The Fourth Crusade Flashcards
What were the terms of the Treaty of Venice?
Venetians would provide transport for 33,500 men
Including 4,500 kinghts
9,000 squires
20,000 additional troops on foot
In return, the crusaders would pay
85,000 marks, in installments
An initial deposit of 5,000 marks
Half of the booty and land acquired
Innocent’s plan - attracting crusaders
Offered crusaders a plenary indulgence, regardless of whether the individual concerned had done enough in the eyes of God to deserve this
Abandoned the idea that a man had to seek permission from his wife before he could accept the crusading vow
Innocent’s plan - post miserabile
Stated than an indulgence was now on offer to;
a self-funding crusader
a crusader whose journey was being funded by someone else
a non-crusader who paid for another to go on a crusade or paid what they could
Innocent’s plan - ensuring success
Post miserabile stated that a crusader had to commit themselves to two years of service to fulfil their vow (ensured people wouldn’t abandon the crusade before reaching Jersualem)
Papal legates were dispatched to Outremer in advance of the Fourth Crusade (ensured communication between the leaders)
Initially encouraged bishops to commit 1/13th of their incomes to the crusade. Then issues Graves orientalis terrae, a general tax of 1/40th on the church(to overcome the cost)
Problems with Innocent’s plan - leadership
Failed to recruit both Richard I (due to the demand of him releasing Bishop Philip of Beauvais from imprisonment being deemed too much) and Philip II (due to politics and lack of time)
Problems with Innocent’s plan - early recruitment
Preachers appointed failed to stir up sufficient recruiters e.g. Eustace, abbot of St Gerner de Flay talked more about the breaches of the Sabbath than the crusade
Innocent failed to appreciate the fact that concepts of chivalry had changed e.g. following overlord rather than brute strength
Problems with Innocent’s plan - logistics
Changed the features of a crusade too much too quickly e.g. many believed that payment to go on a crusade should be made by the individual rather than the Church
Deadline also problematic - gave crusaders until March 1199 to depart, only six months after he had first published Post miserabile
Innocent’s failures - failure to influence the Zara campaign
November 1202 - crusaders attacked the Christian city of Zara on behalf of the Venetians, rather than travel to outremer - sent a letter forbidding it and threatening excommunication but attack still took place
Innocent’s failures - failure to prevent the diversion to Constantinople
Summer 1203 - crusaders were diverted to Constantinople to reclaim the city for the ousted Prince Alexius rather than journey to Outremer - sent letter banning any attack on Christian lands without just cause, and a letter prohibiting attack on Constantinople but the message was suppressed
Innocent’s failures - neglect of the Holy Land
April-May 1204 - crusaders attacked Constantinople, took the city and established a new empire called Romania
In mid-1205 Peter of Capuano, the papal legate, officially absolved the crusaders from their vow without consent of the pope
Who was recruited to lead the Fourth Crusade?
Collection of barons from northern France and the region of Flanders;
Thibault III of Champagne
Louis of Blois
Simon of Montfort
Reynald of Montmirail
Baldwin of Flanders
Hugh of Saint Pol
First four recruited together at a tournament at Ecry on 28 November 1199
Leadership decisions - whose plan was it
Essentially based around a plan devised by Thibault, Louis and Baldwin, who met in the summer of 1200 to discuss their shared priorities
Once decided, they planned to send six representatives to make arrangements based on their decisions
Leadership decisions - key features of the plan
Agreed sea travel would be essential feature of the crusade - it was quick, would avoid the Byzantines and would ensure only crusaders with sufficient means, or in the pay of nobles, took part
However, without a national fleet, they would need to pay for a fleet from Venetians
Chosen destination was kept secret as the leaders felt it might discourage recruitment
Flaws in the plan - price of reliance on the Venetians
Terms of Treaty of Venice meant this was one of the most ambitious transportation treaties of the medieval period - it would take the efforts of an entire city over a year to prepare
Payment was double the annual income of King John of England
Envoys taken big gamble - Frederick Barbarossa travelled with around 15,000 troops and his contingent had been considered one of the largest in crusading history
Flaws in the plan - size of forces
Only around 12,000 had arrived by August 1202
Up to 1,800 were knights
