Original scientific paper
Zadar and the Fourth Crusade
Ivan Božilov
; Nov Bugarski Univerzitet – Sofija
Abstract
In 1201 the emissaries of the leader of the Fourth Crusade under preparation negotiated a contract with the doge of the Venetian Republic which had to guarantee the transport of Crusader troops to Egypt. A year later, the Crusader army was unable to pay its debt to the Venetians and under pressure from Enrico Dandolo headed to Zadar in order to conquer it and hand it over to the Venetians. The French and the Venetians spent the 1202-1203 winter in Zadar. They received absolution from pope Innocent III and made a treaty with Alexius Angelus (the son of the overthrown Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelus) which lead them not to Jerusalem but to Istanbul. The pilgrims naively fell into the trap set up by the Venetian Republic. Their moral virtues proved inadequate and they could not resist the temptation. They were easily bought by Dandolo and afterwards by Alexius Angelus and finally, enchanted by its wealth, they conquered the Byzantine capital. Innocent III, whose actions were motivated by the idea of one Respublicae Christianae, supported and directed all the actions of the pilgrims who instead of serving God were lead by the wish to satisfy their greed. The Venetians skillfully manipulated the credulity of the Crusader army to achieve their own political and economic goals.
Keywords
Zadar; the Fourth Crusade; pope Innocent III; Venetian Republic
Hrčak ID:
48320
URI
Publication date:
23.11.2009.
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