Fourth Crusade Chronology

The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) aimed to recapture Jerusalem but was diverted when crusaders, lacking funds, agreed to help Venice conquer Constantinople instead. They diverted their voyage, attacking and looting the Byzantine capital in 1204. The Venetians took control, establishing a Latin Empire, which weakened Byzantine influence. The crusade's failure to reach the Holy Land caused lasting damage, deepening divisions between Eastern and Western Christianity, and significantly impacting Byzantine history.