Asher Sisneros

The Fourth Crusade (AD 1201-1204) was an unmitigated disaster. It was so chaotic that Pope Innocent Ⅲ excommunicated the Crusaders for their immorality. Their horrible decisions multiplied and caused a chain reaction of mistakes, tarnishing the reputation of all the Crusades. Christians were murdered by Christians during the onslaught, and at what cost? In the end, they achieved nothing. 

A few decades earlier, Richard Lionheart, Philip Augustus, and Emperor Barbarossa launched the Third Crusade against Sultan Saladin. As the Muslim sultan over Egypt and Syria, he unified the Islamic state against the Church. In AD 1187, the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem. The Third Crusade was a campaign to retake the Holy Land. Unfortunately, Barbarossa drowned in Armenia, and his army dissolved after his death. However, that did not discourage Richard. He mobilized his forces and captured Cyprus and Acre, but realized retaking Jerusalem was impossible. The city had well-fortified walls, and he lacked the proper siege equipment. Plus, the Muslims could easily surround his forces once they took the city and massacre them. Richard suggested attacking the center of Muslim power: Egypt. However, his men were unenthusiastic. They wanted to retake the Holy Land. A victory in Egypt would have allowed his men to retake Jerusalem with ease, but they were adamant. Richard signed a truce with Saladin in AD 1192, ending the struggle. 

Saladin’s death in AD 1193 inspired Pope Innocent Ⅲ to launch a Fourth Crusade. The Venetians agreed to supply the Crusaders with fifty armed galleys and a fleet of ships to carry four thousand knights and one hundred thousand foot soldiers. It was a massive fleet, but there were fewer enlistees than anticipated. Only one thousand knights and fifty thousand foot soldiers showed up. Of the eighty-five thousand marks owed to the Venetians, they were fifty thousand short. The angry Venetians spent over a year building the fleet at a personal expense, and they could not receive reimbursement for their efforts. They demanded the full payment. The Crusaders paid everything they had but were still thirty-five thousand marks short. So, the Venetians were prepared to imprison the Crusaders for their debt. However, they made an agreement. The Crusaders promised to pay back their debt after their first campaign. Despite the Pope’s objections to marching on a Christian city, the Crusaders forced Zara to surrender. By Easter, the city’s resources were exhausted. 

King Philip approached the bankrupted crusaders with a tender offer. His son-in-law, Alexius, was the legal emperor in Constantinople, but the throne was robbed. The current emperor gauged Alexius’ eyes out and illegally stole the crown. King Philip asked the Crusaders to reinstate Alexius as emperor. In return, the crusaders would receive the full support of Constantinople. Alexius promised to give the Crusaders two hundred thousand marks and military support. The Crusaders were flattered. They needed the money and sympathized with Alexius’ misfortune, but the Pope instructed them to leave Constantinople alone. He did not believe politics in Constantinople affected the Crusades. The Pope instructed them to disregard Alexius and King Philip. They did not. Instead, the Crusaders inaugurated Alexius as emperor, but the populace rejected him. There was a bitter cry and resentment against Alexius. The people spoke. They wanted Alexius and the Crusaders gone. To make matters worse, Alexius opened the tombs of nobles and melted sacred church utensils to pay the Crusaders. Lieutenant Mourtzouphlos warned the Emperor about a riot outside and led him to safety. But Mourtzouphlos did not lead him to safety. He betrayed, arrested, and strangled Alexius, pronouncing himself emperor.  

The crusading bishops and abbots announced Mourtzouphlos as a murderer who was unfit to rule. There was a second call to arms. This time, the Pope excommunicated the entire Crusade for their actions. It was inappropriate for them to sack Constantinople. It was a very significant Christian city, second only to Rome. Despite its significance, the Crusaders acted unchristian in launching a coup to overthrow Constantinople’s government. All of this was done in the name of reclaiming the Holy Land. The Pope accepted none of this. With nothing else to lose, the Crusaders sacked Constantinople a second time, this time, appointing their own monarch. Constantinople was looted and pillaged under the supposed Christian banner during the Fourth Crusade. It was a horrendous abuse, with murder, theft, and sacrilege committed. Thus, the Fourth Crusade ended in disaster, ignoring its purpose. 

In conclusion, Pope Innocent Ⅲ called the Fourth Crusade to retake Jerusalem following Saladim’s death. Saladin successfully hindered Richard Lionheart from reconquering the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. His death gave the West added morale. However, Jerusalem was not retaken during the Fourth Crusade. The entire campaign was broken from the beginning. After making serious miscalculations on how many Crusaders would show up, the army was bankrupted. They owed the Venetians tens of thousands of marks, but would not call off the Crusade. Instead of retaking the Holy Land, they attacked Zara and Constantinople to pay back their debts. Both were Christian lands, but they needed the money. They participated in a coup to overthrow the Emperor in Constantinople to obtain funding. The Pope excommunicated the Crusaders for doing this. It was all chaos. They forgot the reason for the Crusade. It was not to attain riches or pay back debts. It was to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim occupation. The Muslims lost no land during the Fourth Crusade. It was a war with Christians pitted against each other in a futile contest that amounted to nothing. The Fourth Crusade was disgraceful.