The Pilgrimage Of The Fourth Crusade (1204)
The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) was the planned pilgrimage of the crusaders - with their leader, Boniface of Montferrat - to retake the Holy Land of Jerusalem from Muslim control. Even before their journey began, however, trouble was brewing. The Venetians - alongside their Doge, Enrico Dandolo of Venice - had agreed to give the crusaders about 500 ships in exchange for a specified payment of silver marks. Unfortunately, the pilgrims did not have enough money to pay Venice, and had to repay their debts by helping the their army capture Zara, a city on the Adriatic Sea. Even after the two armies sieged the city, the crusaders still needed money to fund their pilgrimage. This sent them on a journey to help the young Alexius, a Greek prince,
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He says that “[The prince] offers two hundred thousand silver marks for your assistance, and far more beyond that. I have an official proposal with everything he will provide, if you will only allow him to provide it, by helping him to his throne” (Galland 191). It is true that the prince offered the crusaders two hundred thousand silver marks if they would help him take the Byzantine throne (“The Crusades”), as he was the rightful heir (de Clari). Therefore, this information is …show more content…
In the novel, after having them a large sum of money, the prince calls a meeting to discuss the rest of his payment. He says, “We shall pay the Venetians for another year of service to your campaign, provided you remain with [myself and Isaac] here in Byzantium through the autumn and winter until March…[some of] you will go with us inland to Thrace, to chase [my] uncle the Usurper further out of power…[and] to demand tribute from those outlying areas as proof that they accept us as their emperor[s]” (Galland 405-406). Here, Alexius tells the crusaders to stay with him in Byzantium until March of 1204 so they can take power away from Alexius III, and secure his and Isaac's rule over Constantinople. He then tells the rest of the pilgrims to “stay behind to...receive payments from my father, Isaac,” who would get the money by “plundering the churches [in Constantinople]” (Galland 406). Though many of the crusaders - especially Gregor - are unhappy, Boniface and the Venetians eventually agree to the deal (Galland
He says that “[The prince] offers two hundred thousand silver marks for your assistance, and far more beyond that. I have an official proposal with everything he will provide, if you will only allow him to provide it, by helping him to his throne” (Galland 191). It is true that the prince offered the crusaders two hundred thousand silver marks if they would help him take the Byzantine throne (“The Crusades”), as he was the rightful heir (de Clari). Therefore, this information is …show more content…
In the novel, after having them a large sum of money, the prince calls a meeting to discuss the rest of his payment. He says, “We shall pay the Venetians for another year of service to your campaign, provided you remain with [myself and Isaac] here in Byzantium through the autumn and winter until March…[some of] you will go with us inland to Thrace, to chase [my] uncle the Usurper further out of power…[and] to demand tribute from those outlying areas as proof that they accept us as their emperor[s]” (Galland 405-406). Here, Alexius tells the crusaders to stay with him in Byzantium until March of 1204 so they can take power away from Alexius III, and secure his and Isaac's rule over Constantinople. He then tells the rest of the pilgrims to “stay behind to...receive payments from my father, Isaac,” who would get the money by “plundering the churches [in Constantinople]” (Galland 406). Though many of the crusaders - especially Gregor - are unhappy, Boniface and the Venetians eventually agree to the deal (Galland