815 years ago to the day, the Crusaders of the 4th Crusade sacked the Byzantine Capital of Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the last stronghold of Roman superiority over Europe, for nearly 1000 years past the fall of the Western Roman Empire. However, despite being Roman in nature and in name, it wasn’t impervious to decimation.
By the year 1200, the Byzantine Empire had become a shell of its former glory. Relegated to the dregs of the Balkans and a partial chunk of Asia Minor, the Byzantine centralized government had all but fallen into ruins due to the scheming nature of Emperor’s Isaac II and Alexios III. As such, by the time of the Fourth Crusade, the Empire was in one of its most fractured states.
As the internal structure of the Empire fractured, those outside of power looked to take their slice. This culminated in the Fourth Crusade, meant for Egypt but running low on funds due to hiring Venetian boats and being excommunicated due to a siege on a Catholic City as to pay for those boats, focusing on Constantinople. At the behest of Alexios IV, the crusaders turned their sights towards the magnificent city and by 1204, had captured it, decimating it and its populace in the process.
Many historians consider this the final nail in the coffin for the Byzantine Empire, with the Empire fracturing into Hellenic and Latin states and only re-emerging in 1261 from the Empire of Nicaea. Despite recapturing Constantinople, the Empire was always in a negative state until its final defeat in 1453.
To many, had the 4th Crusade not happened or otherwise had not sacked Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire might still have had a chance at much further survival. This outlook ignores the reality of the situation. While the removal of the Sack of Constantinople would provide the Empire with time and no need to reunify, the Empire was in a horrid state to begin with.
The sacking and subsequent explosion of the empire only occurred and could only occur due to how fractured the empire initially was. The scheming and games which the Angelid dynasty played was noted by Alexander Vasiliev, one of the foremost experts on the Byzantine Empire in the 20th century, to have ‘accelerated the ruin of the Empire, already weakened without and disunited within’.
The Empire, while still semi-strong in its state before the Fourth Crusade was one event from fracturing. And had the Crusade not happened, the Seljuk’s or Bulgarians would have most certainly taken a stab at the Empire themselves. A removal of the Crusade would not have fixed the Empire’s lack of resources, manpower and unity, and it would’ve been only a short while for another opportunistic faction or nation to siege Constantinople themselves.
In short, while removing the Fourth Crusade may have given the Empire some respite, it would not do much for them in the long term. For most of it’s life, the Empire was in decline, a long-winded and desperate last gasp of the Roman Empire. No singular change could keep the Empire from its inevitable fate.
Hope you enjoy this ‘analytical’ type history post. Just something to do in between Political Posts. Thanks for reading.
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