HISTORYHISTORY —PASTANDPERSPECTIVE Prelude to calamity: It was at a tournament like this one that Tibald of Champagne and other young Frankish noblemen decided to launch the ill-fated The Lost Crusade Fourth Crusade. Inthe13thcentury,ChristiancrusaderswhotookupthecrosstoliberatetheHolyLand fromIslamweremisdirectedintoservingverydifferentends. by Charles Scaliger likemangonelsandpetraries. otherinvadershad,onamissionofcon- ThecitizensofConstantinople,along quest,althoughfewonthewallsorinthe nthemorningofJune24,1204 withitsleadership,hadknownformonths boatshadanyinklingofthetragicevents A.D.,thewallsofConstantino- ofthecomingofthearmada,thegreatest soontounfold.Whatfollowedwasone O plewerethrongedwithcurious EuropehadseensinceOctaviandefeated ofthegreatestactsoffollyinthehistory spectators.Overthebluewatersofthe MarcAntonyandCleopatraatActiumin of Christian civilization, one that reset Bosporus,theirsailsfull-belliedinthe thewaningdaysoftheRomanRepublic. theentirecourseofWesternhistoryand earlysummerwind,avastandcolorful Yetitscomingarousedlittleconcern.The whoseafter-effectscontinuetoreverberate armadawaspassingbeforethecity.At cityofConstantinehad,initsninecentu- inthepresentday.Itwasalessoninthe itsheadwasavermilion-coloredgalley riesofpre-eminence,seenarmiesandna- unintendedconsequencesofwar—andin appointedforthetransportofdignitaries. viesoutsideitswallsbefore,andhadbid theperilsofallowingmoneyedintereststo Behindthevermilionshipcametherest defiancetoeveryone.AvarandRussian, dictatethetermsofmilitaryconflict. ofthefleet,480warshipsinall:superbly- BulgarandSaracen,allhadinvadedthe constructedvesselsfromtheshipworksof domainofByzantiumatonetimeoran- Noble Intent Venice,fulloftensofthousandsofwell- otherandravagedtheunprotectedvillages ThemisnamedFourthCrusadebeganin- armedmenandprovisionedwithhorses, andcountryside,onlytobefrustratedby nocuouslyenoughatatournamenthosted foodstuffs,andvaststockpilesofweap- theimmensityofthewallssurroundingthe inNovemberof1199A.D.by22-year-old ons, including fearsome siege engines capitalofeasternChristendom. CountTibaldofChampagneathiscastle Thearmadasailingpastthecitywalls atEcri,France.Medievaltournamentsal- CharlesScaligerisateacherandfreelancewriter. onthatJunemorninghadcome,asthe waysattractedlargenumbersofyoung, 32 THE NEW AMERICAN • MARCH 19, 2007 energetic,idealisticspirits,andatEcricon- oneEuropeanpowerhadthe versationamongtheyoungnoblesturned, resources to build such a The Fourth Crusade began at a asitsooftendidinthatera,tocrusades. fleet:Venice. ThecatastrophicdefeatoftheChristian It was to this diminu- tournament hosted in 1199 A.D. by forcesatHattinwas12yearsinthepast, tive Mediterranean super- Count Tibald of Champagne. By the andtheThirdCrusadethatresulted,pitting power that a delegation of thekingsofFranceandEnglandagainst sixknights,ledbyGeoffrey tournament’s end, Tibald and others had theMuslimgeneralSaladin,hadfailedto ofVillehardouinandrepre- decided to take up the cross and prepare retaketheHolyCity.Outremer,theFrank- sentingTibaldandtheother ishcrusaderkingdom,clungtotenuous crusaders, arrived during for another crusade. Pope Innocent soon lifealongthecoastofPalestine,butwith- Lentintheyear1201.They gave the enterprise his blessing. outanewinfusionofforcesfromtheWest, were cordially received by couldnothopetoendureverylong. RichardtheLionhearted,theEnglish kingwhorolledbackSaladin’sforcesin theThirdCrusade,wasdead,however, andsowasHenryVI,thecapableGerman emperorwhohadvowedtoundertakean- othercrusade.Theothercrownedheads ofEuropewerenotinterestedinsucha venture.Ifanothercrusadetookplace,it wouldbeatthebehestofnoblemensuch asthoseassembledatEcrionthatfateful Novemberday. Amidthepennants,lances,andcapari- sonedhorsemenofthetournament,one manstoodoutfortheausterityofhisdress. ThiswasFulkofNeuilly,acelebrateditin- erantpreacherandagentofPopeInnocent III,whoforsometime,atthepope’sbe- hest,hadbeenpreachingcrusadeallover northernFrance.Intheferventyoungno- blesatthetournament,hefoundanenthu- siasticaudience,andbythetournament’s end,Tibaldandothershaddecidedtotake upthecrossandprepareforanothercru- sade.PopeInnocentsoongavetheenter- prisehisblessing,andpreparationsforthe crusadewereofficiallylaunched. RichardtheLionhearted,theuncleof Tibald,hadcometobelievethatEgypt wasthemostlogicalspottobeginthere- conquestoftheHolyLand.Itwasweak and underdefended, he opined, and an armyarrivingtherecouldeasilymarchto Jerusalemfromthesouth.Accordingly, Tibaldandtheothersdecidedtoplana maritimecrusaderatherthanalongover- landmarch.Butsuchaventurewould requireafleet,andtheFrankishnoble- menhadnoneoftheirown.Inorderto carryoutthecrusade,theywouldhaveto commissionsomeonetobuildanarmada capableoftransportingtensofthousands ofknights,squires,horses,weapons,and foodallthewayacrosstheMediterranean. Blind faith: The leaders of the Fourth Crusade handed leadership of the crusade Andattheturnofthe13thcentury,only — and later, complete control of the enterprise — to Venice’s blind elder statesman, Enrico Dandolo (left). THE NEW AMERICAN • MARCH 19, 2007 33 HISTORYHISTORY —PASTANDPERSPECTIVE cretlyconcludingalucrative leadersknewmanymenwouldrathertake Unfortunately for the naïve young French tradeagreement. amoredirectroutetotheHolyLand. The wilyVenetians had Beforelong,however,theEgyptiandes- noblemen, Enrico Dandolo, the ruler of nointentionofjeopardizing tinationofthecrusadehadbeenbruited Venice, saw an opportunity to turn the suchacommercialwindfall about, and many crusaders, disgusted asexclusiveaccesstoEgyp- withtheprospectoftakingsuchanindi- expedition to his country’s advantage. He tianports,andbeganlaying rectroute,decidedtotravelontheirown feigned enthusiasm for an invasion of Egypt plansoftheirowntodivert totheHolyLandorabandonedthecause the entire enterprise to a altogether.To make matters worse, the even as his envoys were in Cairo secretly differentend.ButDandolo originalleaderofthecrusade,Tibaldof concluding a lucrative trade agreement. and the council kept the Champagne,diedunexpectedly,leaving Venetian agenda to them- MarquisBonifaceofMontserrattheleader selves,andofferedtobuild oftheexpedition. theDogeofVenice,EnricoDandolo,a anarmadaforthecrusaderssufficientto Byearly1202,itwasobvioustoVille- “verywiseandableman,”accordingto transport4,500knightsandtheirhorses, hardouinandtheotherleadersthatthe Villehardouin’srecord.HadVillehardouin 9,000squires,and20,000footsoldiers. crusadewasinserioustrouble.Thousands andhiscomrades-in-armshadanyinkling Venicewouldalsofurnishfoodenough ofmenwerenowbivouackedonLido,but ofwhattheagedstatesmanDandolohad forninemonths,andallfortheprincely lessthanathirdoftheoriginallyanticipat- instoreforthem,theymighthavedeparted sumof85,000silvermarks.Dandolofur- edforcehadshownup.Asaresult,thecru- Veniceatonceandsoughthelpelsewhere. thersweetenedthedealwithanofferof50 saderswereunabletoraisethefullsumto But,dazzledastheaspiringsoldiersofthe freegalleys,fully-equipped—ifthecru- paytheVenetiansforthenow-completed CrosswerebythewondersofVeniceand sadersagreedtocedetoVeniceone-half fleet.Evenaftertheleadersstrippedthem- theapparentsympathyofherleader,they ofallconqueredterritory.Thebargainwas selvesoftheirpossessionsandurgedtheir humblyaskedDandoloandtheVenetian sealed. countrymentodolikewise,theexpedition GrandCounciltobuildthemafleet. Thecrusadingarmybegantoassemble wasstill34,000marksinarrears. onLido,thelong,narrowbarrierisland Now Dandolo had the crusaders ex- Subtle Subterfuge separatingtheVenetianlagoonfromthe actlywherehewantedthem.Conditions UnfortunatelyforthenaïveyoungFrench Adriatic,whileinVeniceitselfthemassive onLidowerecrowdedandunsanitaryand noblemen, Enrico Dandolo, although andefficientshipworksbeganbuildingthe manyofthecrusaders,whowereforbid- roughly90yearsold,possessedmoreen- crusaders’armada.Thesupposedobjectof dentoenterthecityitself,wereindebt ergyandsubtletythan10menhalfhisage. thecrusade,Egypt,wastobekeptasecret, toVenetianmerchantshappytoexploit Aseasoneddiplomataswellasapoliti- innosmallmeasurebecausetheFrankish their circumstances. Abandoning their cian,Dandolohad spenttimeinCon- stantinopledecades earlier where, it was rumored, he had lost his eye- sightinafight.But neither blindness nor the infirmities ofagekeptDando- lofromperceiving immediatelyinthe crusaders’proposal an opportunity to turntheexpedition tothepoliticaland economic advan- tageofVenice.He andhiscouncillis- tenedwithfeigned enthusiasm to the planforaninvasion of Egypt — even A house divided: The siege and capture of Zara was universally condemned as an immoral asVenetianenvoys act of war by Christians against Christians — and hinted of greater atrocities to come. were in Cairo se- 34 THE NEW AMERICAN • MARCH 19, 2007 solemncrusader’svowswas unthinkabletopiousmenlike Villehardouin and Boniface, butVenicewouldnotrelease thearmadawithoutpayment infull. The“wiseandable”Dan- dolo now stepped forward withanewproposal:across theAdriaticontheDalmatian coast,arefractoryformerVe- netianpossession,thecityof Zara, had recently been an- nexedbythekingofHungary. Ifthecrusaderswouldagree tosailtoZarafirstandhelp theVenetiansrecaptureZara, Dandolowouldagreetopost- ponesettlementoftheirdebt, Golden Horn: The inlet that formed Constantinople’s harbor posed a strategic atleastuntilthecrusadershad challenge to would-be attackers: a huge chain stretched across its entrance, denying achancetoenrichthemselves enemy access to the Byzantine fleet. onthespoilsoftheeast.Not onlythat,Dandolo,aswellas enoughVenetianstomanalltheextraves- sadersandVenetiansalike.Later,realizing nopleandRome,andseetoitthattheEast