This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Andre Engels (talk | contribs) at 12:32, 17 October 2002. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 12:32, 17 October 2002 by Andre Engels (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Fourth Crusade, instead of attacking Muslims, conquered the Christian Byzantine Empire of Constantinople in 1204.
After the third crusade, the vital crusading spirit was dead, and the succeeding crusades are to be explained rather as arising from the efforts of the papacy in its struggle against the secular power, to divert the military energies of the European nations toward Syria.
A systematic agitation was carried on, and in 1201 a large army was collected which it was planned to transport on Venetian vessels to Egypt. The Venetians under their astute doge, Enrico Dandolo, succeeded in turning the crusading movement to their own purposes.
The crusaders threw themselves against the Byzantines, Constantinople was taken and sacked (1204), and the empire was apportioned between Venice and the Christian leaders. The Latin empire at Constantinople was established.
See also: