Worsen Latin of Constantinople

The Latin empire of Constantinople is a State based on the territory of the Byzantine Empire following the Fourth crusade and the fall of Constantinople to the hands of the Latin . It lasts until in 1261, year of the reconquest of the city by Michel Paléologue, which restores the Byzantine Empire.

Diversion of the crusade

In 1202, the Innocent pope III lance the Fourth crusade. The Vénitiens force cross to transport them extremely hard conditions: 85.000 marcs of gold and half of the spoils.

In spring, the crusade, given up by the Burgundian ones and Provençaux embarked with Marseilles, account one the third of manpower envisaged and pours only 50.000 marcs with the Venetian ones. A moratorium is granted provided that the crusaders help Venice to take again the Dalmatian port of Zara to the king of Hungary. The catch of this Christian city (November 1202) causes protests in the army. The pope excommunicates cross Vénitiens and, but raises at once the sorrow for the latter. During the wintering, the young person Byzantine Empereur Alexis Ange arrives at Zara and request to the crusaders to restore on the imperial throne his father Isaac II, reversed by Alexis III Angel in 1195. In exchange of this assistance, he promises raised payments, the contribution of the Byzantines to the crusade and the union of the Churches. In spite of the opposition of part of the army and the papal legate, the project is adopted.

Next spring, the crusade takes Corfou, then puts the seat in front of Constantinople the June 24th. The July 17th, a first attack of the capital causes the escape of Alexis III. Isaac II, restored, must associate his/her Alexis son with the capacity. Incompetents to hold the made promises with cross increasingly impatient, and while the Greek population is increasingly hostile for them, they are reversed by a popular riot which carries to the capacity Alexis V Doukas, convinced anti-Latin.

In March 1204, a treaty concluded between the Doge de Venise Enrico Dandolo and the crusaders, the Partitio terrarum imperii Romanie , decides by advance the division of the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople is taken and delivered to plundering April 12th and 13rd. The Greek population is massacred, the profaned churches and monasteries. The pope Innocent III accepts initially the accomplished fact, justified by the promises of union of the Churches and the assistance of the Latin Empire with Jerusalem, before speaking about diversion of the crusade and showing the Venetian ones.

The catch of Constantinople by the crusaders rings the knell of the Byzantine power and carries a considerable damage to European civilization, opening the door with the Othoman conquest . The city, plundered and burned, is deserted by its population which will return only in 1261.

Latin empire

Two frank chiefs covet the imperial title: Boniface de Montferrat and Baudouin IX of Flanders. On the six men of the church chosen to represent the Francs, only one is in favor of Boniface de Montferrat, while the majority of the barons support the candidature of Baudouin de Flandres.

Preferred in Boniface de Montferrat, Baudouin de Flandres is elected emperor under the name of Baudouin I {{er}} on May 16th, 1204 by the voters assembled in the Palais of Boucoléon.

If the Latin Empire of Constantinople is often regarded as the continuation of the Byzantine Empire, the modern historians stress today the fact that these two entities are completely different: indeed, if Baudouin preserves an imperial government as well as a ceremonial directly inspired of Byzance, it endeavors to introduce in the East the rules of feudality, thus breaking with the Greek traditions.

Parcelling out of the Byzantine Empire

The partitio takes again the terms of the treaty of 1202 on the division for half between the crusaders and the Venetian ones of the conquests carried out. The crusaders must concede with Venice “a quarter and half” of the Byzantine grounds, the three fifths of the city, the patriarchate and new commercial privileges, the ports of Coron and Modon, the Crete, the island of Négrepont, inter alia. The crusade was the occasion for Venice to constitute a colonial empire which will serve its commercial interests during several centuries.

The Latin Empire obtains the quarter of the grounds and extends Constantinople, the Thrace and the North-West of the Asia Mineure); the Venetian ones receive the territories which extend to the south from Andrinople, until the Marmara Sea. Other States are made up:

the Kingdom of Thessalonique, conquered by Boniface de Montferrat and which extends on the Macedonia and the Thessalie. In 1217, to died of Déméter de Montferrat, the kingdom passes to the emperor Frederic II of Hohenstauffen;

the Duchy of Athens, whose capital is fixed at Thèbes, granted Othon of the Rock, and who becomes the land of welcome for Latin, who supplant the Greek aristocrats. In 1208, the pope Innocent III founds the archbishop's palace of Athens there;

the Duchy of Naxos, that Venetian the Marco Sanudo is constituted, nephew of the doge Enrico Dandolo, gathering all the islands of the archipelago of the Cyclades;

the Principality of Achaïe or Principality of Morée, entrusted to Geoffroi de Villehardouin and divided into twelve baronnies, including the grounds given to the Hospital , the Templiers and the archbishop of Patras. The feudality of Morée preserves manners and habits of the countries of origin: Champagne, Picardy or Burgundy, and the noble Greeks, or archontes , are dispossessed of the vast domains that they had there.

Within each vassal State of the empire, feudality leads to the parcelling out of the grounds between the lords having taken part in the Crusade, parcelling out pushed until the absurdity.

Certain tops barons obtain however only grounds almost all located in Asia, that Baudouin yields to them on his share and which they will never put the feet: Henri de Flandres thus obtains the Royaume of Andremite, Pierre de Bracheux the Royaume of Konya, the Count de Blois sees himself allotting the Duché of Nicée while Rénier of Trit receives the Duché of Philippopoli.

Reign of Baudouin de Flandres

Under the influence of Baudouin and Francs, Latin civilization is introduced into all the territories forming the Latin Empire, by the application of the feudal habits and the courses of Occident.

The history of the Latin Empire is only forwardings, seats or defenses of the fortified towns in unsubdued country: having to fight on all fronts, the Francs must moreover face the hostility of the Greeks. Thus in February 1205, with died of Hugues of Saint-pol., the Greeks of its seigniory of Didymotique are combined with Jean Kalojan, king of the Bulgares. A bloody defeat, on April 14th, 1205 with Andrinople follows, during which Baudouin de Flandres is made prisoner and brought to in the Bulgarian capital Véliko Tarnovo. It will be locked up there during a few years in an isolated tower, which bears still today the name of " The Tower of Bauduin". Bauduin will be able to escape with helped from noble Bulgarian, in love with him.

A few weeks later, the Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo dies in Constantinople, leaving the Venetian ones without directives as for the choice of a new emperor. It is finally Henri de Hainaut, the brother of Baudouin, who becomes emperor.

Reign of Henri de Flandres

Of 1206 with 1216, the Latin Empire is strengthened under the government of Henri: it conquers the Épire and the Macedonia but also failing in front of the Bulgarian ones, in Andrinople.

Kalojan organizes in 1205-1206 the seat then the massacre of Philippopoli, during which the archbishop is massacred, the notable sharp or decapitated sectional views, the city shaven and reduced in ashes; it seizes Arcadiopolis then, then of Visoï, where it massacres all the population.

Lex exactions of Bulgarian involve in Europe a rallying with Latin. Henri de Flandres can conquer the Dimot and, on August 20th 1206, it is crowned emperor in Constantinople. It sets out again then in forwarding against the Bulgarian ones.

In spring 1207, the Bulgarian ones besiege Andrinople: also badgered by the Greeks in Asia, Henri de Flandres manages all the same to release the city. October 8th, 1207, Kalojan dies in front of Andrinople, probably assassinated by one of its men.

In November 1208, Henri concludes a trève with the Bulgarian ones and Marie one from her daughters with Slav, prince de Bulgarie. It makes profitable these times peace to reconcile its former enemies, trying to be combined the Greeks, whom it reminds Constantinople and admits at its court.

He also manages to interest the Occident in the Latin Empire.

From 1209 to 1212, it carries out the war against the barons of Salonique: those, with the death of Boniface de Montferrat, had refused to lend homage to him and had proclaimed for suzerain Guillaume de Montferrat; May 2nd, 1210, the kingdom of Salonique is declared integral part of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.

It also carries out the war against the Greeks of Nicée and Épire and the Serbes.

Courtenay

In 1216, to died without posterity of Henri de Flandres, a delegation of barons offers the throne to Pierre II of Courtenay, count de Tonnerre, of Auxerre and Namur and husband of Yolande de Flandres, sister of Baudouin and Henri. Crowned in Rome on April 9th 1217, it swears to maintain the privileges of the Venetian ones. It falls however into an ambush set-up by Greeks in the mountains from Albania and will never reach Constantinople: he dies in prison during the winter 1218 - 1219.

Its widow, Yolande de Courtenay, give little time after birth to Baudouin II of Courtenay, born in Constantinople in the room of the Porphyrogénète S. the empire is then entrusted to Conon de Béthune, which dies on December 17th 1219; it is replaced by a collegial government composed of Geoffroy de Merry, Narjot de Toucy and Theodore Branas.

In 1220, Robert de Courtenay, wire of Yolande, is crowned emperor. Its reign is marked by the reinforcement of the relations with the Greeks of Nicée but, in 1222, the victory of Jean III Doukas Vatatzès over the Lascaris brothers reinforces the threat whom the Greeks make weigh on the Latin Empire, driven out its territories of Asia and badly controlled.

During the winter 1227, the barons deposit Robert de Courtenay, who dies in Morée in January 1228, and proclaim emperor Baudouin II of Courtenay.

In 1229, the crown is proposed with Jean de Brienne, old King de Jérusalem. He becomes emperor associated with Baudouin II. In 1245 the Empire, tiny room to the only town of Constantinople, is at the edge of the financial bankruptcy.

End of the Empire

Driven out of Constantinople, the Greeks less did not constitute of them three independent States, withdrawn from the Empire Latin of Constantinople and held by Greek dynastes: the Empire of Nicée, the Despotat d' Épire and the Empire of Trébizonde.

Alexis III is imprisoned by his son-in-law Theodore I {{er}} Lascaris which is made recognize emperor with Nicée. He fails in his military and diplomatic efforts to take again Constantinople, but maintains alive in his capital the Byzantine imperial tradition.

In 1235, Jean III Doukas Vatatzès, emperor of Nicée, combined with Bulgarian of Ivan Asen II, besieges without Constantinople success defended by Jean de Brienne with the support of a Venetian squadron, but succeeds in reconquering the Thrace and the Macedonia.

A second head office of Constantinople takes place in July 1261: Michel Paléologue overcomes Guillaume de Villehardouin with Castoria, during the autumn 1259; this one must then yield to him the principal fortresses of Morée. July 25th, 1261, the general Alexios Stratigopoulos enters Constantinople: having fled the Palate of Blachernes for the Palate of Boucoléon, the young emperor Baudouin II flees with Thèbes then in the Pouilles, before arriving in France in 1262.

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