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The Fourth Crusade
Since the First Crusade in the 11th Century, the Franks and Byzantines bickered
with each other over many issues. The Franks in the First Crusade pillaged Byzantine
cities1 and took back territory in the Holy Lands that once belong to the Greeks 2. In the
Second and Third Crusades continued Frankish pillaging in Byzantines towns and
disagreement between Frank and Byzantine leaders were common. The Franks exploited
the Byzantines because the Greeks needed help from the west and they could not stop the
intruding crusaders. Luckily for the Byzantines, the Franks, had not done too much
damage to their society by the Third Crusade but this would not be the case for the
Fourth. The Franks needed transport from Venice to Egypt but were diverted and were
involved in the battle to bring back the rightful emperor of the Byzantine Empire. By the
end of the Fourth Crusade, the crusaders sacked the great medieval city of Constantinople
because of the Franks’ debt to the Venetians, involvement that restored Isaac and Prince
Alexius as co-emperors, and the crusaders’ desires to obtain the marks that they were
promised by Isaac and Prince Alexius.
The first factor that led the Franks to sack Constantinople and ruin relations with
the Byzantines came from the horrific agreement that the crusaders made with the
Venetians before the Fourth Crusade. Traveling by ship was proven to be more effective
to transport armies to the East than by land. The terrific military leader of the Third
Crusade, King Richard I, had strategized that the best way to attack the Muslims was to
“Albert of Aachen on the Peasants’ Crusade”, in The Crusades: A Reader, ed. S. J.
Allen and Emilie Amt, Readings in Medieval Civilization and Cultures 8 (Toronto:
Broadway Press, 2003), 49.
2 “The First Crusade IV,” in History 3113: The Crusades (University of Oklahoma,
2014)
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travel by ship and attack Egypt3. The crusaders also agreed and said their “intended
destination … [was] Cairo … because it would easier to destroy Turks through an attack
on Egypt rather than anywhere else”4. So logically, the crusaders chose to use Venetian
ships to reach Egypt because of their expertise in sea travel5. The crusaders, including
Fourth Crusade chronicler Geoffrey of Villehardouin, seemed fascinated by the Venetian
leader or Doge, Enrico Dandolo, and Villehardouin constantly referred to him as “a most
wise and venerable man”6. The Franks informed the Doge that they needed ships to carry
“4,500 horses and 9,000 squires, with 4,500 knights and 20,000 foot sergeants”7. The
Venetians agreed to “provide food for all these horses and people for nine months”8. The
terms would be valid for a year and would also provide “fifty armed galleys, on the
condition that … [the Venetians] will have one half of everything [the Venetians] capture
on land or at sea” and the grand total “would amount to 94,000 marks9. This agreement
between the Franks and the Venetians was the beginning of the end for the Fourth
Crusade, before it even began. The agreement could have worked if all the expected
crusaders would have shown up to Venice. Around Easter 1202, a fleet from Flanders left
to join the Fourth Crusade but like many others they turned around because of “great
3Sacred
Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N.
Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 212.
4 Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 11.
5 “The Fourth Crusade I,” in History 3113: The Crusades (University of Oklahoma,
2014)
6 Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 8.
7 Ibid., 9.
8 Ibid., 9.
9 Ibid., 9.
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danger that the army gathered at Venice had undertaken”10. Perhaps the pilgrims did not
trust the Venetians and decided to turn back or rather leave from Marseilles.
Villehardouin blamed these pilgrims for future “misfortunes that were ahead”11. Even
though not everyone arrived at Venice, Villehardouin thought it was so well equipped “
that no Christian man has ever seen another more handsome or better equipped” 12. The
problem was that the crusaders needed three times as many troops to use all the ships13.
This created a real problem for everyone involved. Some crusaders wanted to disband but
the other side “’would rather offer all our money and set out with the army in poverty
than see it broken up and destroyed’”14. Even if the entire army wanted to disband, they
could not because of their contract with the Doge and they still lacked 34,000 marks to
end the contract15. The Doge saw a perfect opportunity for these stranded Franks to do
the Venetians bidding. The Hungarians had recently taken the port city of Zara off the
Adriatic Sea and the Doge wanted the town for their large inland forestry, which would
add lumber supplies to build more ships16. The Doge informed the crusaders that their
debt would be suspended if they agreed to help them take Zara17. The problem was that
Zara was a Christian city and notion at the time was to fight Muslims on crusades, not
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 16.
11 Ibid., 17.
12 Ibid., 18.
13 Ibid., 18.
14 Ibid., 19.
15 Ibid., 19.
16 “The Fourth Crusade I,” in History 3113: The Crusades (University of Oklahoma,
2014)
17 Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 19.
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fellow Christians. After an emotional speech by the Doge to the crusaders18, they agreed
to go on the journey because the Franks were desperate to repay their debt to the
Venetians.
When the Fourth Crusade was stalling out, the Byzantines had deep issues from
within. The Byzantine emperor, Isaac, had been usurped and blinded by his brother
Alexius III19. Isaac and his son Prince Alexius were thrown in prison. The Prince was
able to escape from the prison and headed west to try to find anyone who could help him
regain his inheritance from his uncle20. The people that could help the Prince were in a
large siege to take Zara. Before the siege of Zara, the counts and barons for the crusaders
agreed to continue with the operation because they would “’be shamed if [they did] not
help take the city’”21. After five days of fighting the Venetians and the crusaders had
taken Zara. The citizens were spared and the troops pillaged the rich city22. When the
army settled down in Zara, brawls broke out and many were wounded23. The mood of the
army changed after two weeks, when an envoy arrived from Germany. The envoy was
sent by Prince Alexius to try to convince the crusading army to help his cause24. The
Prince’s envoy offered the crusaders 200,000 marks and provisions for the army, 10,000
additional troops to help fight in Egypt for a year, and a constant supply of 500 knights,
in exchange for support to take back his rightful empire25. The offer allured the crusaders
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 20.
19 Ibid., 20.
20 Ibid., 21.
21 Ibid., 24.
22 Ibid., 24.
23 Ibid., 25.
24 Ibid., 25.
25 Ibid., 26.
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because of their debt to the Doge and the remaining funds would pay for a crusade in
Egypt. The counts and barons, once again, felt obligated to help Alexius. The barons felt,
“’if [the army] [rejected] this treaty [the crusaders] [would] be forever shamed’”26. The
Franks felt as if their honor was at stake, if they did not uphold their part of the deal to
the Doge. The Crusade leaders agreed, swore oaths and sealed the charters to Prince
Alexius27. In the winter of 1203, misfortunes struck the army while in Zara when 500
men drowned from a shipwreck and troops started to mutiny28. Powerful baron Simon of
Montfort convinced his brothers and many others to leave the army and head for
Hungary29. The crusaders were also under pressure from the Pope, who was not pleased
with the capture of the Christian city of Zara. The barons sent envoys to Rome to bargain
with the Pope. Villehardouin claimed that Pope Innocent III felt pity on the army and
instructed the army to continue30 but in reality, the Pope was furious and
excommunicated everyone involved31. By spring 1203, Prince Alexius arrived to travel to
Constantinople with the crusaders to remove his unruly uncle. The army proceeded to
island hop to effectively reach Constantinople. The first island was Negroponte to only
obtain loot. Next, they travelled to Abydos to replenish food supplies32. From Abydos,
the crusaders were in sight of Constantinople, they did not want to hesitate. The excited
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 26.
27 Ibid., 27.
28 Ibid., 27.
29 Ibid., 30.
30 Ibid., 29.
31 “The Fourth Crusade I,” in History 3113: The Crusades (University of Oklahoma,
2014)
32 Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 34,35.
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troops were so eager that “they came before Constantinople, passing so close to the walls
and the towers that they could take shots at many of the Greek ships”33. The crusaders
set up camp across from the city, near Prince Alexius’ palace, Chalcedon34. The French
camp was on the Strait of Saint George at Scutari and fought an early skirmish with
Alexius III’s army35. A defining moment before the actual siege was when a knight,
Conon of Bethune proclaimed to an emperor’s messenger that the crusaders had “not
entered [the emperor’s] kingdom or [the emperor’s] land at all, since [Alexius III] holds
them wrongfully … this kingdom and these lands belong to his nephew36. The siege was
tough for each side, and the defenders and crusaders traded blows. The crusaders were in
tough spot after they encamped in-between Blachernae and Bohemond’s castle and
survived repeated attacks and food shortages37. The turning point for the crusaders
occurred when the Venetians started scaling the walls by ship, which in turn took 25
towers38. A counter attack by the Byzantines sent the crusaders fleeing from the towers39.
The Doge sent another attack toward the Byzantines, which was the final straw for the
emperor. Emperor Alexius III went back, collected his fortune and “set off with those of
his followers who wished to leave… the people of the city were left in amazement”40.
The crusaders had finally driven off Emperor Alexius and they took the city, in the name
of Isaac and Prince Alexius. The rightful Emperor, Isaac, was released from prison and
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 35.
34 Ibid., 36.
35 Ibid., 37.
36 Ibid., 38.
37 Ibid., 43, 44.
38 Ibid., 45,46.
39 Ibid., 48.
40 Ibid., 48.
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Prince Alexius later entered the city41. Many in the army probably thought they could
now travel to Egypt and actually start crusading against the Muslims. Unfortunately for
young Alexius, Isaac and the rest of the Byzantine Empire, this was only the start of
continued disorder among leadership in Constantinople.
After being released from prison, Isaac had no idea of the terms and was in
disbelief, after being informed. Emperor Isaac saw the agreement as a “’most
burdensome one, and I do not see quite how it can fulfilled’” but eventually he agreed42.
The ridiculous terms of the agreement would prove to be too much for the Byzantines.
Alexius and Isaac pleaded with the crusaders to go across the strait because they feared of
a potential attack. The crusaders crossed the strait and remained peaceful with plenty of
supplies. The young Alexius was crowned in August and he started to pay off his debt to
the crusaders, which went to the Venetians because of their still present debt43. It is
obvious that the co-emperors were scared of the power of the crusading army, which led
them to make even worse decisions. The freighted Emperor Alexius IV made a deal with
the crusaders to stay until March, he paid the Venetians to stay until next year’s feast of
Saint Michael, granted material needs, he would pay off his debt after his lands were
secured, and Alexius IV would send a fleet with the army to go crusading44. Once again,
the army began to fracture and factions formed, many called to disband, some others
wanted to crusade in Syria, and the rest did not want to leave and ruin their honor45. The
army somehow stayed together, most likely from Alexius IV, who paid the Venetians
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 48.
42 Ibid., 50.
43 Ibid., 51.
44 Ibid., 52,53.
45 Ibid., 53.
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enough to stay. Alexius decided to make a tour of his new empire with many of the
barons to secure his vast territory46. This would not be a wise choice because in his
absent, a brawl broke out between the Greeks and the Franks and part of the city was set
on fire47. With destruction and death, the sides turned against each other and blamed one
another48. When Alexius IV arrived back to Constantinople, he was greeted by great
enthusiasm by the citizens49, this treatment made Alexius arrogant. The freshly crowned
emperor thought he did not need the services of the barons and gradually stopped his
payments to the crusaders50. The crusaders probably saw Alexius as being dishonorable
for not holding up his end of the bargain, which made them furious. The barons,
including elegant speaker Bethune, went to the palace of Isaac and Alexius to demand
their payments. The supercilious father and son, were stunned that they were not treated
with royalty. The barons left the palace empty-handed and even more upset51. After this
incident, tension between the Byzantines and crusaders reached a breaking point and the
army saw no other choice but to go to war with the Byzantines52. The war lasted
throughout the winter of 1203 and into 1204,53 and showed no signs of an immediate end.
In February, a turn of events occurred when a supposed guard for Alexius IV named
Mourtzouphlus captured the emperor while he slept. Mourtzouphlus threw Alexius in
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 54.
47 Ibid., 54,55.
48 Ibid., 55.
49 Ibid., 56.
50 Ibid., 56.
51 Ibid., 57.
52 Ibid., 58.
53 Ibid., 58.
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prison and quickly murdered him and his father54. The crusaders did not see
Mourtzouphlus as a hero for ridding of their enemy but were outraged and declared,
“anyone who committed such a murder had no right to possess lands”55. Another war
would ensue, where the crusaders had early victories to dampen the spirit of
Mourtzouphlus56. The army then decided to attempt another siege on Constantinople and
if they could enter then, “all the booty seized should be gathered together and then shared
out among the entire force”57. After an unsuccessful first attempt, the army went back to
camp to re-equip on Saturday and launch another attack on Monday58. The next attempt
was more successful and the army was able to set up camp outside the walls59.
Mourtzouphlus showed great dishonor by claiming he was going to attack the crusaders’
camp but instead left in the middle of the night and abandoned the city. When the sun
rose, the army launched another attack but faced no opposition60. The crusaders ran wild
in the opulent city of Constantinople61, Villehardouin was astonished by the riches of the
city and thought “no such spoils were won in any city since the creation of the world”62.
The greed infused crusaders “knew no restraint; from the time forward greedy people
started to horde things”63. Unlike other crusades, the Franks did not slaughter the
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 59.
55 Ibid., 60.
56 Ibid., 61.
57 Ibid., 62.
58 Ibid., 64.
59 Ibid., 65.
60 Ibid., 66.
61 Ibid., 66.
62 Ibid., 67.
63 Ibid., 68.
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townspeople64, most likely because they were more interested in the loot than killing
infidels. The Doge stayed in Constantinople and a new Latin emperor was crowned,
Count Baldwin of Flanders and Hainaut65. The massive plundering of Constantinople
made everyone forget about continuing on to Egypt or Syria for a crusade. After almost
two years, the crusaders ended the Fourth Crusade shockingly by sacking the great city of
Constantinople.
The relationship between the Franks and Byzantines was forever destroyed
because of the westerns had taken their prized city and stolen everything. When the
crusaders agreed to help Prince Alexius, those Byzantines were extremely grateful for the
support. When the army attacked and sieged Constantinople, Emperor Alexius III and his
side, most likely, loathed the crusaders. Citizens in Constantinople and in the Byzantines
Empire probably saw the crusaders not as liberators but as a nuisance for disrupting their
way of life. The terrible miscalculation of their army size by the Franks led to a large debt
with the Venetians, forced service to the Doge, and the inability for Emperor Alexius IV
to pay off his debt caused the ultimate breakdown of relation between Franks and
Byzantines, which was the sacking of Constantinople.
Chronicles of the Crusades, John of Joinville and Geoffrey of Villehardouin,
(Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963), 66.
65 Ibid., 70.
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