4th Crusade

After the third crusade they had diverted from the Holy Land and had other plans. This specific crusade was encouraged by Pope Innocent III. The forth crusade was and effort to attack Egypt, the center of the Muslim world at the time. However the biggest effect this crusade had was on the city of Constantinople. However their efforts were not strong enough and did not bring much difference in the long run. (Source) (Source) (Source, Google Books)

The fourth crusade is a great piece of interest to many historians and scholars. The crusaders’ first mission was to go into Egypt and essentially take out the source. The Christians while preparing for this attack went to the Venetians for assistance in transportation and supplies. The Venetians had agreed under the condition that they would first capture Zara, so they did and then were planning to go to Egypt after completing the Venetians task. However their plans changed when Alexius, son of Isaac Angelus called on the crusaders for help to recover Constantinople. Agreeing to this the crusaders prepared to then take back the center of the Byzantine Empire. (Source) (Source) (Source, Google Books)

The Venetians agreed also to help them with this also. In fact they liked this idea a lot more because the Venetians were business men and having possession of Constantinople would increase trade throughout the Mediterranean. The Crusaders with the Venetians had cover the Naval aspect of the capturing the city and on land was Alexius and his men along with some French knights. Despite the pope’s thought on the subject the Crusaders ransacked the city of Constantinople in 1204. The manner of attack was not the shining moment of the Crusades for Christians. (Source) (Source) (Source, Google Books)

There was not a very exact account of what exactly happened when the crusaders sacked Constantinople, which makes historians and scholars interested in the event. One story is as this account says for example, “They burned down a great part of it; they slaughtered the inhabitants; they wantonly destroyed monuments, statues, paintings, and manuscripts - the accumulation of a thousand years. Much of the movable wealth they carried away. Never, declared an eye-witness of the scene, had there been such plunder since the world began.” (Source) However another account is this: “Meantime, Alexius had a assembled a large army for a counter-attack against the Franks. For some reason, however, his nerve failed him and he never made the attack. The Venetians in the meantime withdrew from the section of wall they had held, for they could not keep it without a victory on the Frankish side as well. Despite the fact that the Crusader assault had only partially succeeded, that night Alexius grabbed what wealth he could and fled the city with his daughter.” (Source) Each view of the battle can be different but yet the same dependent on the view. (Source) (Source) (Source, Google Books)

The ending effect was not great, years later the city was still captured. It had declined in faith from numerous barbarians picking away at it. Even when it did finally fall to the Turks, the down fall was blamed on the Venetians and the French for they only wanted the economic value of the city and did not look at its politics and military for the future. While although most of the crusades are not seen as a win per say they had a lasting and important effect on our history. (Source) (Source) (Source, Google Books)