I answer listener questions about the Fourth Crusade. This episode focuses on the big picture. Who is to blame? Was it inevitable?
Pic: The Venetians climb the sea walls from thecollector.com
Stream: Questions IX
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I’m sure you’ve heard about the horrific earthquake which struck Turkey on the 6th February. As I’m recording this over 25,000 people have been confirmed dead. Many, many more will be reported so in the coming weeks. Tens of thousands have been injured. And the UN is now saying that at least 870,000 people need food urgently. While millions of people across Turkey and Syria have been made homeless.
This is an appeal for you to donate to one of the various charities who are rushing to the scene at this moment to help the survivors. You have a number of options. You may have campaigns being run in your country by reputable organisations. So here in the UK the Disaster Emergency Committee have launched an appeal that has raised millions. This is an organisation which brings a group of charities together. In this case Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and Islamic Relief amongst many others.
To help specific groups directly:
The White Helmets are volunteers who have been operating in Syria for many years. They help evacuate people from dangerous areas and offer medical help.
https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/
AKUT Search and Rescue Association. They are a non-governmental organisation offering emergency and disaster relief to people caught up in natural disasters in Turkey.
https://www.akut.org.tr/en/donation
AHBAP an independent civilian organisation who offer disaster relief to communities in need across Turkey. This is the organisation that the kind listener who prompted me to make this appeal recommends.
https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkey
International Red Cross
https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/syria-emergency
Turkish Red Crescent
https://www.kizilay.org.tr/Bagis/BagisYap/404/pazarcik-depremi-bagisi
St Mark’s Square – an imitation of a Byzantine forum. St Mark’s Basilica is prominent with the bronze horses taken from the Hippodrome.
The ‘Pillars of Acre’ (from the Church of St Polyeuktos) and the Porphyry statue of the Tetrachs. Both sit outside St Mark’s Basilica in Venice and both were taken from Constantinople.
We discuss what happened once the Latins started looting. How were the Byzantines treated? What was taken and what has survived?
Period: 1204
Pic: The Colossus of Barletta. Most likely this is the Emperor Leo I (457-74 AD)
Stream: The Sack
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‘The Taking of Constantinople’ by Palma Le Jeune (1544–1620)
‘Conquest of Constantinople’ by David Aubert (1449-79)
Fire Damage at Constantinople 1203-4 from Michael Angold’s book ‘The Fourth Crusade Event and Context’
The Latins assault the city and Alexios Angelos Komnenos flees. Alexios Angelos becomes Emperor and empties the treasury into the Crusaders’ hands. But when he runs out of money the two sides face an inevitable confrontation.
Period: 1203-4
Pic: Alexios V Doukas – “Mourtzouphlos.” (Miniature portrait from a 15th-century codex containing a copy of the Extracts of the History by Joannes Zonaras))
Stream: The Fourth Crusade (Part 2)
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The Crusaders camped opposite the Blachernae Palace (above)
Pope Innocent calls for a new Crusade to retake Jerusalem. A group of French Knights decide to form an expedition to Egypt and make a deal with Venice to transport them. But when they can’t pay the bill the mission goes awry and ends up at Constantinople.
Period: 1198-1203
Pic: Dandolo brings the plan for the Fourth Crusade to the people of Venice (by Gustave Dore)
Stream: The Fourth Crusade (Part 1)
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Alexios Angelos faces down one internal rebellion after another as the Roman Empire continues to contract. The biggest threat to his throne comes from disgruntled aristocrats and the people of Constantinople.
Period: 1195-1202
Pic: Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, who demanded money from the Romans to fund his Crusade (from the Codex Manesse, c. 1304)
Stream: Almost Ungovernable
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Frederick Barbarossa leads his contingent across Anatolia. He must confront the Turks along the way and capture Iconium. Meanwhile the Kings of England and France land in the Holy Land and take on Saladin.
Period: 1188-89
Pic: The death of Frederick Barbarossa by H.Vogel (19th century)
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The routes of the German, French and English Kings during the Third Crusade (from erenow.net)
As soon as news reached the West that Jerusalem had fallen a new Crusade was called. The German, French and English Kings all led armies East but only Frederick Barbarossa went by land. He led a large army across the Balkans towards Constantinople and Isaac Angelos had to decided whether to treat him as friend or foe.
Period: 1188-89
Stream: The Third Crusade (part 1)
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Hello everyone,
My baby girl was born in early October and I’m now 3 weeks into being a parent. I am very tired as you can imagine. She is happy and healthy so far which is wonderful and I’m really grateful for all your kind messages.
Here’s an update on my progress: I have finished writing all the episodes between Manuel’s death and the 4th Crusade. The sack of Constantinople will be one of those 2 hour long episodes which takes several weeks to put together.
The plan is to wait until all the episodes are finished before I release any. So that you get a complete story told one week at a time – rather than having big gaps between episodes.
As soon as I can I will finish the 4th Crusade and you will get all these episodes in a once a week ‘Season’ of podcasts. Thanks so much for your patience and kind support.
Best wishes,
Robin
We talk about why the Romans didn’t have more success in fighting the Turks. Was there a better way to fight the nomads? Or was it not really about tactics but strategy?
Period: 1070-1180
Stream: Retaking Anatolia
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The History of Byzantium 