The Fourth Crusade

By the year 1198, Europe had already completed three holy wars to accomplish their goal of recapturing Jerusalem. A new Pope, Innocence the third had been elected who called for a crusade to attempt to resolve the conflict between the Western Rulers by uniting them in a religious cause. Few responded to the Popes appeal until 1202, when there were enough recruits to begin the crusade. The original goal, to retake Jerusalem (like all the crusades), was changed due to intrigues within the Byzantine Empire and a lack of funding. The Crusaders came to an agreement with the City of Venice, which had been demanding payment for the 500 ships they provided for the crusade. The Crusaders did not have the financial means to repay, so they offered instead to capture the Adriatic port of Zara, which Venice needed to support its seafaring power. Zara fell in 1202 and soon after it succumbed, the army was again redirected, this time by Alexius IV, son of the Emperor Isaac II. Alexius offered the Crusaders 200,000 marks of greatly needed funding, reunification of the Orthodox and Roman churches, and a large army for a crusade, if the crusaders would help restore his father to the throne. The majority of the crusaders agreed to the proposition and in 1203, headed toward Constantinople. They attacked the city in July, and their successful campaign resulted in the co-coronation of Isaac and his son. Within months, however, the clergy and the people of the city, led by the future Alexius V,...

The Fourth Crusade

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