Crusade of 1202-1204

The Crusade of 1202-1204 was a military expedition called by Western European Christians to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim control. However, it was poorly planned and fueled by political and economic motives. The crusaders ended up diverting to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which they besieged and sacked in 1204. This brutal attack weakened the Byzantine Empire significantly and shifted focus away from the Holy Land, leading to lasting tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity. Ultimately, the crusade achieved little for its original religious goals, but it deepened divisions in medieval Christendom.