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Conquest Of Constantinople Research Paper

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The conquest of Constantinople was wrongly justified and resulted with the fall of the Byzantine Empire. The Fourth Crusade began when the Crusaders went to Venice to ask for ships to sail to Egypt but was unable to afford it. In exchange for ships, the Crusaders agreed to regain the city of Zara under Hungarian rule. The Crusaders were able to claim back Zara for the Venetians but were excommunicated since they attacked a Christian city. Right before they were going to Egypt, Alexius Comnenus asked for help from the Crusaders to help him restore his power in the Byzantine Empire. In exchange for help, Alexius would provide the Crusaders, supplies, ships and necessary help for the siege of Jerusalem. In 1203, the Crusaders would band with …show more content…

In the sermon, the bishops insisted that soldiers “...confess their sins and receive the communion devoutly; and said that they ought not to hesitate to attack the Greeks, for the latter were enemies of God.” 2 Although the Crusaders were excommunicated by Pope Innocent III, the bishops still had the power to claim the war was just under the name of God. When the Crusaders began sacking the city they “engaged in stealing gold and silver, others precious stones...” 3 This was justified since it was considered a “right of conquest...” 4 This wrongful justification was obviously fueled by the agreement made with Alexius to restore power for goods. Time and time again in the conquest of Constantinople, the Crusaders would wrongly justify their attacks in the name of God or righteousness. The Fourth Crusade was initiated based on greed and the idea the Crusaders could gain more for their siege of the Holy Land. The Crusaders chose to attack Zara, a Christian city to get ships against the pleasing of the Pope. The Crusaders would get the ships but then attempt to gain more by helping Alexius regain his power in the Byzantine empire. They justified their attacks on Constantinople as holy and

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