What happened during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204?

In April 1204, Western European crusaders of the Fourth Crusade captured, sacked, and destroyed much of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Diverted from their original mission to conquer Jerusalem, the crusaders turned on the city after a breakdown in financial and political agreements with local rulers. The conquest led to the partition of the empire, the establishment of the short-lived Latin Empire, and a deep rift between the Catholic and Orthodox worlds.

What we know

• The sack of Constantinople occurred in April 1204 and marked the culmination of the Fourth Crusade. [2]
• Following the murder of the co-emperor Alexios IV Angelos in February 1204, the crusaders decided on the outright conquest of the city after failing to receive their promised bounty payments. [3]
• After capturing the city, the crusaders established the Latin Empire, crowned Baldwin IX of Flanders as emperor in Hagia Sophia, and divided most of the Byzantine Empire's territories among themselves. [2, 3]
• Several prominent crusaders, including Simon de Montfort and Enguerrand II of Boves, disagreed with the attacks on Zara and Constantinople, refused to participate, and left the crusade. [3]

Where to go next

• what caused itWhy was the Fourth Crusade diverted to Constantinople?
• what followedHow did the Byzantine Empire recapture Constantinople in 1261?
• how it workedWhat was the role of Venice in the diversion of the Fourth Crusade?
• the bigger pictureHow did the East-West Schism impact relations after the sack?
• whenWhat happened during the earlier 1203 siege of Constantinople?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a crusade meant for Jerusalem end up attacking a Christian capital?An expedition originally called by Pope Innocent III to recapture Muslim-controlled Jerusalem from Egypt ended up attacking Catholic Zara and Orthodox Constantinople due to unpaid transport debts owed to Venice.

Sources

• [1]Siege of Constantinople (Wikidata Q1750892) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Sack of Constantinople · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Fourth Crusade · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Siege of Constantinople (1203) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Reconquest of Constantinople · CC BY-SA 4.0