The Fourth Crusade: The Conquest of Constantinople (Middle Ages Series)

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Summary: A lucid explanation of a perplexing historical event
Review: To the contemporary mind, the Crusades represent a bizzare, even horrific, historical event. It is difficult, if not impossible, for those living in the 20th Century to comprehend the religious fervor that prompted thousands from Western Europe, both the great and the humble, to commit themselves and their fortunes to the expirgation of the infidel from the Holy Land. Of the sordid history that is the Crusades, however, the most baffling is perhaps the notorious Fourth Crusade in the early 13th Century, when Christians from Western Europe, and their Venetian allies, attacked and laid waste to Constantinople, arguably the greatest city on earth and, more to the point, inhabited by fellow Christians. The mystery is made even more remarkable by the knowledge that the Pope himself forbade the Crusaders' attack of Constantinople. What prompted the Crusaders to rebuke the Holy See? What went wrong? The present work provides an insightful and lucid analysis of the unhappy events that culminated in the destruction of the greatest city in Christiandom. "The Fourth Crusade" is essential reading for anyone who has tried to make sense of a momentous historical event that seems to defy rational explanation, or for those who simply conclude that Constantinople fell victim to the Crusaders' greed. The reality is much more complex, though "The Fourth Crusade" manages to present its analysis in an entertaining and engaging manner that brings to life a period of history like no other.