Wiki User Answered . But the Fourth Crusade wasn’t done yet. The diversion of the Fourth Crusade from the Holy Land to attack, capture, and pillage the Byzantine city of Constantinople divided and dissipated the efforts of the Christians to maintain the war against the Muslims. 5 6 7. On the 24 th June 1203, the fleet passed beneath the walls of Constantinople. Answer. That is why. This was the Fourth Crusade.Pope Innocent III did not "allow" crusaders to invade Constantinople. Reddit. Venetian merchants persuaded knights to attack Constantinople for their treasures. The crusade in the east was a failure for the crusaders and a great victory for the Muslims. It is widely regarded as a shocking betrayal of principles out of greed. It would ultimately lead to the fall of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade at … One misconception concerns what motivated the crusaders to undertake their mission. Twitter. Since they did not receive the expected payment, the Crusaders decided to invade the city again in April of 1204, and subjected the city to days of massacres and looting as if it were a Muslim city. When the long-lasting Ottoman Empire finally collapsed in 1923, the new Republic of Turkey officially changed Constantinople's name to Istanbul. In 1064, there had been a division in Catholicism known as the Great Schism; this separated the church into Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox. Map of Byzantine Constantinople. When the Byzantine emperor refused, the Crusaders assaulted the city once again. Crusaders attack Constantinople instead of the Saracens. The crusaders and Venetians, incensed at the murder of their supposed patron, demanded that Mourtzouphlos honour the contract which Alexios IV had promised. Jonathan Phillips | Published in History Today Volume 54 Issue 5 May 2004. In 2004, the Papacy issued an apology for the actions of the Fourth Crusade. The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), originally designed to conquer Egypt, instead, in 1204, conquered the Orthodox Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. This, his envoys assured the Crusaders, would be easy since the people resented the incumbent ruler of Byzantium, Emperor Alexius III, and would welcome the young man with open arms. After the fall of the city, it was looted for three days, before a short lived Latin Byzantine empire was created. For 3 days, Crusaders burned and plundered the city, sending much treasure westward. The Crusaders had to take the prince back to Constantinople and secure the imperial throne for him. It was an extraordinary episode. -June 1203 - another letter banning the attack on Constantinople How did Peter of Capuano react to the attack on Zara? On April 12, they managed to attack the Gold Coast. Here was a military venture that was supposed to push back Islam and reassert Christian power in the Middle East. Conclusion. Or because they wanted to leave their village because it was under attack. Jonathan Phillips sees one of the most notorious events in European history as a typical ‘clash of cultures’. Also, the crusaders carried off priceless religious objects, which makes me very mad. The crusaders decided to attack the city, and between 11-13 April 1204 launched the first successful attack on Constantinople. He tried to repair the walls and reorganize the social life, but the troops and guards were demoralized. Sometimes, I like to listen to what other people have to say. The Venetians had just such a city in mind: Constantinople. The Fourth Crusade set out to liberate the Holy Land and the city of Jerusalem from Muslim occupation, but instead found the Byzantine capital Constantinople an easier target, and pillaged it. We know for a fact that when the crusaders came, most Muslims did not raise a finger. Unable to finance their journey from Constantinople to Jerusalem and faced with the murder of Alexius, who owed them money, the Crusade’s leaders decided to attack Constantinople a second time—which they did, brutally. The Fourth Crusade saw Constantinople besieged in July–August of 1203. Why did the Crusaders sack Constantinople? Many Crusaders were simply motivated by greed so they didn't care whether they plundered Muslims or … The attack was brutal, with thousands killed. In July 1203, the crusaders arrived in Constantinople. Istanbul and Constantinople. The Attack On Constantinople By The Fourth Crusade. Many people who fought in the crusades did so to repent sins and be forgiven by the church or to gain land. Alexius V played tough with the Crusaders and ultimately ordered the murder of Alexius IV. The history of the crusades is filled with the mercilessness of the crusaders and the kind-heartedness of the Muslims. Louis and Conrad and the remnants of their armies reached Jerusalem and, in 1148, participated in an ill-advised attack on Damascus. A great deal of ink has been spilled on the question of how the crusaders got to Constantinople and what convinced them to attack the Byzantines once there, but a lot less on how they actually managed to take the city. The Ottoman’s conquest of the Byzantine Empire on 29th May 1453 was the final blow to the Fall of Constantinople. This article will elaborate on the Real Crusades History’s verdict about the crusaders’ primary motive by examining the speech in which Pope Urban II called for the first crusade. The Crusaders were supposed to be transported by a massive Venetian fleet to Egypt, but alas there was no money. Image. Their original target was supposed to be Muslim Cairo. The Venetians Attack Constantinople, 1204 CE. On the 17 th July, the fleet laid siege to the Christian city of Constantinople, which would take nearly a year to capture.. Was it the love of the fight, that they disobeyed their Pope’s plans to attack Egypt, or the greed; spoils go to the victorious. In 1198 he called a new Crusade through legates and encyclical letters. Alexius V also fled. The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople. In fact, the men of the Fourth Crusade never reached anywhere near Jerusalem. The Crusaders were hugely in debt to Venice so they jumped at the offer. force, later allowed them to attack their fellow Christians in Constantinople. During the battle, some 6,000 Varangians manned the city walls, achieving several victories against the invaders. Illustration. To their disappointment, It ended with the capture and sacking of another Christian city – Constantinople. The Muslims were massacred everywhere the crusaders arrived, … The Emperor Constantine made the city the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330, and it was re-named in honor of him: Constantinople. Alexius was naive and did not realise that the Crusaders would plunder the city. The Fourth Crusade and the Latin empire of Constantinople. And to a large extent, the crusaders didn’t interfere with Muslim religious space. The attack on Constantinople was probably one of the first big attacks that led to its own slow downfall until it was consumed by the Ottoman Empire and this is what puzzles me. Reference this Share this: Facebook. Constantinople was a very wealthy city. Why did Crusaders attack Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade? Info: 2155 words (9 pages) Essay Published: 1st Jan 2015 in History. The Crusaders led another attack on April 6, but without success. Around 10,000 people gathered at Constantinople, before taking control of Edessa and Antioch. the situation is that if the 4th crusade hadn't attacked the Empire, I might be living in Greece. On April 8, Alexios V's army put up a strong resistance which did much to discourage the crusaders. -he agreed because he thought the crusaders might disintegrate if … In response, the Crusaders declared war on Constantinople, and the Fourth Crusade ended with the devastating Fall of Constantinople, marked by a … After a long seige they captured Jerusalem in 1099. Pope Innocent III was the first pope since Urban II to be both eager and able to make the Crusade a major papal concern. The Crusaders robbed, terrorized and vandalized Constantinople for three days. – aea2o5 May 8 '13 at 21:24 Asked by Wiki User. Emperor Alexios IV died as a result of the revolts that arose in Constantinople, and failed to fulfill his promises to the Crusaders. The Fourth Crusade was actually conceived in 1199 at a jousting tournament held by Thibaut, Count of Champagne, at Ecry-sur-Aisne in northern France. Top Answer. Why did Venice urge crusaders to attack Constantinople? Similarly, why did Constantinople become Istanbul? They sacked the city of Constantinople and did a great amount of looting in it. Hoping to undermine one of their greatest trading rivals, the Venetians persuaded the Crusaders to attack Constantinople, the capitol of the Byzantine Empire. Instead, a bizarre twist of fate turned the latest crusaders in a totally unexpected direction—toward the great Christian city, Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine (or Eastern Roman) Empire. Instead, Constantinople was chosen. 2009-04-09 16:34:31 2009-04-09 16:34:31. The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople. What the Crusaders did have in abundance, though, was a lot of armed troops that could conquer just about any seaside city that wasn't expecting an attack.