The Sack of Constantinople, 1204 Venetian sailors attack Constantinople in an infamous incident of the Fourth Crusade. © Universal History Archive—Universal Images Group/Getty Images. (more) Sack of Constantinople Byzantine history [1204] Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Sack-of-Constantinople-1204 Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites World History Encyclopedia - The Sack of Constantinople, 1204 Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Rupert Matthews Rupert Matthews's work appears in Encyclopaedia Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with the publisher of 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History, where the work originally... Rupert Matthews Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Dec 11, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts Date: April 1204 (Show more) Location: Istanbul Turkey (Show more) Context: Fourth Crusade (Show more) See all related content The diversion of the Fourth Crusade from the Holy Land to attack, capture, and pillage the Byzantine city of Constantinople in April 1204 divided and dissipated the efforts of the Christians to maintain the war against the Muslims. It is widely regarded as a shocking betrayal of principles out of greed.

　　The Fourth Crusade, promulgated by Pope Innocent III in 1198, was corrupted from its purpose early on. In order to repay Venice for shipping most of the crusaders, largely French, eastward, they were obliged to seize Zara on the Adriatic from Christian Hungary on Venice’s behalf. Incensed that the crusaders had attacked a Christian settlement and not the Muslim foe, Innocent excommunicated the crusaders en masse, effectively removing any legitimacy from their crusade.

　　Meanwhile exiled Byzantine prince Alexius offered a cash reward if he were put on the Byzantine throne. The crusaders therefore sailed to Constantinople and in July 1203 set up Alexius as emperor. In February 1204 the new emperor was murdered and replaced by courtier Alexius Ducas, who told the crusaders to leave. The crusaders responded by laying siege to Constantinople. A first assault on the city’s defenses was repelled with heavy losses, but on April 12 the crusaders were successful. Men swarmed up the masts of ships and scrambled across catwalks to reach the tops of the city walls. Other ships landed men on the shoreline to hack at a bricked-up gateway with picks and shovels. When a hole was broken through, Aleaumes of Clari crawled in to find the street beyond almost deserted. Hundreds of crusaders came through the enlarged hole, fought their way to a main gate, and opened it to their comrades. For three days the army pillaged at will, and then the nobles imposed order and began a more systematic looting of the greatest city in Christendom. The crusader nobleman Baldwin of Flanders was set up as emperor, but most Byzantines refused to recognize him, and the empire fragmented into four quarreling, scattered states, never to recover its former greatness.

　　Losses: Crusader, unknown of 20,000; Byzantine, unknown of 30,000, plus unknown civilian losses.