Devastatio Constantinopolitana (original) (raw)

The Devastatio Constantinopolitana (Devastation of Constantinople) is a short anonymous Latin eyewitness account of the Fourth Crusade. It covers the period from the preaching of Peter of Capua in France in 1198 until 16 May 1204, shortly after the sack of Constantinople. The Devastatio's coverage is detailed and its perspective unique. It portrays the Fourth Crusade as a series of un-Christian betrayals by the rich of the poor. Modern historians have used it more for its factual detail than for its perspective.