What were the Crusades and where did they take place?
The Crusades were a series of religiously motivated wars occurring in the 11th through the 13th centuries, fought primarily throughout the Middle East. The Crusades began after Muslim nations captured Jerusalem, a city holy to Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The Catholic Church launched the First Crusade in 1095 to take back the city, and nearly constant warfare followed for the next 200 years.
Where did the Fifth Crusades start?
The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the sultan al-Adil, brother of Saladin. In 1213, Innocent III called for another Crusade at the Fourth Lateran Council , and in the papal bull Quia maior . [122]
Where did the final battle Revolution take place?
The last battle of the American Revolutionary War was the Battle of Yorktown, in which General George Washington won a decisive victory over British General Cornwallis. This defeat led to the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war. Just before the battle, General Nathaniel Greene had driven the British from the Carolinas, forcing them to march ...
Where did the crusaders attack first on the First Crusade?
The Crusaders first encountered the Turks at the Anatolian capital city of Nicaea in the spring of 1097. Kilij Arslan, the region’s Seljuk sultan, at first did not take the Crusaders seriously. He had easily destroyed Peter the Hermit’s rabble, and spies had sent him reports of problems among the leadership of the new Christian army.
Where did the 4th Crusade take place?
BalkansByzantine EmpireFourth Crusade/Locations
How did the Fourth Crusade start?
The city remained in Christian hands until Saladin's conquest in 1187, after which time the Third Crusade was organized. Unsuccessful attempts to restore rule over Jerusalem and the failure of the campaign led to the launch of the Fourth Crusade.
When did the Fourth Crusade start and end?
1202 – 1204Fourth Crusade / Period
What event led to the 4th crusade?
Pope Innocent III calls for the Fourth Crusade to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim rule. Marquis Boniface of Montferrat is selected to lead the Fourth Crusade. The Fourth Crusade is formed to recapture Jerusalem for Christendom. Instead, the Crusaders attack Constantinople.
Why did the crusades start?
The Crusades were organized by western European Christians after centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their primary objectives were to stop the expansion of Muslim states, to reclaim for Christianity the Holy Land in the Middle East, and to recapture territories that had formerly been Christian.
Who ended the crusades?
In 1291, one of the only remaining Crusader cities, Acre, fell to the Muslim Mamluks. Many historians believe this defeat marked the end of the Crusader States and the Crusades themselves.
What happened in the fourth Crusades?
Alexius IV, who owed his throne to Latins, became bitterly unpopular and was finally toppled in a palace coup in late January 1204. The Crusaders, now cheated of their reward and disgusted at the treachery of the Byzantines, declared war on Constantinople, which fell to the Fourth Crusade on April 12, 1204.
How many Crusades are there?
There were at least eight Crusades. The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. The Second Crusade began in 1147 and ended in 1149. The Third Crusade started in 1189 and was concluded in 1192.
Who won 4th Crusade?
Instead, a sequence of events culminated in the Crusaders sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Christian-controlled Byzantine Empire. The Fourth Crusade never came to within 1,000 miles of its objective of Jerusalem, instead conquering Byzantium twice before being routed by the Bulgars at Adrianople.
Why did Crusades end?
Crusading came to an end in the 16th century, mainly because of changes in Europe brought on by the Protestant Reformation and not because the Muslim threat had diminished. Martin Luther and other Protestants had no use for Crusades, which they believed were cynical ploys by the papacy to grab power from secular lords.
How did the Third Crusade lead to the Fourth Crusade?
The successes of the Third Crusade allowed Westerners to maintain considerable states in Cyprus and on the Syrian coast. The failure to re-capture Jerusalem inspired the subsequent Fourth Crusade of 1202–1204, but Europeans would only regain the city—and only briefly—in the Sixth Crusade in 1229.
Why did the Fourth Crusade result in failure?
The religious reasons that gave origin to the crusade were not enough to prevent the Crusaders from carrying out atrocious acts during the taking of the cities. The Fourth Crusade not only failed in its purpose, but also, the distance between eastern and western Christendom increased as a consequence.
Why did pope Innocent call for a Fourth Crusade in 1198 CE?
The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204 CE) was called by Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216 CE) to retake Jerusalem from its current Muslim overlords.
Why did the 4th Crusade sack Constantinople?
In March 1204, the Crusader and Venetian leadership decided on the outright conquest of Constantinople in order to settle debts, and drew up a formal agreement to divide the Byzantine Empire between them.
Where did the main army go on the Fourth Crusade?
The main army that sailed from Venice to Constantinople experienced several waves of defections as men sought to fulfill their vows independently of the leadership. Most of them sailed directly from ports in Apulia (southern Italy) to Acre. According to Villehardouin, the majority of those who set out on the Fourth Crusade went to the Holy Land, while only a minority participated in the attack on Constantinople. Villehardouin, however, regarded those who went to the Holy Land as deserters of the main army and its leadership and he may have exaggerated their number in order to magnify the accomplishments of the minority that besieged Constantinople.
What was the purpose of the 4th Crusade?
The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim -controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid Sultanate, the strongest Muslim state of the time.
What did the Venetians do with the Crusade?
Dandolo, who joined the crusade during a public ceremony in the church of San Marco di Venezia, proposed that the crusaders pay their debts by intimidating many of the local ports and towns down the Adriatic, culminating in an attack on the port of Zara in Dalmatia. The city had been dominated economically by Venice throughout the 12th century but had rebelled in 1181 and allied itself with King Emeric of Hungary and Croatia. Subsequent Venetian attempts to recover control of Zara had been repulsed, and by 1202 the city was economically independent, under the protection of the King.
What happened to the Crusaders in 1203?
In late 1202, financial issues led to the Crusader army conducting the Siege of Zara, sacking the Catholic city of Zara (Zadar) on the Adriatic Sea, which was then brought under Venetian control. When the Pope heard of this, he excommunicated the Crusader army. In January 1203, en route to Jerusalem, the Crusader leadership entered into an agreement with the Byzantine prince Alexios Angelos to divert the Crusade to Constantinople and restore his deposed father Isaac II Angelos as emperor. The intent of the Crusaders was then to continue to Jerusalem with promised Byzantine financial and military aid. On 23 June 1203, the main Crusader army reached Constantinople, while other contingents (perhaps a majority of all crusaders) continued to Acre.
What was the main objective of the Crusades?
Boniface and the other leaders sent envoys to Venice, Genoa, and other city-states in 1200 to negotiate a contract for transport to Egypt , the stated objective of their crusade; one of the envoys was the future historian Geoffrey of Villehardouin. Earlier crusades focused on Palestine had involved the slow movement of large and disorganised land hosts across a generally hostile Anatolia. Egypt was now the dominant Muslim power in the eastern Mediterranean but also a major trading partner of Venice. An attack on Egypt would clearly be a maritime enterprise, requiring the creation of a fleet. Genoa was uninterested, but in March 1201 negotiations were opened with Venice, which agreed to transport 33,500 crusaders, a very ambitious number. This agreement required a full year of preparation on the part of the Venetians to build numerous ships and train the sailors who would man them, all the while curtailing the city's commercial activities. The crusading army was expected to consist of 4,500 knights (as well as 4,500 horses), 9,000 squires, and 20,000 foot-soldiers.
Why did Frederick I almost besieged Constantinople?
During the crusade, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, had almost besieged Constantinople because of the failure of the Byzantines to provide him with safe passage across the Dardanelles. The Byzantines for their part suspected him of conspiring with the breakaway Byzantine provinces of Serbia and Bulgaria. King Richard I of England also seized the breakaway Byzantine province of Cyprus. Rather than return it to the Empire, he sold the island to the Knights Templar.
Which empire was restored after the 4th Crusade?
The presence of the Latin Crusader states almost immediately led to war with the Byzantine successor states and with the Bulgarian Empire. The Nicaean Empire eventually recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire in 1261. The Fourth Crusade is considered to have solidified the East–West Schism.
What was the 4th Crusade?
The driving force behind the Fourth Crusade was the newly elected Pope Innocent III, who decided to launch an attack against the united Egyptians, who had Jerusalem under their control. Pope Innocent III was set on recovering the holy city of Jerusalem, following the disastrous Third Crusade which lowered the chances of being able to reclaim the Holy Land through any diplomatic means.
What was the goal of the Fourth Crusade?
While the named destination of the Fourth Crusade had always been Jerusalem, from the outset it seemed as though the real goal for the Crusaders was in fact the conquest of Egypt.
How many soldiers were in the 4th Crusade?
The Fourth Crusade. As the soldiering pilgrims could not afford to pay Venice for its provision of boats to transport 4,000 knights, 9,000 squires and 20,000 foot soldiers, plus horses, to Cairo, the Crusaders agreed to help the Venetians to capture a Byzantine port, Zara, as payment. A 15,000-strong army of Crusaders and thousands ...
What happened after the capture of Constantinople?
Following the capture of Constantinople, the vast majority of Crusaders returned home, many armed with the spoils of war. Over the next years a renaissance of thought occurred, harking back to the original Christian mission of the first Crusades. This ultimately led in 1217 to the Fifth Crusade.
Why did the Fourth Crusade anger Pope Innocent III?
The Fourth Crusade angered Pope Innocent III as the Crusaders had attacked their own fellow Christians, paying no attention to the Pope's pleas to desist. The Crusaders were by now deeply unpopular and had yet to achieve their initial goal - that of regaining control of Jerusalem.
What was the Pope's goal in the Third Crusade?
Pope Innocent III was set on recovering the holy city of Jerusalem, following the disastrous Third Crusade which lowered the chances of being able to reclaim the Holy Land through any diplomatic means.
Where did the Crusaders capture?
The Crusaders sailed to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, capturing the island of Corfu on the way. The Crusaders finally captured Constantinople in April 1204, after fighting off the city’s garrison of 30,000 men, weakened through lack of leadership and Civil War.
Where did the 4th Crusade take place?
In fact, the Fourth Crusade was set to sail on June 24th of 1203 from Venice for Egypt.
What was the 4th Crusade?
FOURTH CRUSADE. The Crusades are one of the most significant events in the history of Europe and the Middle East. They were a series of religious wars carried out by Christian crusaders from Europe during the timeframe of the Middle Ages . Beginning in 1095 CE, the Crusades saw European knights and noblemen travel to the Middle East in an attempt ...
Why did the Fourth Crusade change the plan of attack?
Historians are unsure of the exact reasons for why the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade changed their plan of attack from Egypt to Constantinople, but many agree that the role of Venice in the crusade likely played a significant role. As such, the crusaders set sail for Constantinople and arrived on June 23rd in 1203. When they arrived the crusaders discovered the city of Constantinople, which had a population of about 500,000 people, was defended by 15,000 soldiers and a naval fleet of galleys.
Why was the Fourth Crusade important?
While the East-West Schism had began centuries earlier, historians consider the events of the Fourth Crusade to be a pivotal point in solidifying the divided between the East and West. This is likely due to the fact that the Fourth Crusade, generally saw Western Christian crusaders attacking Eastern Christians.
Why did the Crusades begin?
Beginning in 1095 CE, the Crusades saw European knights and noblemen travel to the Middle East in an attempt to capture the Holy Land away from Muslim people that had controlled the region for the previous centuries. The term crusade means ‘cross’.
Why did the Crusaders seek a sea route?
As a result, the crusaders sought a sea route, in the hopes that it would be faster. In fact, in 1201, the crusaders reached an agreement with the powerful city-state of Venice to supply ships for their Crusade. Venice was an important city at the time due to its significance and history as a naval power.
What was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which was the eastern portion of the former Roman Empire. Today, the city of Constantinople is referred to as Istanbul and is the capital city of the country of Turkey. In the early 1200’s, which is the timeframe of the Fourth Crusade, the city was a vitally important site of Christian strength in the east. For instance, it was a major trading center between the east and west as it was a central site along the Silk Road . With that said, Constantinople ’s trade power put it at odds with the other major city-states of the Mediterranean, including Venice.
Who was the crusader that negotiated with the Fourth Crusade?
…negotiated between crusaders in the Fourth Crusade and Enrico Dandolo of Venice to provide transport at the cost of 85,000 marks. The crusaders’ failure to fulfill their monetary obligation was a major factor in the diversion of the crusade to Zara and Constantinople.
Who was the first pope to call the Crusades a major papal concern?
In Crusades: The Fourth Crusade and the Latin empire of Constantinople. Pope Innocent III was the first pope since Urban II to be both eager and able to make the Crusade a major papal concern. In 1198 he called a new Crusade through legates and encyclical letters.
Preparation for the Fourth Crusade
Pope Innocent III, a dynamic, ambitious, and educated pope whose pontificate would mark the launch of the Fourth Crusade, ascended the throne of St. Peters in 1198. Unlike his predecessors, he did not have much help from other European rulers. After the death of Emperor Henry VI, the throne of the Holy Roman Empire remained vacant.
Gathering the Crusaders
No European monarchs responded to the invitation of Pope Innocent III, but he received a response from some Frankish, Flemish, and Italian nobles. Boniface of Montferrat was appointed as the head of the Fourth Crusade, because he was one of the party’s most distinguished lords.
The Fall of Zara and the Creation of a New Plan
When the Crusaders appeared in front of Zara, the population and the garrison let down flags covered with crosses in an effort to save themselves. Nevertheless, the Crusaders occupied the city port and began the siege and Zara surrendered. The Venetians took over part of the city along the harbor, while the Crusaders took the rest.
The Siege of Constantinople
On June 24, 1203, the Crusaders landed in Chalcedon, a small town on the Asian shores of the Bosporus. There, there was an imperial castle in which the crusading lords met. The siege of Constantinople was on its way. Emperor Alexius III sent a detachment to expel the Crusaders from but the Crusaders defeated them.
The Conflict Between Alexius IV and the Crusaders
The new levies and the fire in Constantinople during the siege created a great anti-crusade mood. Conflicts between the Byzantines and the Crusaders broke out more and more often throughout the city. These clashes culminated when the Crusaders set a fire around the Church of St. Sophia.
The Fourth Crusade and the Fall of the Byzantine Empire
The capture of Constantinople on April 13, 1204, in the Fourth Crusade was one of the epochal events of medieval history. The siege of Constantinople and the looting and burning of the city only deepened the intolerance between the Eastern and Western Christians.
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By Igor Radulovic MA History Education, BA Art History Igor is a historian and a history teacher from Podgorica, Montenegro. His main focus are contemporary history and controversial historical topics. He still likes researching different periods, spanning from ancient to modern history.
When did the Seventh Crusade begin?
The Seventh Crusade began in 1248 and ended in 1254. And the Eighth Crusade took place in 1270. There were also smaller Crusades against dissident Christian sects within Europe, including the Albigensian Crusade (1209–29). The so-called People’s Crusade occurred in response to Pope Urban II ’s call for the First Crusade, ...
What city was destroyed during the Fourth Crusade?
The Fourth Crusade—rather than attacking Egypt, then the centre of Muslim power—sacked the Byzantine Christian city of Constantinople. None of the following Crusades were successful. The capture of Acre in 1291 by the Māmluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil marked the end of Crusader rule in the Middle East.
What was the third Crusade?
The Third Crusade, called after the sultan Saladin conquered the Crusader state of Jerusalem, result ed in the capture of Cyprus and the successful siege of Acre (now in Israel), and Richard I’s forces defeated those of Saladin at the Battle of Arsūf and at Jaffa.
Why were the Crusades organized?
Their primary objectives were to stop the expansion of Muslim states, to reclaim for Christianity the Holy Land in the Middle East, and to recapture territories that had formerly been Christian. Many participants also believed that undertaking what they saw as holy war was a means of redemption and a way of achieving expiation of sins.
How many Crusades were there?
There were at least eight Crusades. The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. The Second Crusade began in 1147 and ended in 1149. The Third Crusade started in 1189 and was concluded in 1192. The Fourth Crusade got underway in 1202 and ended in 1204. The Fifth Crusade lasted from 1217 until 1221. The Sixth Crusade occurred in 1228–29.
When did the Crusades end?
Between 1095, when the First Crusade was launched, and 1291, when the Latin Christians were finally expelled from their kingdom in Syria, there were numerous expeditions to the Holy Land, to Spain, and even to the Baltic; the Crusades continued for several centuries after 1291.
Who led the first Crusade?
The First Crusade was led by Raymond of Saint-Gilles, Godrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois, Bohemond of Otranto, and Robert of Flanders , and the People’s Crusade followed Peter the Hermit. The Second Crusade was headed by King Louis VII of France and Emperor Conrad III of Germany.
East-West Suspicion
Venice & The Fourth Crusade
- The Third Crusade (1187-1192 CE), although achieving some notable military successes, had failed completely in its original objective of recapturing Jerusalem from the Muslim Sultan of Egypt and Syria, Saladin(r. 1174-1193 CE). The celebrated Sultan was now dead, but the Holy City remained in Muslim hands. Yet another crusade was required. The Fourth Crusade was thus call…
Objective Constantinople
- Historians continue to debate the exact reason why the Crusaders then turned on Constantinople instead of Jerusalem, but one crucial ingredient in the troublesome mix of mutual suspicions between the western powers and Byzantium was the Republic of Venice and one man, in particular, the Doge Enrico Dandolo (r. 1192-1205 CE). Intent on winning Venetian domination of …
The Sack of Constantinople
- The Crusader army arrived outside Constantinople on 24 June 1203 CE. The force consisted of around 4,500 knights and their squires, up to 14,000 infantry, and 20,000-30,000 Venetians. The first target was the Byzantine garrison at nearby Galata on the other shore of the Golden Horn. Thus, the massive chain which blocked the harbour of the Golden Horn could be lowered and th…
Aftermath
- After the looting finally ended, the PartitioRomaniae treaty, already decided on beforehand, carved up the Byzantine Empire amongst Venice and its allies. The Venetians took three-eighths of Constantinople, the Ionian islands, Crete, Euboea, Andros, Naxos, and a few strategic points along the coast of the Sea of Marmara. Thus, Venetian control of Mediterranean trade was now almos…
Overview
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid Sultanate, the strongest Muslim state of the time. However, a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army's 1202 sieg…
Diversion
There was no binding agreement among the crusaders that all should sail from Venice. Accordingly, many chose to sail from other ports, particularly Flanders, Marseille, and Genoa. By May 1202, the bulk of the crusader army was collected at Venice, although with far smaller numbers than expected: about 12,000 (4–5,000 knights and 8,000 foot soldiers) instead of 33,500. The Venetians ha…
Background
Between 1176 and 1187, the Ayyubid sultan Saladin conquered most of the Crusader states in the Levant. Jerusalem was lost to the Ayyubids following the siege of Jerusalem in 1187. The Crusader states were then reduced by Saladin to little more than three cities along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea: Tyre, Tripoli and Antioch.
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was launched in response to the fall of Jerusalem, with the goal …
Rendezvous at Venice
Pope Innocent III succeeded to the papacy in January 1198, and the preaching of a new crusade became the prime goal of his pontificate, expounded in his bull Post miserabile. His call was largely ignored by the European monarchs: the Germans were struggling against Papal power, and England and France were still engaged in warfare against each other. However, due to the preaching of Fulk of Neuilly, a crusading army was finally organised at a tournament held at Écry …
Holy Land
The main army that sailed from Venice to Constantinople experienced several waves of defections as men sought to fulfill their vows independently of the leadership. Most of them sailed directly from ports in Apulia (southern Italy) to Acre. According to Villehardouin, the majority of those who set out on the Fourth Crusade went to the Holy Land, while only a minority participated in the attack on Constantinople. Villehardouin, however, regarded those who went t…
Outcomes
According to a subsequent treaty, the empire was apportioned between Venice and the leaders of the crusade, and the Latin Empire of Constantinople was established. Boniface was not elected as the new emperor, although the citizens seemed to consider him as such; the Venetians thought he had too many connections with the former empire because of his brother, Renier of Montferrat, …
Modern reactions
The prominent medievalist Sir Steven Runciman wrote in 1954: "There was never a greater crime against humanity than the Fourth Crusade." The controversy that has surrounded the Fourth Crusade has led to diverging opinions in academia on whether its objective was indeed the capture of Constantinople. The traditional position, which holds that this was the case, was challenged by Donald E. Queller and Thomas F. Madden in their book The Fourth Crusade (1977).
See also
• Succession of the Roman Empire