CRUSADES
550
CRUSADES
of tedious waiting, those of their number cantoned at
Galata lost patience with the Greeks, who not only
refused to live up to their agreement, but likewise
treated them with open hostility. On 5 February,
1204, Alexius IV and Isaac Angelus were deposed bya
revolution, and Alexius Murzuphla, a usurper, under-
took the defence of Constantinople against the Latin
crusaders who were preparing to besiege Constanti-
nople a second time. By a treaty concluded in March,
1204, between the Venetians and the crusading chiefs, it was pre-arranged to share the spoils of the Greek Empire. On 12 .\pril, 1204, Constantinople was car- ried by storm, and the next day the ruthless plunder- ing of its churches and palaces was begun. The mas- terpieces of antiquity, piled up in public places and in the Hippodrome, were utterly destroyed. Clerics and knights, in their eagerness to acquire famous and priceless relics, took part in the sack of the churches. The Venetians received half the booty ; the portion of each crusader was determined according to his rank of baron, knight, or bailiff, and most of the churches of the West were enriched with ornaments stripped from those of Constantinople. On 9 May, 1204, an electoral college, formed of prominent crusaders and Venetians, assembled to elect an emperor. Dandolo, Doge of Venice, refused the honour, and Boniface of Montferrat was not considered. In the end, Baldwin, Count of Flanders, was elected anti solemnly crowned in St. Sophia. Constantinople and the empire were divided among the emperor, the Venetians, and the chief crusaders; the Marquis of Montferrat received Thessalonica and Macedonia, with the title of king; Henry of Flanders became Lord of Adraniyttion; Louis of Blois was made Duke of Nica^i. anil fiefs were bestowed upon six hundred knights. Meanwhile, the Venetians reserved to themselves the ports of Thrace, the Peloponnesus, and the islands. Thomas Moro- sini, a Venetian priest, was elected patriarch.
At the news of these most extraordinary events, in which he had had no hand, Innocent III bowed as in submission to the designs of Providence and, in the in- terests of Christendom, determined to make the best of the new conquest. His chief aim was to suppress the Greek schism and to place the forces of the new Latin Empire at the service of the crusade. Unfortunately, the Latin Empire of Constantinople was in too pre- carious a condition to furnish any material support to the papal policy. The emperor was unable to impose his authority upon the barons. At Nicfea, not far from Constantinople, the former Byzantine Govern- ment gathered the remnant of its authority and its followers. Theodore Lascaris was proclaimed em- peror. In Europe, Joannitsa, Tsar of the Wallach- lans and Bulgarians, invaded Thrace and destroyed the army of the crusaders before Adrianople, 14 April,
1205. During the battle the Emperor Baldwin fell. His brother and successor, Henry of Flanders, devoted his reign (1206-16) to interminable conflicts with the Bulgarians, the Lombards of Thessalonica, and the Greeks of Asia Minor. Nevertheless, he succeeded in strengthening the Latin conquest, forming an alliance with the Bulgarians, and establishing his authority even over the feudatories of Morea (Parliament of Ravennika, 1209); however, far from leading a cru- sade into Palestine, he had to solicit Western help, and was obliged to sign treaties with Theodore Las- caris and even with the Sultan of Iconium. The Greeks were not reconciled to the Church of Rome; most of their bishops abandoned their sees and took refuge at Nica^a, leaving their churches to the Latin bishops named to replace them. Greek convents were replaced by Cistercian monasteries, command- eries of Templars and Hospitallers, and chapters of canons. With a few exceptions, how<vir, the native population remained hostile and looked upon the Latin comjuerors as foreigners. Having failed in all his attempts to induce the barons of the Latin Empire
to undertake an expedition against Palestine, and
understanding at last the cause of failure of the cru-
sade in 1204, Innocent III resolved (1207) to organize
a new crusade and to take no further notice of Con-
stantinople. Circumstances, however, were unfa-
vourable. Instead of concentrating the forces of
Christendom against the Mohammerlans, the pope him-
self disbanded them by proclaiming (1209) a crusade
against the Albigenses in the south of France, and
against the Almohades of Spain (1213), the pagans of
Prussia, and John Lackland of England. At the same
time there occurred outbursts of mystical emotion
similar to those which had preceded the first crusade.
In 1212 a young shepherd of Vendome and a youth
from Cologne gathered thousands of children whom H
they proposed to lead to the comiuest of Palestine.
The movement spread through France and Italy.
This "Children's Crusade" at length reached Brinih-i, '■
where merchants sold a number of the children as ■
slaves to the Moors, while nearly all the rest died oflV
hunger and exhaustion. In 1213 Innocent III had i i>'
crusade preached throughout Europe and sent Car- ';
dinal Pelagius to the East to effect, if possible, the re4 W
turn of the Greeks to the fold of Roman unity. On »
25 July, 1215, Frederick II, after his victory over Ottd ""
of Brimswick, took the cross at the tomb of Charle- ji'
magne at Aachen. On 11 November, 1215, Innocent k!
Ill opened the Fourth Lateran Council with an ex- i*
hortation to all the faithful to join the crusade, the fc"
departure being set for 1217. At the time of his death k
(1216) Pope Innocent felt that a great movement had '-
been started. P"
VI. The Thirteenth-centuky Crus.vdes (1217- 52). — In Europe, however, the preaching of the cru- sade met with great opposition. Temporal princes were strongly averse to losing jurisdiction over theii 1 subjects who took part in the crusades. Absorbed ir political schemes, they were unwilling to send so fa away the military forces on which they depended As early as December, 1216, Frederick II was grantei a first delay in the fulfilment of his vow. The eru sade as preached in the thirteenth century was ni longer the great enthusiastic movement of 1095, bu rather a series of irregular and desultory enterprises Andrew II, King of Hungary, and Casimir, Duke o if Pomerania, set sail from ^'enice and Spalato, w-hile ai army of Scandinavians made a tour of Europe. Th crusaders landed at Saint-Jean d'Acre in 1217, but con fined themselves to incursions on Mussulman territorj whereupon Andrew of Himgary returned to Europe Receiving reinforcements in the spring of 1218. Joh of Brienne, Kmg of Jerusalem, resolved to make a attack on the Holy Land by way of Egypt. The cm saders accordingly landed at Damietta in May, 121' and, after a siege marked by many deeds of heroisn took the city by storm, 5 November, 1219. Instea of profiting by this victory, they spent over a, year i idle quarrels, and it was not until May, 1221, that the set out for Cairo. Surrounded by the Saracens a bi Mansurah, 24 July, the Christian army was routec wk John of Brienne was compelled to |)urchase a retrea by the surrender of Damietta to the Saracens. Mear ton while Emperor Frederick II. who was to be the leadc ij«-, of the crusade, had remained in Europe and continue ftj to importiuie the pope for new postponements of h departure. On 9 November, 1225, he married Isi belle of Brienne, heiress to the Ivingdoin of Jerusalen the ceremony taking ])lace at Brindisi. Completeljj vjpi, ignoring his father-in-law, he a.ssumed the title of Kini lit of Jeru.salem. In 1227, however, he had not yet lei::;;, for Palestine. Gregory IX. elected pope 19 Marcl' 1227, .summoned Frederick to fulfil his vow. Finall\ 8 September, the emperor embarked liut soon tunic, back; therefore, on 29 September, the pope excoi munic.ited him. Nevertheless. Frederick set .sa again 18 June, 1228, but instead of leading a crusad ijdj he played a game of diplomacy. He won over Malek ^g
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