Wars

Fourth Crusade

Medieval

Citation Formats

General Reference

War and Military Atlas. "Fourth Crusade." Accessed September 8, 2026. https://military.interactiveatlas.org/wars/fourth-crusade.

APA Style

War and Military Atlas. (n.d.). Fourth Crusade. Retrieved September 8, 2026, from https://military.interactiveatlas.org/wars/fourth-crusade

BibTeX

@misc{warandmilitaryatlas-fourth-crusade,
  author = {War and Military Atlas},
  title = {Fourth Crusade},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://military.interactiveatlas.org/wars/fourth-crusade},
  note = {Accessed September 8, 2026}
}

The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III, whose stated intent was to recapture Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by first defeating the Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt. Diverted by debt and dynastic politics, the crusading army instead attacked and sacked Constantinople, the Christian capital of the Byzantine Empire, partitioning Byzantine territory among the crusaders and Venice and establishing the Latin Empire in its place.

Facts

Start Year

1202 1

End Year

1204 1

Combatants

Crusaders from France, the Holy Roman Empire and Venice against the Byzantine Empire, with Hungary and Croatia also affected 1

Outcome

The crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1204, partitioned the Byzantine Empire among themselves and Venice, and established the Latin Empire in its place; Byzantine authority fragmented into successor states. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Commanders and Forces

Varangian Guard

Source Wikipedia: Varangian Guard

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Fourth Crusade

Lead section, para 1

Quote, Lead section, para 1

The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid Sultanate.

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Fourth Crusade

Infobox: Date

Quote, Infobox: Date