while the Crusaders received 50,000 silver marks. A further 100,000 silver marks were divided evenly up between the Crusaders and Venetians. The remaining 500,000 silver marks were secretly kept back by many Crusader knights.

Speros Vryonis in Byzantium and Europe gives a vivid account of the sack of Constantinople by the Frankish and Venetian Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade:

The Latin soldiery subjected the greatest city in Europe to an indescribable sack. For three days they murdered, raped, looted and destroyed on a scale which even the ancient Vandals and Goths would have found unbelievable. Constantinople had become a veritable museum of ancient and Byzantine art, an emporium of such incredible wealth that the Latins were astounded at the riches they found. Though the Venetians had an appreciation for the art which they discovered (they were themselves semi-Byzantines) and saved much of it, the French and others destroyed indiscriminately, halting to refresh themselves with wine, violation of nuns, and murder of Orthodox clerics. The Crusaders vented their hatred for the Greeks most spectacularly in the desecration of the greatest Church in Christendom. They smashed the silver iconostasis, the icons and the holy books of Hagia Sophia, and seated upon the patriarchal throne a whore who sang coarse songs as they drank wine from the Church's holy vessels. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Αγία Σοφία " Holy Wisdom " Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former patriarchal Basilica, later The estrangement of East and West, which had proceeded over the centuries, culminated in the horrible massacre that accompanied the conquest of Constantinople. The Greeks were convinced that even the Turks, had they taken the city, would not have been as cruel as the Latin Christians. The defeat of Byzantium, already in a state of decline, accelerated political degeneration so that the Byzantines eventually became an easy prey to the Turks. The Crusading movement thus resulted, ultimately, in the victory of Islam, a result which was of course the exact opposite of its original intention.

(Vryonis, Byzantium and Europe, p. 152).

[18] According to Choniates, a prostitute was even set up on the Patriarchal throne. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. [19] When Innocent III heard of the conduct of his pilgrims, he was filled with shame and strongly rebuked them.

According to a prearranged treaty, the empire was apportioned between Venice and the crusade's leaders, and the Latin Empire of Constantinople was established. The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople (original Latin name Imperium Romaniae, " Empire of Romania " is the Boniface was not elected as the new emperor, although the citizens seemed to consider him as such; the Venetians thought he had too many connections with the former empire because of his brother, Renier of Montferrat, who had been married to Maria Comnena, empress in the 1170s and 80s. Renier of Montferrat (1162&ndash1183 in Italian Ranieri di Monferrato) was the fifth son of William V of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg. Maria Komnene or Comnena ( Greek: Μαρία Κομνηνή Maria Komnēnē) ( Constantinople March 1152 &ndash there July 1182 was the eldest Instead they placed Baldwin of Flanders on the throne. Baldwin I (July 1172 &ndash 1205 Bulgaria) the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders Boniface went on to found the Kingdom of Thessalonica, a vassal state of the new Latin Empire. The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade over the conquered Byzantine lands The Venetians also founded the Duchy of the Archipelago in the Aegean Sea. The Duchy of the Archipelago (Ducato dell'arcipelago Δουκάτον Αρχιπελάγους) or also Duchy of Naxos (Ducato di Nasso Δουκάτον Νάξου Meanwhile, Byzantine refugees founded their own successor states, the most notable of these being the Empire of Nicaea under Theodore Lascaris (a relative of Alexius III), the Empire of Trebizond, and the Despotate of Epirus. Succession of states is a theory in International relations regarding the recognition and acceptance of a newly created State by other states based on The Empire of Nicaea ( Greek: Βασίλειον τῆς Νίκαιας Turkish: İznik İmparatorluğu) was the largest of the Byzantine Theodoros I Komnenos Laskaris (Θεόδωρος Α' Λάσκαρις Theodōros I Laskaris) (c The Empire of Trebizond ( was a Byzantine Greek successor state of the Byzantine Empire founded in 1204 as a result of the capture of Constantinople The Principality of Epirus can also refer to the pashalik of Ali Pasha The Despotate or Principality of Epirus (Δεσποτάτο της

Outcome

Map showing the partition of the Byzantine Empire into The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea and Despotate of Epirus after AD 1204
Map showing the partition of the Byzantine Empire into The Latin Empire, Empire of Nicaea and Despotate of Epirus after AD 1204

Almost none of the crusaders ever made it to the Holy Land, and the unstable Latin Empire siphoned off much of Europe's crusading energy. The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople (original Latin name Imperium Romaniae, " Empire of Romania " is the The Empire of Nicaea ( Greek: Βασίλειον τῆς Νίκαιας Turkish: İznik İmparatorluğu) was the largest of the Byzantine The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople (original Latin name Imperium Romaniae, " Empire of Romania " is the The legacy of the Fourth Crusade was the deep sense of betrayal the Latins had instilled in their Greek coreligionists. With the events of 1204, the schism between the Catholic West and Orthodox East was complete. As an epilogue to the event, Pope Innocent III, the man who had launched the expedition, thundered against the crusaders thus:

"How, indeed, will the church of the Greeks, no matter how severely she is beset with afflictions and persecutions, return into ecclesiastical union and to a devotion for the Apostolic See, when she has seen in the Latins only an example of perdition and the works of darkness, so that she now, and with reason, detests the Latins more than dogs? As for those who were supposed to be seeking the ends of Jesus Christ, not their own ends, who made their swords, which they were supposed to use against the pagans, drip with Christian blood,­ they have spared neither religion, nor age, nor sex. (. . . ) They have even ripped silver plates from the altars and have hacked them to pieces among themselves. They violated the holy places and have carried off crosses and relics. "[20]

The Latin Empire was soon faced with a great number of enemies, which the crusaders had not taken into account. Besides the individual Byzantine Greek states in Epirus and Nicaea, the Empire received great pressure from the Seljuk Sultanate and the Bulgarian Empire. Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian The Empire of Nicaea ( Greek: Βασίλειον τῆς Νίκαιας Turkish: İznik İmparatorluğu) was the largest of the Byzantine The Second Bulgarian Empire ( Bulgarian: Второ българско царство Vtorо Balgarskо Tsartsvo) was a Medieval Bulgarian state The Greek states were fighting for supremacy against both Latins and each other. Almost every Greek and Latin protagonist of the event was killed shortly after. Murtzuphlus' betrayal by Alexius III led to his capture by the Latins and his execution at Constantinople. Alexios III Angelos ( Greek: Αλέξιος Γ' Άγγελος (c Not long after, Alexius III was himself captured by Boniface and sent to exile in Southern Italy. One year after the conquest of the city, Emperor Baldwin was decisively defeated at the Battle of Adrianople on 14 April 1205 by the Bulgarians, and was captured and later executed by the Bulgarian Emperor Kaloyan. Baldwin I (July 1172 &ndash 1205 Bulgaria) the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders The Battle of Adrianople occurred on April 14 1205 between Bulgarians under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in The Bulgarians (българи balgari) are a South Slavic people generally associated with the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language Kaloyan the Romanslayer (Калоян Ромеоубиец Ivan I (Иван I also Йоан I Ioan I, in English John I) ruled as emperor ( Two years after that, on 4 September 1207, Boniface himself was killed in an ambush by the Bulgarians, and his head was sent to Kaloyan. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself He was succeeded by his infant son Demetrius of Montferrat, who ruled until he reached adulthood, but was eventually defeated by Theodore I Ducas, the despot of Epirus and a relative of Murtzuphlus, and thus the Kingdom of Thessalonica was restored to Byzantine rule in 1224. Demetrius or Demetrios of Montferrat (Demetrio di Monferrato Δημήτριος Μομφερρατικός Dēmētrios Momferratikos) ( Thessalonica Theodore Komnenos Doukas or Theodore Comnenus Ducas ( Greek: Θεόδωρος Κομνηνός Δούκας Theodōros Komnēnos Doukas) ruler of The Principality of Epirus can also refer to the pashalik of Ali Pasha The Despotate or Principality of Epirus (Δεσποτάτο της

Various Latin-French lordships throughout Greece — in particular, the duchy of Athens and the principality of the Morea — provided cultural contacts with western Europe and promoted the study of Greek. The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, The Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three Vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire There was also a French cultural work, notably the production of a collection of laws, the Assises de Romanie (Assizes of Greece). The Chronicle of Morea appeared in both French and Greek (and later Italian and Aragonese) versions. The Chronicle of Morea (Το χρονικόν του Μορέως is a long 14th century text of which 4 versions are extant a French, a Greek French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Impressive remains of crusader castles and Gothic churches can still be seen in Greece. See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. Nevertheless, the Latin Empire always rested on shaky foundations. The city was re-captured by the Nicaean Greeks under Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1261, and commerce with Venice was re-established. Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( Greek: Μιχαήλ Η΄ Παλαιολόγος Mikhaēl VIII Palaiologos) (1223 &ndash December 11

In an ironic series of events, during the middle of the 15th century, the Latin Church tried to organize a crusade which aimed at the restoration of the Byzantine Empire which was gradually being torn down by the Ottoman Turks. The attempt, however, failed, as the vast majority of the Byzantines refused to unite the churches. The Greek population found that the Byzantine civilization which revolved around the Orthodox faith would be more secure under Ottoman rule. Overall, religious-observant Byzantines preferred to sacrifice their political freedom in order to preserve their faith's traditions and rituals. In the late 14th and early 15th century, two kinds of crusades were finally organised by the Kingdoms of Hungary, Poland, Wallachia and Serbia. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This article is about the region in what is now Southern Romania Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Both of them were checked by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish During the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453, a significant band of Venetian and Genoese knights died in the defense of the city. The Fall of Constantinople refers to the capture of the Byzantine Empire's capital by the Ottoman Empire on Tuesday May 29, 1453 (Julian Calendar Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the Genoa ( Genova, ˈdʒɛːnova in Italian; Zena in Genoese and Ligurian; Genua in Latin and archaically in English

Legacy

Eight hundred years after the Fourth Crusade, Pope John Paul II twice expressed sorrow for the events of the Fourth Crusade. Pope In 2001, he wrote to Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens, saying, "It is tragic that the assailants, who set out to secure free access for Christians to the Holy Land, turned against their brothers in the faith. Christodoulos ( 17 January 1939 – 28 January 2008) ( Greek: Χριστόδουλος, born Christos Paraskevaidis A list of Bishops Metropolitans and Archbishops of Athens: The fact that they were Latin Christians fills Catholics with deep regret. "[21] In 2004, while Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, was visiting the Vatican, John Paul II asked, "How can we not share, at a distance of eight centuries, the pain and disgust. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I ( Greek: Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαῖος Α' Turkish: Patrik I "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. "[22] This has been regarded as an apology to the Greek Orthodox Church for the terrible slaughter perpetrated by the warriors of the Fourth Crusade. [5]

In April 2004, in a speech on the 800th anniversary of the city's capture, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I formally accepted the apology. "The spirit of reconciliation is stronger than hatred," he said during a liturgy attended by Roman Catholic Archbishop Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France. "We receive with gratitude and respect your cordial gesture for the tragic events of the Fourth Crusade. It is a fact that a crime was committed here in the city 800 years ago. " Bartholomew said his acceptance came in the spirit of Pascha. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. "The spirit of reconciliation of the resurrection. . . incites us toward reconciliation of our churches. " [23]

The Fourth Crusade was one of the last of the major crusades to be directed by the Papacy, and even the Fourth quickly fell out of Papal control. After bickering between laymen and the papal legate led to the collapse of the Fifth Crusade, later crusades were directed by individual monarchs, mostly against Egypt. The Fifth Crusade ( 1217 &ndash 1221) was an attempt to take back Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Only one subsequent crusade, the Sixth, succeeded in restoring Jerusalem to Christian rule, and then only for a short time. The Sixth Crusade started in 1228 as an attempt to reconquer Jerusalem. The Crusades, as it seems, became politically and economically efficient for Crusaders less inclined to follow a spiritual but an ambitious, worldly conscience.

Notes

  1. ^ a b J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 106
  2. ^ a b T. Madden, Crusades: The Illustrated History, 105
  3. ^ a b J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 159
  4. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 157
  5. ^ a b Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, intro. , xiii).
  6. ^ "History of the Church", Innocent III & the Latin East, p. 370, Philips Hughes, Sheed & Ward, 1948.
  7. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 57
  8. ^ Donald Nicol, The last centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453 (Cambridge, 1993)
  9. ^ Zara is the today the city of Zadar in Croatia; it was called "Jadera" in Latin documents and "Jadres" by French crusaders. Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of 72717 (2001 Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Venetian (Italian) "Zara" is a later derivation of the contemporary vernacular "Zadra".
  10. ^ Jonathan Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, pp. 110-11.
  11. ^ "History of the Church", Innocent III & the Latin East, p. 371, Philip Hughes, Sheed & Ward, 1948.
  12. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 113
  13. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 164
  14. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 162
  15. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 177
  16. ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 176
  17. ^ a b J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 209
  18. ^ "History of the Church Vol II", Innocent III & the Latin East, p372, Philip Hughes, Sheed & Ward, 1948.
  19. ^ "The Sack of Constantinople", Nicetas Choniates, 1204.
  20. ^ Pope Innocent III, Letters, 126 (given July 12, 1205, and addressed to the papal legate, who had absolved the crusaders from their pilgrimage vows). Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Text taken from the Internet Medieval Sourcebook by Paul Halsall. Modified. Original translation by J. Brundage.
  21. ^ EWTN - In the Footsteps of St. Paul: Papal Visit to Greece, Syria & Malta - Words
  22. ^ Pope Expresses “Sorrow” Over Sacking of Constantinople
  23. ^ In Communion » News - issue 33

See also

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Further reading

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