Fourth Crusade

These were the horrific scenes of the Fourth Crusade on Constantinople in 1204 when the city was sacked and desecrated by the crusaders representing the Western (Catholic) Church.

Summary of the Fourth Crusade

Pope Innocent III called for the Fourth Crusade in 1202. He sought to reclaim the Holy Land by way of Egypt. The Venetian city-state cooperated with the Church to build ships and provide sailors for the proposed crusade. However, the Crusaders traveled instead to the capital of Byzantium (Eastern Christian Empire), Constantinople. Their conquest of that city led to the partitioning of the Byzantine Empire and crusader rule for almost six decades. It was not until 1261 that the crusaders were expelled, and the Byzantine Empire was restored. Despite this restoration, the Fourth Crusade considerably weakened Byzantium, leading to its downfall in 1453 due to the Ottoman (Turkish) invasion.

Fig. 1 - Conquest of Constantinople by The Crusaders In 1204, 15th century, by David Aubert.

The Fourth Crusade: Period

In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade to retake the Holy Land (Middle East) with Jerusalem as the symbol of Christianity. Since the 7th century, lands that were, in part, populated by Christians had been gradually overtaken by Islam, and the Church sought to reclaim what it considered to be it's own. Also, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I requested help from Pope Urban because the Seljuk Turks sought to overtake Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Pope Urban decided to use the Byzantine Emperor's request to attain his political goals of unifying Christian lands under the papacy. At this time, the Eastern and Western churches were already in a schism since 1054 after centuries of unofficial separation.

There were practical reasons for the Crusades too. The Medieval system of male primogeniture left an inheritance, including land, only to the eldest son. As a result, many landless men in Europe usually became knights. Sending them on the Crusades was one way to manage many such soldiers. Knights often joined military orders such as the Templars and the Hospitallers.

By the early 1200s, the Crusades had been going on for over a hundred years. Whereas the original spirit of these military expeditions had been subdued, they went on for another century. The Church of Rome still hoped to reclaim Jerusalem. That key city was captured in 1099 during the First Crusade. However, the crusaders lost Jerusalem when the Egyptian leader Saladin conquered it in 1187. At the same time, some other crusader cities along the Mediterranean coast remained under western European control. The last ones to fall were Tripoli in 1289 and Acre in 1291.

In 1202, Pope Innocent III called for the Fourth Crusade because the secular authorities in Europe were fighting their rivals. The three countries most involved in this crusade on the leadership level were:

• Italy,
• France,
• The Netherlands.

Fig. 2 - Pope Innocent III, fresco, cloister Sacro Speco, ca. 1219.

Key Events in the Fourth Crusade

At the same time, the crusaders became involved in Byzantine politics which ultimately led to the sacking of Constantinople. Alexius III overthrew his brother, Emperor Isaac II Angelos, imprisoned him, and blinded him in 1195. Isaac's son, also named Alexius, met the crusaders in Zara requesting help to fight his usurper-uncle. Isaac's son pledged a large reward for the crusaders and Byzantine participation in the Fourth Crusade. He also promised that the Byzantines would acknowledge the importance of the Church of Rome.

Up to half of the crusaders wanted to return home; the promised reward enticed others. Certain clergy, such as the Cistercians and the Pope himself, did not support directing their crusade against the Christian city of Constantinople. At the same time, the Pope was tempted by the idea of having a united Christian empire. Some historians even consider the Fourth Crusade a conspiracy between the Venetians, Isaac's son Alexius, and the Hohenstaufen-Norman opponents of the Byzantine Empire.

Ultimately, the crusaders arrived in Constantinople and proclaimed Isaac II and his son Alexius IV as the Byzantine co-emperors. Alexius III left the city. However, the large sums of money promised to the crusaders did not materialize, nor did the Greek Orthodox clergy accept Rome's control. The animosity between the crusaders and the Greeks quickly reached a boiling point.

At the same time, the crusaders recalled an 1182 incident in which a mob sacked the Italian quarter of Constantinople, allegedly killing many of its residents.

This deterioration led to war in the spring of 1204, and the invaders stormed Constantinople on April 12, 1204. The crusaders plundered and burned that city. The crusades' chronicler and leader, Geoffrey de Villehardouin, stated:

Fig. 3 - Crusaders sack Constantinople, 1330.

The western Christian clergy also looted many relics, including what was believed to be Christ's crown of thorns, housed in Constantinople. There was so much looting that King Louis IX of France built the famous cathedral of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris to store them adequately.

The Fourth Crusade: Leaders

• Pope Innocent III, the head of the Western (Catholic Church)
• Enrico Dandolo, the doge of Venice
• Isaac II, imprisoned Byzantine emperor
• Alexius III, Byzantine Emperor, and brother of Isaac II
• Alexius IV, Isaac's son
• Geoffrey de Villehardouin, Crusader leader and chronicler

Aftermath

After Constantinople fell to the crusaders, the French established the Latin Empire of Constantinople led by a Western (Catholic) Patriarch from Venice. Other western Europeans appointed themselves as the leaders of several Greek cities, including Athens and Thessaloniki. Papal ex-communication of crusaders was no more. It was only in 1261 that the Palaiologan dynasty reclaimed the Byzantine Empire. The reestablished Byzantium now preferred to trade with the rivals of the Venetians, the Genoese. Western Europeans, such as Charles of Anjou, persisted in their attempts to reclaim Byzantium but failed.

The long-term consequences of the Fourth Crusade were:

1. the deepened schism between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople;
2. the weakening of Byzantium.

The Eastern Empire was no longer a great power in the Mediterranean Sea. The original 1204 cooperation between the feudal nobility interested in territorial expansion and merchants continued after 1261.

Ultimately, Byzantine weakness could not withstand external pressure, and Byzantium fell to the Turks in 1453.

Crusades continued for almost another century, including the Fifth Crusade organized by Pope Innocent III. After this crusade, the papacy lost its power in this military endeavor. The King of France, Louis IX, led the subsequent significant crusades. Despite the partial success of reclaiming most of the crusader cities and castles, in 1270, the King and much of his military fell to the plague in Tunis. By 1291, the Mamluks, the Egyptian military class, recaptured Acre, which was the last outpost of the crusaders.