The Crusade that Turned West

The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204)

Intended to liberate Jerusalem, the Fourth Crusade became a disastrous expedition driven by Venetian ambition and financial desperation, culminating in the shocking Sack of Constantinople in 1204. This act of aggression fractured the Byzantine Empire and permanently poisoned relations between the Latin West and the Greek East.

Financial Crisis and the Venetian Deal

The Crusade, called by Pope Innocent III in 1198, was plagued by financial troubles from the start. The Crusader leaders, primarily French and Flemish nobles, contracted with the Republic of Venice to transport a massive army to Egypt, the planned target. However, far fewer soldiers arrived than expected, leaving the Crusaders unable to pay the staggering 85,000 silver marks owed to Doge Enrico Dandolo. To resolve this debt, Dandolo proposed a fateful detour: the Crusaders must help Venice capture the rival Christian city of Zara on the Dalmatian coast.

The Path to Betrayal

  • Papal Call

    Pope Innocent III calls for the Fourth Crusade to recapture Jerusalem.

  • Siege and Sack of Zara

    In lieu of payment, the Crusader army attacks and captures the Christian city of Zara for Venice, leading to the temporary excommunication of the entire force by the Pope.

  • Diversion to Constantinople

    Exiled Byzantine Prince Alexios Angelos (later Alexios IV) offers 200,000 marks, military support, and reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches if the Crusaders restore his father, Isaac II Angelos, to the throne.

  • First Capture of Constantinople

    The Crusaders seize the city. Isaac II and Alexios IV are crowned co-Emperors, but they fail to produce the promised funds, leading to high tensions.

  • The Great Sack

    Following a Byzantine anti-Western coup, the Crusaders launch a final assault. Constantinople is captured, subjected to three days of brutal looting, massacre, and destruction.

  • Establishment of the Latin Empire

    The Crusaders establish the Latin Empire of Constantinople, electing <b>Baldwin I of Flanders</b> as the first Latin Emperor. The Byzantine state fragments into successor states like Nicaea and Epirus.

Key Figures and Immediate Consequences

  • Enrico Dandolo: The 90-year-old Doge of Venice who ruthlessly masterminded the diversions to Zara and Constantinople.
  • Alexios IV Angelos: The Byzantine prince whose desperate and unfulfillable promises provided the justification for attacking the capital.
  • Baldwin I: The Count of Flanders who was elected the first Emperor of the newly established Latin Empire.
  • Permanent Schism: The sack solidified the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, a wound that lasts to this day.

The Devastation of the Queen of Cities

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The 1204 Sack was one of the most destructive events in medieval history. Latin soldiers looted churches, destroyed irreplaceable classical and Byzantine artworks, and committed widespread atrocities. The greatest city in Christendom, the repository of Roman history and Christian relics, was stripped of its immense wealth. Priceless items, including the Horses of San Marco (bronze statues now in Venice), were sent back to the West as plunder. The Empire never fully recovered from this political and economic blow, setting the stage for its eventual fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.