The Fourth Crusade

The fourth crusade lasted from 1202 through 1204, with the original intent being to overcome the Muslims who had power over Jerusalem. The crusaders were attentively planning to accomplish this through attacking them throughout Egypt. However, they chose to fight according to a different plan, deciding to invade within Western Europe, with the primary focus being on the city of Constantinople, which was the Byzantine Empire’s capital city. This includes various sieges on the city, leading up to the final capture of the major town itself. It is this that provides the primary focal point of the fourth crusade, and one of the concluding acts in the Great Schism that was between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

It was after the disappointment that the third crusade had that caused the concern for having another crusade in Europe had diminished, as they did not want to carry on another fight against the Muslims. It was during this time that Jerusalem was under the influence of the Ayyubid dynasty of Sunni Muslims, who had control over both Egypt and Syria. With knowledge of this, the majority of the crusaders departed from Venice in October of 1202, all of whom had their origins from various European cities. “Other notable groups came from the Holy Roman Empire, including men under Bishop Martin of Paris and Bishop Conrad of Halberstadt, together in alliance with the Venetian soldiers and sailors led by the doge Enrico Dandolo.”(Queller 193)The purpose of the crusade was to aim directly for the center of the Muslim world, Cairo. The crusaders were now ready to sail on June 24, 1202.

The Latin’s that were involved in the First, Second, and Third Crusade had gone from stresses to completely antagonistic in Constantinople on their journey to the Holy Land. This was opposite to how the Greeks approached the situation as their armies had deserted the Crusaders in some instances and participated in a diplomacy with their enemies. Many of Venetian merchants and other Latins were also attacked during the massacre of the Latins in Constantinople in 1182, which involved the method of deportation to be utilized. “However, the Byzantine prince's proposal involved his restoration to the throne, which Count Boniface agreed to. Alexius IV returned with the Marquess to rejoin the fleet at Corfu after it had sailed from Zara. The rest of the Crusade's leaders eventually accepted the plan as reliable.” (Phillips 204) There were several leaders of this same rank who did not want to take part in this proposal and many disregarded the idea.

It was on April 12, 1204, the weather conditions were finally in support of the Crusaders. A powerful wind that came from the north aided the Venetian ships neat the wall, and a short battle took place to seige Constantinople. It was after this fight that about seventy crusaders succeeded in making their way into the city. Many of them chose to make holes in the walls, which were helpful in causing a small number of knights to make their way through. Another thing that the Venetians were victorious in doing was traveling from the sea, and climbing up the nearby walls, even though they encountered very bloody fighting with the Varangians. It was after a long period of hard fighting that the crusaders finally captured the Blachernae section of the city, which was located in the northwest. They had a relatively easy time taking over the rest of the city, as after they overcame this milestone, a strong and successful foundation had been established for conquering. Despite causing extensive damage from defensive fires that they started in order to defend themselves, they managed to take over the city of Constantinople on this faithful day.

In conclusion, a majority of the crusaders never completed their journey to the Holy Land, causing them to leave a legacy of a profound betrayal by the Latin’s. The Latin Empire also faced many problems after this crusade which included having problems with both the Seljuk and Bulgarian Empires. This also sparked the Greek and Latin states fighting against each other, which incorporated many major officials such as Alexius III to be captured and even executed. It was because of this that there were many attempts to start other crusades that did not ultimately end up happening. However, the conflict did not end here, as the aggression and tension continued, eventually leading to the fifth crusade and beyond.

Phillips, Jonathan. The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople. Random House Publishers: United States, 2005.

Queller, Thomas F. The Fourth Crusade: The Conquest of Constantinople. University of Pennsylvania Press: United States, 1997.