Constantinople Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

In 1198, Lothar of Sengi was elected Pope and took the name of Innocent III. His main objective was to organize a new crusade. The army of Crusaders was mobilized in 1199 by count Thibaut of Champagne. After his death, in 1201, he was replaced by an Italian count, Boniface of Montferrat. The Crusaders chose Venetian fleet to transport them to the Holy Land and therefore signed a binding contract. However, it soon appeared that an insufficient quantity of knights influenced their capital. To postpone repayment of the debt, on their way to the Holy Land, the Crusaders were going to assist Venetian conquest of city Zadar. But instead, at the instigation of Alexios Angelus, they decided to return the throne to his father, Isaac II. Thus, the expedition arrived in Constantinople. Having managed to restore the throne, Alexius was crowned the Emperor. Despite the Crusaders’ help, the Emperor refused to pay dues promised to them. When conflict between the Crusaders and the inhabitants of Constantinople arose, the situation in the city deteriorated significantly. Riots erupted and that led Alexios Doukas to assassination of both Isaac and Alexius. The Crusaders responded by conquering the city on 12th April, 1204. Constantinople was plundered and on May 16th, 1204, the coronation of Baldwin I of Flanders took place. However, it was known that due to its significant lack of military force, the Latin Empire was not well protected at that time. The main antagonists of Baldwin I were Bulgarians and Greeks. The offensive of the Bulgarian Emperor took place. During the battle of Adrianople, April 14th, 1205, the Emperor Baldwin was captured. Since he was never released from captivity, his brother, Henry was chosen to be the new Emperor on August 20th, 1206. The Crusaders also fought with Theodore Laskaris, the creator of the Empire of Nicaea. Boniface of Montferrat, the leader of the crusade, died in 1207. During the period between 1209-1211, Latin Emperor Henry defeated all enemies and parleyed both with the Bulgarians and Theodore Laskaris, allowing to consolidate a new state. During Henry’s reign, Latin Empire reached its peak, both territorially and militarily. A gradual collapse of the Empire began with his death in 1216 to finally occur in 1261. Two western chroniclers who participated in the IV Crusade, Geoffrey of Villehardouin, Marshal of Champagne and of Romania and knight from Picardy Robert de Clari, documented the expedition. The story told by the Marshal of Champagne is a chronicle of altruistic deeds of great men who directed the expedition, while the second one is a history of the campaign, which includes all of its shortcomings and difficulties.